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Welcome to 5 -Minute Bible, your daily guide for your daily reading. Today's May the 22nd and we'll be looking at Psalm 95 and 97 -99.
Now today we move from the personal reflections of David into the thunderous Psalms celebrating the present reign of God over all creation.
Psalm 95 and 97 -99 are enthronement Psalms proclaiming
Yahweh as the Holy King over all nations and all peoples and even all history.
These Psalms do not merely predict a future kingdom, they announce a present reality.
The Lord reigns now, the earth trembles beneath His voice now, creation erupts in worship and humanity is summoned to bow before the
Holy King of all. And in that way Psalm 95 calls God's people into joyful worship because the
Lord is the Great King above all gods. And yet the Psalm suddenly shifts into warning, reminding
Israel of the wilderness generation that hardened their hearts against God despite witnessing
His mighty works. Then Psalm 97 declares that the Lord reigns and that the earth itself should rejoice.
Clouds, fire, lightning, mountains, and heavens all respond to His majesty while idols are exposed as empty before Him.
Psalm 98 celebrates God's salvation and righteousness being revealed before the nations.
The seas roar, the rivers clap their hands, and the hills sing together because the Lord is coming to judge the earth with righteousness and equity.
Psalm 99 emphasizes the holiness of God's reign. The Lord sits enthroned above the cherubim while the peoples tremble before Him.
Moses, Aaron, and Samuel are remembered as faithful mediators who called upon the name of the
Lord and yet the Psalm repeatedly exalts God's holiness over all. And together these
Psalms form a majestic throne room vision of God reigning presently and universally as the
Holy King over all creation. So as you read today, I want you to ask the following question, what changes when we truly recognize that God reigns over everything?
These Psalms show that worship and obedience and reverence and joy and fear all flow rightly from seeing the
Lord as the reigning King of heaven and earth. And in that way, the central pattern in these
Psalms is the union of both worship and holy fear under the reign of God.
On the one hand, creation rejoices. The nations are summoned to sing and the seas roar and the rivers clap and all the earth celebrates because God reigns in righteousness and justice.
And yet alongside of this, on the other hand, this celebration stands trembling because of God's holiness.
The peoples shake before His throne, hearts must not be hardened against Him, idols collapse before Him.
His holiness burns against rebellion and unbelief, and this balance is essential.
God's reign is wonderful news for those who belong to Him, but it's terrifying for those who persist in their rebellion.
His kingship brings both salvation and judgment, mercy and holiness, both joy and awe.
And in that way, Psalm 95 especially sharpens this warning by reminding us that it's possible to witness
God's works outwardly while still hardening our hearts inwardly.
Worship without faith becomes rebellion rather than delight. And this presses into our life with enormous clarity because human beings are constantly living as though earthly powers and political systems and cultural movements or personal circumstances ultimately control or dictate reality.
But these Psalms rip away the illusion entirely. God is reigning now. His throne isn't threatened.
History is not spiraling into chaos. The nations rise and fall beneath the government of the most holy and wise
King. And these Psalms ultimately point to Jesus because the enthroned
Son through whom God's universal reign is fully revealed is Jesus. And the
New Testament repeatedly presents Christ as reigning now at the Father's right hand today, fulfilling the vision that these enthronement
Psalms are proclaiming. And Psalm 95's warning against hardening our hearts is directly applied in Hebrews where Christ still causes people to hear his voice and enter into God's rest through faithful perseverance.
Psalm 97's declaration that the Lord reigns finds fulfillment in Jesus ascension above every rule and authority and power as King over all the earth.
The idols of the nations are exposed as powerless before this risen Son. Psalm 98's vision of salvation reaching the ends of the world unfolds through the spread of the gospel over the last 20 centuries as Christ is gathering worshipers from every tribe and tongue and nation into his kingdom of light.
And Psalm 99's overwhelming emphasis on holiness culminates in Christ himself, who perfectly reveals the holiness, righteousness, justice and mercy of God.
Through Christ, these enthronement Psalms become present reality. The King reigns.
The nations are already being gathered into his court. The world is already being brought beneath his authority and history itself is moving steadily toward the full revelation of his righteous kingdom over all creation.
So as you read these Psalms today, pay very close attention to how they lift your eyes from the earthly instability that you may be seeing to the holy throne of God who sets above all things.
And tomorrow we will return to David's story one final time and witness another covenant crisis that ultimately leads to the future site of the temple itself.
And with that, read your Bible carefully, devotionally and joyfully, and may the Lord use his word to sanctify you completely.