Heart of a Psalmist - Worshipping Christ Through The Psalms

King !’ Everything in this hymn is pointing to Jesus, the ultimate ‘King of Israel!’ “On his robe and thigh was written this title: King of kings and Lord of lords.” (Rev. 19:16) Speaking of the majesty of the King of kings Spurgeon says that he is robed with; ‘Not with emblems of majesty, but with majesty itself 3 .’ 2. The World is Firmly Established- “The world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken.” (1) Though there is turmoil in creation and the world order of nations, the earth is under the direct control of God the Father and he will hold it in his hands until the end of time. His reign over creation is beyond the reach of human intervention. 3. The Throne is Eternally Established- “Your throne, O Lord, has been established from time im- memorial. You yourself are from the everlasting past.” (2) God’s throne has been established from eter- nity as the place of absolute authority and nothing will ever rival or shake that supremacy. Lucifer rebelled uselessly against the power of God’s throne: “…I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars…I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.” (Isa. 14:13,14) They who exalt themselves above his throne will be brought down, but those who humble themselves before the throne in worship will be honored. “…and I heard the singing of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and the living beings and the elders. And they sang in a mighty chorus:…Blessing and honor and glory and power belong to the one sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever.”(Rev. 5:11-13)

II

ROAR OF THE OCEANS - Insurrection of the Gentiles- 3,4

4. The Lord is Mightier Than the Seas- “The mighty oceans have roared, O Lord. The mighty oceans roar like thunder; The mighty oceans roar as they pound the shore.” (3)

These verses are a perfect example of ‘parallelism’, the main technique of Hebrew poetry. Each phrase is parallel to the preceding verse and expands the meaning of it. The mighty oceans roaring is descriptive of a stormy sea that lifts up its waves and is meant to represent the world powers and king- doms that battle for supremacy among the nations. Delitzsch says that the sea is ‘an emblem of the Gen- tile world alienated from and at enmity with God 4 .’ Other translations render the ‘mighty oceans’ as ‘floods’ (NASB) and include the thought of mighty flooding rivers representing the major political pow- ers of the day; The Nile as Egypt, the Euphrates as Babylon and the Tigris as Assyria.

“But mightier than the violent raging of the seas, mightier than the breakers on the shore– the Lord above is mightier than these!” (4)

• The chaos of the waves and floods does not endanger God’s authority; the changing balance of power among the nations through the centuries is contrasted with His immovable kingdom. Jesus showed himself to be the Lord of the Raging Seas in the gospels: “Then he stood up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly all was calm. The disciples just sat there in awe. ‘ Who is this?’ they asked themselves. ‘Even the wind and waves obey him!’”(Mt. 8:26,27) Only the mighty Lord described in psalm 93 had the authority to stop the waves from crashing. • Perhaps Jesus loved the sea because the sound of the crashing waves is like the ceaseless praise that will come from every nation on earth: “And I heard a sound from heaven like the roaring of a great waterfall (sound of many waters) or the rolling of mighty thunder. It was like the sound of many harpists playing together. This great choir sang a wonderful new song in front of the throne of God…” (Rev. 14:2,3) The sound of heavens praise is like the waves, the waterfall and the thunder. He has al- ways walked upon the waves of praise! “Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came to them, walking on the water….Then the disciples worshiped him. ‘You really are the Son of God!’”(Mt. 14:24,25,33) Our worship must match the intensity and power of the God who rules the el- ements of the sea!

• Much of Jesus’ ministry was centered around the Sea:

230