Who Is the King of the World?
Psalm 93,
The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty;
the Lord is robed; he has put on strength as his belt.
Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
2 Your throne is established from of old;
you are from everlasting.3 The floods have lifted up, O Lord,
the floods have lifted up their voice;
the floods lift up their roaring.
4 Mightier than the thunders of many waters,
mightier than the waves of the sea,
the Lord on high is mighty!5 Your decrees are very trustworthy;
holiness befits your house,
O Lord, forevermore.
Most mornings in the Schumann household start out the same way. Following time in the word, we make a round of toast with peanut butter and honey for everyone at the table. Next, if it’s nice, we go outside for a walk or scooter ride around the block. After that, I get ready for work, grab my lunch, and then right before leaving, ask each of our kids three questions. They are the exact same questions every single morning.
Who is the king of the world?
Who are the king’s people?
And, What is better than being the king’s people?
Just about every morning in our house starts out this way and has now for quite some time. There are easier, simpler ways we start out a morning. For one, we could just skip the questions. I mean, the same three questions every single morning? Is that really necessary? Is that really worth slowing your progress out the door?
I think it is. And the reason I think that is because none of us ever truly knows what the day ahead of us is really going to bring — it may be a whole set of circumstances that leave you feeling completely disorienting. Significantly unsteadied. Life can tend to do that kind of thing, you know. It can tend to knock-us-off-balance just when we’re least expecting it.
Each day carries with it the potential for quite the barrage of disorienting experiences: A suddenly fractured friendship you thought would stand the test of time, shocking news of a failed marriage you believed stood as solid as a pillar, an unforeseen illness in place of ongoing health, an unexpected accident in place of continued safety, loss of trust in someone you had thought trustworthy, or loss of life in someone you had thought invincible.
Life can be disorienting. Any given day can leave you feeling turned totally upside down. And that’s why, coffee in hand, backpack on shoulders, about to head to work, I ask our kids the questions:
Who is the king of the world?
Who are the king’s people?
And, What is better than being the king’s people?
And then, I listen for the answers we’ve taught them.
Who is the king of the world? God is the king of the world.
Who are the king’s people? We are the king’s people.
And, What is better than being the king’s people? There is nothing better than being the king’s people.
That is the message I hope to give my kids every single morning, and it is the message I believe Psalm 93 aims to give us this morning. Cities Church: God is the king of the world. Psalm 93 invites us to anchor ourselves to that truth, that we might be able to ride out all life’s disorienting storms.
Let’s pray and ask for God’s help before going any further.
King Over the World
So, Psalm 93 — God is king over the world. More specifically, God is king over the world’s future, its floods, it’s faithful. Let’s begin with what it means for God to be king more generally, then we’ll consider his kingship over the future, floods, and faithful.
So, God is king over the world. Beginning with verse one:
“the Lord reigns.”
The Lord reigns. He reigns. He does not merely manage or supervise — he reigns. As a verb, reign pertains to the realm of royalty. Reigning involves sitting upon a throne, wielding complete authority, and bearing the title “king.”
And, this is something God does by right, for his kingly throne is “from of old.” Verse 2,
“Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting.”
So, verse one, God is king, and, verse two, his status as king is no new thing. He is king and he has been king, and there has never been a time, or a world, in which God was not King.
Go ahead, take all of reality, all that has ever been, bind it all together into a single book. Turn to its very last pages and then start flipping backward. You’ll just keep seeing it over and over again — God seated upon a throne.
Brothers and sisters, the empires of our world are as a blink of an eye compared to the reign of God. Entire royal lines — a snap of the fingers. The timeline of the universe is the timeline of God’s reign.
So, God is king. God reigns as king, and he does so, still verse one, “robed in majesty.”
“The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty;”
You’ve all seen movies or books where ancient kings have been depicted. Sometimes they’re clothed in garments of purple laced with gold, or a cloak of red with white and black-dotted collar. King Aragorn kind of ends up with this cool black cloak with the white tree insignia — that one’s pretty cool.
Take all those images together, the basic idea is the same: kings set themselves apart from others by way of clothing. They choose, from all the finest clothing in the land, garments to signify their unique position. They adorn themselves, and they do so with articles of clothing that are exterior, outside themselves.
The image here of God, the true High King, is similar — but not the same. Verse one describes the Great King’s attire, but with one major difference. Here, it seems the Lord, the true reigning King, does not go looking for something exterior himself to wear. He doesn’t go searching for outward, purchasable splendor. Rather, it seems he possesses within himself an inherent majesty, inherent greatness, which emanates out from him so real and so palpable that it is to him his robe.
In other words, he’s robed not in the majesty of man. Majesty is his very essence. He is what it means to be majestic.
We see much of the same in terms of his belt. The text reads, still verse one,
“He has put on strength as his belt.”
Now, remember, we’re talking about God here. God who does not borrow strength from elsewhere. Does not increase in strength, as if some form of it could even exist outside of him. He’s what all forms of strength depend upon.
And so when we read, God has put on strength, or God has robed himself in majesty, I believe we are meant to understand it as not suggesting God is adding anything to himself, but rather that God is revealing something of himself to us. Put another way: His putting on of strength, robing himself with majesty is simply what God looks like, from our angle, whenever he reveals himself to us.
Brothers and sisters: God is king over the world.
And, more specifically, God is king over the future of the world.
King Over the Future
Take another look at verses one and two, and notice what’s sandwiched between the words on God’s kingship. See it with me, on one side of the sandwich, verse one:
“The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed; he has put on strength as his belt.”
All thoroughly Godward statements, yes? All concerning God’s kingship.
On the other side, verse 2:
“Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting.”
Again, thoroughly Godward statements. All concerning God’s kingship.
But then, in the middle, a statement that doesn’t immediately seem to fit. End of verse one:
“Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.”
Nothing thoroughly Godward here, right? The world is what’s in view. Not God’s kingship, but the world and the promise that it shall never be moved.
Now, how does that fit here? What is the connection? God, God, God on one side. God, God, God on the other. Earth sandwiched in the middle.
I think the point is this: We don’t know what tomorrow will look like for our world, do we? We don’t know the world’s future. From a purely scientific angle, it doesn’t look great. Think about it: We are literally standing on a ball, that’s currently hurling through space, and held in the orbit of an even bigger ball, that’s burning like a furnace, so massive and so powerful, that it makes nuclear reactors look like candle sticks.
Will the sun go out tomorrow? Will the earth erode? Will a gigantic asteroid smash into us and break our planet in two? Will food run scarce? Will the waters dry up? Will the temperature rise too high?
What will the future of our world hold? Any future at all?
Psalm 93:
“Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.”
And the reason it won’t ever be moved is because God is king over its future. He is king over the world’s tomorrow. The world does not exist independently from God. The world is not a clock simply wound up by God and left to tick away on its own.
God has told us his son is coming back to this world. God has told us he is going to free this world from its bondage to decay. Till he does, he has also told us his Son is the one who upholds the universe by the word of his power (Heb. 1:3).
God is not going to let this world turn to dust. Psalm 93: “Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.” God is king over the future of the world.
You feel flipped upside down by certain reports in the news. You feel disoriented, confused, by the possibility of chaos or catastrophe. Take heart, God is king over the future of the world. No one gets to decide what tomorrow will bring save him.
God is king over the future of the world. And, God is King over the floods of the world.
King Over the Floods
Verse 3,
“The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their roaring.”
Certainly seems significant, given recent events. Last I read, the death count from the recent flooding in Texas has reached 134 people. The floods have certainly lifted up their roaring, and it’s not the first time.
Now its true, the term “floods” here could also be translated as rivers. NIV has “seas.” So we want to be careful here to not interpret this too narrowly. Waters is the idea. Bodies of water. Whether in the form of an ocean threatening deep sea fishing boats far from land, or a rising tide that breaks over embankments and floods into a city.
Bodies of water, and all the potential energy amassed within them — that’s the idea here. And in the ancient world, these bodies of waters were regularly feared as extremely threatening and unpredictable. Thought by many to be the realm of worldly chaos.
In fact, so threatening, unpredictable, and chaotic were these bodies of water that the term itself — whether rivers, waters, or floods — became synonymous for enemy nations.
Isaiah 8:7, with regard to Assyria:
“The Lord is bringing up against them the waters of the River, mighty and many, the king of Assyria and all his glory. And it will rise over all its channels and go over all its banks,”
Jeremiah 46:7, with regard to Egypt:
“Who is this, rising like the Nile, like rivers whose waters surge? Egypt rises like the Nile, like rivers whose waters surge.”
Revelation 12:15, with regard to Satan himself:
“The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood.”
So, floods here, could mean literal floods, like that which recently swept over parts of Texas. Or it could mean figurative floods, like warring nations that have swept over our world. Truth be told, I think both are in mind here in Psalm 93, because what follows is just as true concerning both. See it with me, verse 4:
“Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty!”
God is king over the world’s floods — it’s literal floods (think Noah and the Ark) as well as its figurative floods (think Egypt’s watery grave). God is king, and can be king, over the world’s floods because he is mightier than they. His power far exceeds their own. The floods are to him as freshly poured tar upon the road, where he is to them the steamroller. He drives his will right on through without the least degree of resistance.
Does he, at times, allow the floods to wreak havoc? Yes, according to his all-knowing, loving, and perfect wisdom, he does. But that’s the key word, allows. And the moment he stops allowing, the floods must cease.
Jesus slept for a time in the boat, yes? The waves crashed, the waters roared. But when Jesus woke, and spoke: “quiet, be still.” The waves were forced to bow to him. Our Psalm 93 king is mightier than the floods.
Friends, no matter how out-of-control things look. No matter how in-control the enemy may seem to be. In seasons of disorientation and confusion, step away from the tilt-a-whirl of circumstances. And steady yourself upon the truth that God is king over the floods of the world.
Anchor yourself to that truth, and ride out the storm from there. God is king over the floods of the world.
Lastly, God is king over the faithful of the world.
King Over the Faithful
Verse 5:
“Your decrees are very trustworthy; holiness befits your house, O Lord, forevermore.”
Key terms here — decrees, think Laws. And House, think household, or family. In other words, what’s in view here is the church. The faithful who are in Christ.
After all, it is we who are the members of his house, “holiness befits your house.” It is we who are the possessors of his decrees, “Your decrees are very trustworthy.” We, the church, the faithful in Christ, we are in view here. Which means, God is king over us as well. God is king over the faithful of the world.
And I want us to really think for a moment about what that means. God is king over us. Kings, as we said, sit upon a throne. They wield complete authority. They reign. And as they do, their citizens do what? They obey. They submit. They endeavor to do what the king tells them.
In the church, we call Jesus our friend, and we should, because Jesus first called us his friend (John 15:15).
We call Jesus our Good Shepherd, and we’re right to, because Jesus told us that’s who he is (John 10:11).
We call the Father our Father, because Jesus invites us to call him Father (Matt. 6:9).
We call Jesus our Savior because that’s just what he came to — save us from our sin (Matthew 1:21).
We call Jesus, Jesus, because though fully God, he also became fully human, even to the point of taking on a human name, Jesus.
How often do we call Jesus king? How often do we call him king and really mean it? To call Jesus king means you intend to submit to him, right? You intent to obey him. You intend to abide by the rules of his kingdom.
Are you winking at any of King Jesus’ commands in this season? Are you taking lightly any of King Jesus’ words? Friends, in all our love for, nearness to, and enjoyment of Jesus, don’t forget, this same Jesus is also King. A King deserving of our obedience to him.
Decrees
And now, two quick words concerning your King: First, verse 5, his decrees are very trustworthy. Speaking to the king,
“Your decrees [think testimony, Law — the words of this book he’s given us called the Bible] are very trustworthy.”
His decrees are very reliable. And that’s important, because his word is also very challenging, “better to pluck out your eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell.” Pluck out my eye? Am I really to take sin that seriously?
His word is also not always intuitive, “whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25). Really, I have to lose it, to find it? How can that be?
His word is also humbling, “no one is righteous, no not one.” Ouch. Self-help books don’t talk that way.
His word is also very candid and to the point, “Here you have no lasting city.” Phew, kind of sobers you to reality just a bit, huh.
So, given the challenging, not always intuitive, humbling, and to-the-point nature of God’s word, we could tend to find ourselves sifting through it a bit, don’t you think? Customizing it — I like this part, not that part.
But these are not the words of a common citizen. Advice from the guy on the corner to either be taken or dismissed. They are the words of your King. And your king is telling you that they are very worth your trusting them.
The world would have you to doubt God’s word. Your sin would have you ignore it. Follow the king’s word. Submit to it by faith. His decrees are very worth your trust.
Holiness
Second, and lastly, holiness befits his house. Speaking to him in verse 5,
“Holiness befits your house.”
Whether his kingdom in heaven, his church here on earth. Holiness befits his house.
And, look, this ought to be such a relief. Such an encouragement. I mean, a King can be a frightening thing. All that power, handed over to one single person? Turn the pages of history, human kings have wreaked havoc on the world. There’s a reason most countries don’t want them anymore.
But, here’s good news of a good King. One who is purely, perfectly, unchangeably holy. A king who is set apart and entirely untouched by sin, unmarred by evil, unendingly good.
“Holiness befits your house.”
You need not ever fear this King acting capriciously, selfishly, or deceptively like human kings. This King has no sin for you to worry about. He is radiant in holiness and it decks the walls of his house. No sin or evil ever touches this king.
And the fact that holiness befits his house, means that everyone he calls near to it, he too makes holy. 1 Peter 2:9,
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,”
Christian, God has made you holy, that he might bring you near.
So, be holy, because you’re headed to his house in heaven. And, don’t miss this, be holy now, because you are his house on earth. 1 Cor. 3:17,
“If anyone destroys God’s temple [God’s house], God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.”
Holiness befits his house. You are that house. Therefore, be holy.
Application for you: What is one step you can take today toward greater holiness? One sinful habit you can drop. One godless activity you can quit. One decision by which you can say, “God, you’ve made me holy by your Son, you’ve called me to live holy in this world. You are my king, and as a member of your household, I will choose holiness here. What is here for you this morning?
Christian, we’ve got good news about a good king. It’s news we can anchor our souls to in the midst of stormy weather and disorienting seasons.
Who is the king of the world? God is the king of the world.
Who are the king’s people? We are the king’s people.
And, What’s better than being the king’s people? There is nothing better than being the king’s people.
The Table
Now, what brings us to the table this morning is the fact that none of us here deserve to be the king’s people. Had the king done nothing, and we continued in our sin just as before, we could expect nothing but rightful judgment from him. But, King Jesus did, in fact, do something. He left heaven, came to earth, took on the form of a servant, was mocked, beaten, scorned, and then hung upon a cross to die for us. Our King purchased our citizenship into his kingdom, by his life, death, and resurrection.
So, because that’s what this table represent, if you’re here today and you’ve trusted in Jesus as your Savior King by faith, then we invite you to take and eat with us. If you’ve not put your trust in Jesus, we ask that you’d let the bread and cup pass, and in this moment, turn from your trust in all other things, give your full allegiance to Jesus. Say “Jesus, be my king.”
