Weekly Devotional 31st of May, 2024
by Bruce Billington
Weekly Devotional 31st of May 2024
We are continuing to explore the knowledge of God as expressed in the Psalms. This week we look at the final verses of Psalm 97. The author is unknown.
Psalm 97:1-3 – “The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice; Let the many islands be glad. Clouds and thick darkness surround Him; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. Fire goes before Him And burns up His adversaries round about.”
Psalm 97 continues a series of psalms proclaiming and celebrating the Lord as King. The key theme in this Psalm is that the Lord Jehovah reigns, regardless of what people believe and profess. God’s holiness cannot be compromised, and His judgment on all sin is sure. Ultimately, this Psalm, like many others, will find its fulfilment in the reign of Christ over all the earth.
Under the New Covenant that we live in, it is the essence of the Kingdom of God. Jesus has come and all power is given unto Him in heaven and earth. Those who truly follow God are encouraged to embrace this truth even though we may live in a world that rejects the truth about Him. The Psalmist exhorts us to stand firm on the truth of God and to rejoice in the glory that is to come.
We must take comfort in these words, in order not to be dragged down by the ways of the world. It is such a celebratory truth. It is so significant that we should rejoice every day because of it, even though we see injustice, oppression, bloodshed, and terror all around us. Our hope remains in the reign of the all-powerful and gracious Jehovah and that, in the day to come, when all of humanity yield to Him, all those in Christ will have paradise restored.
Verse 1 says “Let the many islands be glad.” To Israel, all places beyond the seas were islands. Those who live in New Zealand, Australia, and other such countries, owe our peace to the sea. It has isolated us from much that is going on in larger landlocked places. We should thank God continually for this and pray that it continues forever.
Verse 2 talks about “clouds of darkness surrounding Him”. In the Old Covenant, God had to cover up a lot of His unlimited glory when He showed Himself to the Israelites, or it would destroy them. Although we are protected by this in the New Covenant, because of the blood of Jesus, there is always further revelation of God for us to discover.
God will often cover something up until it is the right time for it to be revealed to us. When this happens, we must be careful not to complain and tell God what He should be doing. Proverbs 25:2 says that “it is the glory of God to conceal a matter”. This is always for our benefit.
Even though we cannot see or understand where He is working, we can be assured that He will never do any wrong to us. He never departs from strict justice and right: his throne is fixed upon the rock of eternal holiness. This cannot be said about anyone else and should be enough to make us rejoice in Him and adore Him at all times.
Verse 3 states that a fire goes before Him. As was demonstrated at the burning bush for Moses; Mount Sinai; Sodom and Gomorrah, and several other instances, this fire is a devouring flame that burns up all God’s enemies. When He moves in judgement all unrighteousness is burned up and devoured.
In the New Covenant, the power of the Holy Spirit is always reckoned as a flame that goes with the preaching of the Gospel and the teaching of the Kingdom of God. Sin is purged – all falsehood, superstition, unbelief, indifference, and hardness of heart, are destroyed by His flame within us.
We can do nothing better than to proclaim that the Lord reigns and because of this, let all the earth rejoice.
God bless you and keep you.
Bruce Billington.