Psalms xciii-c.

Ps. xciii. This short Psalm is a kind of keynote of the Psalms of praises which follow. It contains the glorious

theme "Jehovah reigneth," and the other Psalms to the one hundredth give us the grand and glorious details of this reign. Jehovah has been manifested in the earth appareled with majesty and strength. The consequences of this manifestation are: The world established, the Throne which is of old also established, the rebellious floods, the angry waves broken and overcome (nations the enemies of the Kingdom), God's testimonies, which are very sure, fulfilled, and at last Holiness. A closer study will show that all these short sentences of the xciii Psalm are unfolded in their fullest meaning in every Psalm from the xcvi to the one hundredth Psalm.

The ninety-fourth Psalm puts before us the events which will transpire right before the Lord, Jehovah-Jesus comes. The Psalm shows therefore Jewish history of the last prophetic week of Daniel. Let us look at some of these events.

There is first the plea and the cry to the God of vengeance, not to a merciful father, but it is a cry for vengeance, that the God of vengeance may shine forth (verse 1). The second verse is still more intense. "Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth, render to the proud recompense." This cannot be the prayer of the saints of this dispensation.

And why this cry for the God of vengeance to appear to come and judge the proud? The verses which follow give the answer. The wicked triumphs. Wickedness has the upper hand at last, and the workers of iniquity boast them-selves. The fifth verse shows that the wicked one and the workers of iniquity are breaking to pieces Jehovah's people, and are afflicting His heritage (the land). Satan cast out from heaven into the earth will not find the saints, the body of the Lord Jesus Christ here to torment them, for they are then with the Lord in the air. His wra^h will be against the people whom he well knows to be the coming nation. Tribulation is from Satan, and it will be Jacob's trouble. The waves of that awful storm which will then pass over the land and over the people are seen in this Psalm.

But in the midst of it there is the faith and hope of the believing remnant. The second half of this Psalm speaks of this. Jehovah is their high tower and their only refuge. To Him they look and to Him has been the cry in faith. "Jehovah our God shall cut them off" (verse 23).

The xcv Psalm begins with an exhortation to sing unto Jehovah. He has not yet been manifested. It is not yet "Sing unto Jehovah a new song." As the moment draws nigh when at last He will rend the heavens and come down and His blessed feet shall stand once more upon the Mount of Olives, there is heard in Israel the exhortation to welcome Him. Perhaps Rev. xiv:6 and 7 speaks of this glad shout which the believing remnant will utter.

In the first verse the rock of salvation is mentioned. Com-pare with Deuteronomy xxvii:15. "The rock of his salvation, which they lightly esteemed," is the same rock which they now acknowledge and whom they desire to greet with a joyful noise. The Rock is Jehovah-Jesus. But in the second verse there is mentioned a joyful noise they make to Him, the coming One, with Psalms. Once they did cry in Jerusalem when He entered the city, "Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel;" but it was soon to be changed into "Crucify Him." He turned away then and told them they would not see Him again till they would cry "Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord," and in the meantime their house was to be left desolate. Now He is coming again. Signs and wonders are seen in die heavens and on the earth, heaven and earth are shaken and stars fall from heaven. At last there appears the sign of the Son of Man in the heavens, the Shekinah cloud, and the cry will be upon believing Jewish lips again, "Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord." Psalm cxviii:26; Matthew xxiii:39.

The coming One, who comes to reign, is confessed by them as God and King, Verses 3-5. He has all power in heaven and on earth. Col. i :16. Next is the call to worship and to do homage to Him by bowing the knee. See Joseph's dream in Genesis xxxvii 7, and at last the brethren bowed their knees before the rejected One. Compare Isaiah xlv: 23 with Phil. ii:10.

Verse seven contains likewise their confession. For He is our God. (Isaiah xxv.9.) And we are the people of His pasture, the sheep of His hands. (Ezekiel xxxiv:2-31.)

This exhortation to praise and confession is followed by an exhortation to obey Him. (Verses 8-il.) The Lord Himself speaks. The entire nation stiff-necked, disobedient so long, will now hear. The wilderness wanderings are over and their backsliding will be healed by looking upon the Pierced One. They enter into the promised rest. (Hebrews iii and iv.) The Psalm is quoted five times in these two chapters.

The manifestation of Jehovah in Judgment and in Mercy, the Lord coming with all His saints, comes in these prophetic Psalms after the xcv Psalm. The exhortation to praise and obedience has been heard and the heavens opened, the long-expected One has come. The xcvi Psalm is the first of five Psalms which speak of the Lord's millennial rule, His glory known over the earth and in the earth. Israel blessed, a holy people, nations rejoicing in salvation and the knowledge of the glory of the Lord and groaning creation delivered. How near all these events are and how it be-hooves us to look into them and rejoice, not alone in the blessed hope that we shall soon see Him and be like Him, but also to rejoice in the glory which will surely spread over the earth.

The name of Jehovah stands three times in the beginning of the xcvi Psalm. First there is the singing of a new song unto Jehovah, Israel will sing this new song. Isaiah xii. They are now no longer the tail but the head. The last have become the first.

But all the earth will likewise sing. How sad the ignorance of God's plans and purposes, which expects a rejoicing earth at this present time when Israel is still dispersed and unpardoned. The singing of a new song by Israel comes first, the singing of the earth follows.

His salvation is then proclaimed, His glory declared and His marvelous works are seen among all the peoples. Israel will do this proclamation and make known the glory, signs and miracles will follow (verse 3). In verses 4-6 this proclamation is seen. Idolatry will be abolished. Nations will no longer turn to wood and stone to worship them. Whole nations will turn from idols to the true and living God. Satan will be bound to deceive the nations no more. Read carefully Jeremiah xvi :14-21. Notice there will be a second gathering of the Jews, this is followed by the confession of the Gentiles and their conversion (verse 19).

The worship of the Lord as it will be in the earth and especially in Israel, the glory due unto His name is described, verses 7-10.

Bring an offering and come into His court stands in connection with the millennial temple, the great center of worship on the earth, a house of prayer for all nations. (Ezekiel xlvi.)

The world is established that it cannot be moved. The overturning times—Ezekiel xxi :25-27—-are over and the true form of government for the earth has been established. The Lord judges the peoples with equity. All nature falls in line and breaks forth in singing and rejoicing. The heavens and the earth, the sea, the field and all the trees rejoice and sing and are glad. Read Isaiah xi:5-9; lv:12; xiii:6-17; xliv:23.

Verse 13 reads—not "Before Jehovah for He cometh," but "Before Jehovah for He is come. He judges the land (Israel's land) and from there He judges the world in righteousness."

The praise and glory continue in the xcvii Psalm. The Lord reigneth and all the earth is His and rejoices, the isles are glad. The foundation of His throne is righteousness and judgment. He is the true Melchizedek, a priest upon His throne. Psalm lxxii:1-2.

The clouds surround Him and from there flash forth the lightnings of His judgments. Fire devours the adversaries and He rules in the midst of His enemies. His lightnings lighten the whole world, the earth trembles and the hills melt like wax. All this will be literal. Isaiah lxvi:15-i6; Habakkuk iii; Deut. xxxii:22; Psalm xviii:11.

The Lord will descend on the day of His manifestation and He will come back in like manner. His feet standing upon the Mount of Olives; but the throne of His glory which will be shared by His saints is not in the earth, but over the earth, in the heavens. In the earth He will have built again the tabernacle of David, which was fallen down, and upon the throne of David there will sit and rule a Prince, who is a Son of David and vice-regent of the King of Kings. Ezekiel xxiv:24 ; Ezekiel xliv :1-3. From the throne of glory in the heavens the angels of the Lord will ascend and descend upon the Son of Man.

Verse 6 shows that His glorious throne is in the heavens. "The heavens declare His righteousness and all the peoples see His glory." How will the heavens declare His righteousness? They are said to declare the glory of El, the mighty, but here it is His righteousness. Because the nations will look up into the heavens and see the heavenly, new Jerusalem which at the end of the thousand years comes down from heaven. There is the throne of glory, and in that throne there are with Him the Son of Man, the glorified ones. He indeed is the first born among many brethren and the saints who even now are quickened and raised with Christ and seated in heavenly places with him, will then actually occupy that place. They are His glory, the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints will then be demonstrated before the eyes of nations dwelling in the earth. No human tongue or pen can describe the coming glories. (Eph. i:18)

The end of the xcvii Psalm speaks once more of the consequences of His shining forth and reign.

The xcviii Psalm is much like the xcvi. The idols of the nations are not mentioned. The third verse is the key, "He hath remembered His mercy and His faithfulness towards the House of Israel." This term, like many other passages, includes both the House of Judah and the House of Israel. The Psalm contains the praise of a nation born in a day, they sing the new song because salvation has come and the ends of the earth have seen His salvation.

All the land (Israel's land) shouts aloud, there is a breaking forth, a singing, and with harps, comets and trumpets, such a joyful noise as has never been heard in Israel and in the earth before. (Psalm Ixviii :25, 26.) And all else joins in. The sea roars and the fulness thereof, the world and the dwellers therein, the rivers clap hands, the hills sing for joy. It will be a universal singing time, above in the heavens, beneath in the earth, in Israel and among the nations, and nature will be no longer out of tune.

Moses sang of it in his song when he said. Rejoice O ye nations with His people, for He shall avenge the blood of His servants, and will render vengeance to His adversaries and will be merciful unto His land, to His people (Deut. xxxii:43). And thus the Spirit declares through Paul, "The receiving of them will be life from the dead" (Rom. xi:15).

His rule and His victory is again put before us in the xcix Psalm. He reigneth. He dwells between the cherubim, the earth trembles. The living creatures of Ezekiel and Revelation are mentioned here. Zion has become His dwelling place. The mountain will be lifted up over all the other mountains, and in it the glory will be revealed and judgment executed from this spot. Isaiah ii and Micah iv. Jehovah is great in Zion.

Three times in the Psalm declaration is made that Jehovah is holy. (Verses 3, 5 and 9.)

The names of Moses, Aaron and Samuel, which are mentioned here, were priests heard and accepted by God. Thus Israel will be like Aaron, Moses and Samuel in worship and in praise. The worship in the earth has for a centre the holy hill of Zion. (Verse 9.)

The one hundredth Psalm is the grand finale. It is nothing but praise; what else can there be when the earth is subjected unto Him, when Israel sings the new song and nations learn war no more, but bow before Jehovah, when groaning creation groans no more and the glory of the Lord covers the earth as the waters the deep. Praise from generation to generation. May this praise be now in all the saints of God, not alone for what we are in Him our Lord, but also for what He will do in the day of His shining forth.