Psalm 90 begins a series of Psalms that instruct God’s people in the Old Testament in how to properly respond to the crisis of their exile. In several previous posts, we saw that Psalm 90 beckons God’s people to respond in prayer, Psalm 91 highlights the promise of God in response to their prayer and Psalm 92 demonstrates the provision of God for his people in crisis.
Following these passages, Psalm 93 begins to refocus the attention of God’s people. That is, it seeks to direct the gaze of God’s people to the Lord and away from themselves and their situation.
So if Psalm 90 is the prayer of God’s people facing hardship, if Psalm 91 is the promise they receive in answer to their prayer, and if Psalm 92 records God’s provision in the midst of their hardship, then Psalm 93 provides God’s people with a new perspective.
King over Creation
Psalm 93 is the first of a series of “royal” psalms, which depict the Lord as King over all. It begins by declaring, “The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed; he has put on strength as his belt. Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved. Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting” (Ps 93:1–2).
Here the Psalmist presents the Lord as King over all creation. He is on the throne and reigns over the world. And as a result, “it shall never be moved.” This declaration serves to comfort a people whose world seemed to be crashing down all around them. The Psalmist reminds God’s people that even though they have been displaced from their homeland and exiled to foreign country, their God still reigns over all creation. With the King on his throne, there is hope in hardship.
King over Circumstances
The Psalmist continues with a recognition of the dire situation facing God’s people: “The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their roaring” (Ps 93:3). References to floods of water and raging seas in the Old Testament can serve as metaphors for the nations (e.g., Ps 89:9–10; Isa 8:7–8; Jer 46:7–8). Here it alludes to the crisis of Israel’s exile among such nations. That is, God’s people found themselves in trying circumstances as they lived under enemy control.
Yet the Lord is King over circumstances. The Psalmist declares, “Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty” (Ps 93:4)! This passage beckons God’s people to focus their attention on the God who is greater, “mightier” than all circumstances. Even as his people walk through the valley, the Lord on high reigns.
King over Community
Finally, this Psalm directs our attention to the Lord as King over his community of people. It declares, “Your decrees are very trustworthy; holiness befits your house, O Lord, forevermore” (Ps 93:5). Here “decrees” and “house” speak to the covenant relationship that God had established with Israel. By giving them his Law (i.e., “decrees”) and abiding in their midst (i.e., the “house” he set among them), God formed a people over which he would continue to reign as King.
And even when his people endure trials, God still reigns over them in holiness. He has not forgotten them. He is King over his community and remains worthy of our trust. Thus, in any and every circumstance, we can and ought to cling to his instruction and abide in his presence.
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This royal psalm and those that follow redirect our focus to the Lord. This redirection is important, because in trying times, we are prone to focus merely on ourselves and our circumstances. Here the Psalmist shows us instead where our gaze ought to rest—on our Lord as King over all.
This refocusing comes from a right response to trials. When we seek the Lord in hardship and abide in his presence, he renews our perspective. As a loving father gently lifts the chin of his child so that his child’s eyes rest on him, so the Lord lifts our gaze to focus on him as King over creation, over circumstances and over his community. And as we turn our attention away from ourselves and to the Lord, we find strength and hope amid hardship.
