The Lord is Majestic

January 12, 2025 Background Scripture: Psalm 47, 93 Lesson Passage: Psalm 93 The two psalms in the Background Scripture are part of the collection of psalms known as the royal psalms. The royal psalms proclaim and praise God as the eternal Ruler. God is celebrated as eternal King. These psalms celebrate God as King over all creation (He created it all.), King over His chosen people, Israel (descendants of Abraham), and King over all nations (every knee shall bow and submit to God's reign). The scriptures declare His universal rule. Many battles have been waged and will be waged as nations vie for supremacy over other nations. However, in the end, only the Eternal King, God, will remain and be celebrated. The celebration is more than just the celebration of victory over His enemies. God is celebrated for His majestic rule as the eternal Monarch over everything. Psalms such as these can be a challenge for us because we live in a country that exists because the former leaders rejected the rule of monarchy. A democratic republic led by an elected president was established in its place. The pageantry, pomp and circumstance, and coronation associated with monarchies are different than the swearing in of a president. Perhaps we see the swearing in of a president more like a business transaction than a majestic affair. Our main clue for appreciating the enthronement of a monarch comes from observing it in other countries. We watch the worldwide broadcast of the ascendency of monarchs to reign in other parts of the world. We take note of it, but we don't really see it as such a big deal. However, one of the psalms for today's lesson can also be instructive for us because of the author(s) attributed to it, the Sons of Korah. The Sons of Korah descended from one of the early leaders in Israel's history after they were delivered from Egyptian bondage. Korah was from the tribe of Levi that was tasked with supporting the priesthood. Korah and his followers were not satisfied with the ministry assigned to them by God and sought to serve in the office of priest without God's permission. The fire of God went forth and killed the group of rebels as they attempted to serve as priests in God's presence. Korah's descendants dedicated themselves to serving as God had appointed for them. They understood that anything less than obedient service would be open rebellion against God' s rule and therefore wicked. Psalms that are attributed to Korah's descendants often proclaim the honor of serving as God has appointed. They praise God for His reign as King and call on others to do the same. They invite others to clap with their hands, shout with the voice of triumph, and sing praises to God. This is praise in every dimension being extolled by descendants of one of God's chosen people who rebelled against God's divine edicts. What's the motivation for such praise? Their motivation came as a response to God's love. God's actions are not to instill fear and terror in His followers. God's actions always serve as a demonstration of His love for His people. The response of His followers is to reflect love in return. We love Him because He first loved us. Note that none of this has anything to do with respect for a president. We see presidents as one of us who has been elected by the rest of us. Subjects of monarchs never see the monarch as one of them. Monarchs are always seen as above the citizens they reign over. This is the only way we can view God. Psalm 93 takes it a step further and contrasts God with the Canaanite gods. Whatever the Canaanites thought of their gods, God is greater than that. Whereas the Canaanites had imagined individual gods over various entities, such as water, death, etc., God created everything and was therefore God over all. No matter what they imagined and chose to worship, God was greater than all of it. The Lord is King and therefore majestic! Robert C. Hudson December 19, 2024