Psalm 93

It is helpful to look at the repetitions in this wonderful psalm:

a.)    …robed in majesty (1): Clearly, this is referring to The LORD who reigns…and is armed with strength. He is the LORD who reigns over all the turbulence and tumult of this world. (Psalms 93 to 100 are linked together by the common theme of the LORD’s kingship.)

b.)     …established… (1b, 2): I believe these two realities are interconnected. The world, in spite its many ‘storms’ (3, 4) cannot be moved because God cannot be moved from His throne. God on the throne is a firm, immoveable reality, therefore this world is also. I am not saying that it will never come to an end. We know from Scripture that it will. But it will not come to an end before God’s appointed time, and without Him being firmly in control of all that happens. It is no mistake that the reference to the stability of our world is sandwiched between a reference to the Lord’s reign (1) and throne (2). (We note also God’s statutes stand firm (5). They have to because they are an expression of who He is; they reflect His solid and permanent character. In the structure of the psalm the fifth verse matches the second.)

 c.)     The seas have lifted up… (3): The picture is of the turbulence of life in the world, including the anger and revolt of men against God. We live amidst very stormy seas that threaten to capsize our little boats and drown us. The restless seas here stand for all the forces of destruction and hostility in the created order, whether violent storms, turbulent nations or evil cosmic powers.

d.)    Mightier…mighty (4): However great and severe the storms, our God is greater and His voice is louder. He will not be overwhelmed and His Word will not be drowned out. He has the final say in any storms we find ourselves in (Mk.4:35-41). It’s been said that we have here a picture of the King with his effortless sovereignty.

Vs 1-2 work downwards from the securely enthroned Lord to the derivative security of the world he rules; vs 3-4 work upwards from the turbulence of earth’s ‘forces’ to the serene might of his exaltation. The earth is a safe place to live in because he reigns; and even when it is at its most turbulent he is still on the throne. Alec Motyer: New Bible Commentary, p.547

 Let Him but say, ‘’Peace be still!’’ and the greatest storm that ever swept the waves with wild fury sinks in to the tranquil sleep of childhood.’ F.B. Meyer: Great verses through the Bible, p.228