"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, for evermore."
Psalm 93
If Revelation 4 unfolds the vision of the Throne, Revelation 5 underlines the specific act by which the Divine sovereignty is established, for it portrays the appearance of the victorious Lamb at the right hand of the majesty on high, in his ascension and exaltation. This is well described in the words of the hymn,
Look, ye saints! the sight is glorious; See the Man of sorrows now; From the fight returned victorious, Every knee to Him shall bow.
The authority of the Throne becomes effective because Christ, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, by His victory, earns the right to open the sealed book, and therefore to rule the universe according to the plan and purposes of God. The Divine plan is made possible of fulfilment through His triumph in death and resurrection, and evil has lost the initiative in the world, and it no longer has the last word in the human situation. Christ holds the seals in His hands, which means that all the distresses, turmoils and convulsions are ultimately in His control, and therefore all things are made to work together for good to them that love God.
It is when all this is read into the message of Psalm 93 that it becomes a gloriously triumphant song of praise, matching the wonderful doxology at the end of Revelation 5, 'Worthy is the Lamb that was slain...'. Well might the Psalmist exult in the fact that, be the floods never so great and mighty, the Lord on high is mightier than them all! 'Hal- lelujah, for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth!'