Daily Bible Reading Tuesday 21st November 2023
by William Moody
Psalms 97–98
The Lord Reigns
97:1 The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice;
let the many coastlands be glad!
2 Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3 Fire goes before him
and burns up his adversaries all around.
4 His lightnings light up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
5 The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before the Lord of all the earth.
6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness,
and all the peoples see his glory.
7 All worshipers of images are put to shame,
who make their boast in worthless idols;
worship him, all you gods!
8 Zion hears and is glad,
and the daughters of Judah rejoice,
because of your judgments, O LORD.
9 For you, O LORD, are most high over all the earth;
you are exalted far above all gods.
10 O you who love the LORD, hate evil!
He preserves the lives of his saints;
he delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
11 Light is sown1 for the righteous,
and joy for the upright in heart.
12 Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous,
and give thanks to his holy name!
Make a Joyful Noise to the Lord
A Psalm.
98:1 Oh sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done marvelous things!
His right hand and his holy arm
have worked salvation for him.
2 The LORD has made known his salvation;
he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
3 He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness
to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
4 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
5 Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre,
with the lyre and the sound of melody!
6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn
make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD!
7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
the world and those who dwell in it!
8 Let the rivers clap their hands;
let the hills sing for joy together
9 before the LORD, for he comes
to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with equity.Footnotes
[1] 97:11
Most Hebrew manuscripts; one Hebrew manuscript, Septuagint, Syriac, Jerome Light dawns (ESV)
In days of great uncertainty and evil around us, we need the reminder of Psalm 97 about the reign of the Lord. This is truly something to rejoice (v1) about because His reign is marked with righteousness and justice (v2).
The clouds and think darkness around God’s throne (v2) are to protect creation from the impact of His glorious splendour. Fire and lightnings from His presence (v3-4) and melting of the mountains before Him (v5), further highlight something of the awesome nature of God.
The citizens of heaven with their closer vision of God proclaim His righteousness, but even on earth something of His glory can be seen in the world all around us (v6).
It is such a foolish and shameful thing in the light of God’s glory to turn away and worship idols made of stone and wood (v7). These people have lost sight of the true greatness of the Lord who is beyond equal.
God’s people are different because of the truth they know (v8-9). In response our live should be full of praise and be marked by a serious turning away from all that is evil (v10-12).
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