"The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice;
let the many coastlands be glad!
2 Clouds and thick darkness are all round him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3 Fire goes before him
and burns up his adversaries all round.
4 His lightnings light up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
before the Lord of all the earth.
6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness,
and all the peoples see his glory.
7 All worshippers of images are put to shame,
who make their boast in worthless idols;
worship him, all you gods!
8 Zion hears and is glad,
and the daughters of Judah rejoice,
because of your judgements, O Lord.
9 For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth;
you are exalted far above all gods.
10 O you who love the Lord, hate evil!
He preserves the lives of his saints;
he delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
11 Light is sown for the righteous,
and joy for the upright in heart.
12 Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous,
and give thanks to his holy name!"
Psalm 97
There is a sense that the message of this Psalm is similar to those that precede it - the coming of God as King. But there are differences and developments: Psalm 96 rings out the delight and joy that that coming will bring to the world; Psalm 97 underlines the awe associated with that coming; Psalm 96, the homecoming of a beloved Master, Psalm 97 the awesome approach of a Conqueror. That is one area of contrast. And we may see a development in that Psalm 97 contains a 'theophany', a manifestation of God through nature, which could be taken as a further description of the 'coming' of the Lord given at the end of Psalm 96. Common to all the 'enthronement' Psalms there is the double aspect of the reign or kingdom of God, present and future. It is, of course, true that, in general, it may be said that the kingdom of God is something that is promised in the Old Testament, and that it comes in the New, in the coming of Christ in His redeeming work. But the coming is in itself a twofold mystery, characterised by reconciliation on the one hand and consummation on the other. So that, even in the New Testament era, the kingdom is still in the fullest aspect of it a promise and a hope and an expectation. For Christ's kingship is recognised in the present time only by the Church. He does rule, even now, in the world of men and nations - this is the meaning of the vision in Revelation 4/5, with the throne and the opening of the seals, indicating that the course of history is even now in His hands - but evil is still permitted, men still refuse His rule. This is where the evangelistic outreach of the Church comes in, and this is why there is the collision of the kingdom of light with the kingdom of darkness. And this is why this Psalm is so relevant and apposite with its twofold emphasis.