Tuesday, June 13, 2006 · no responses · comments closed

I was reading Psalm 96, a wonderful call to praise God, and was struck by this phrase: “Say among the nations, ‘The LORD reigns.’” This psalm is full of imperatives: sing, declare, ascribe, worship — and then say. This psalm is about the majesty of God, praising Him for His glory and strength. In contrast to “all the gods of the nations” who are idols, the LORD, Jehovah, “made the heavens” (v. 5). Nations here usually refers to Gentiles, and some translations render the word heathens.

It got me wondering: of all the things that could be said to the heathen (that is, the lost), why The LORD reigns? We might be tempted to modernize this as “God rules!” — as in “our team rules; you’re a bunch of losers!” — but I don’t think that’s the intent here. Look at all of verse 10:

Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns.”
The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;
He will judge the peoples with equity.

As the psalmist expands on reigns, we get two big ideas: security and fairness. Some translations render “equity” as “righteously” or “justly.”

As a father and a teacher, I’ve seen repeatedly that people want both security or stability and fairness. I pour drinks for my kids, and Isaac gets close to the table, comparing the levels in the glasses — “Anna got more than me!” My students don’t seem to much care how I grade their work as long as the process seems fair to them. And of course, I’m not any different — and I suspect you aren’t either. It’s human nature to seek security and fairness. This psalm tells us that with Jehovah, that’s what we get.

You don’t have to know much about pagan deities to realize that security and fairness are not the norm when they are in charge. The gods are fickle, capricious, unpredictable. In contrast, Jehovah is “the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). The psalms tell us repeatedly that “His love endures forever”; in fact, this is such an important concept, Psalm 136 repeats it every verse: “His love endures forever.”

I find great encouragement in “Say among the nations, ‘The LORD reigns.’” When I feel like I’m subject to the whims of capricious people, I can remind myself, The LORD reigns. When the events of the world scare me, I can say to myself, The LORD reigns. When I wonder when justice will be done, I can rest in The LORD reigns.

And this is truly an evangelistic message, something to say to the nations, to the lost: “God reigns. He’s in charge. The world is secure, and God is fair.”