Psalms 97:9

97:8-12 The faithful servants of God may well rejoice and be glad, because he is glorified; and whatever tends to his honour, is his people's pleasure. Care is taken for their safety. But something more is meant than their lives. The Lord will preserve the souls of his saints from sin, from apostacy, and despair, under their greatest trials. He will deliver them out of the hands of the wicked one, and preserve them safe to his heavenly kingdom. And those that rejoice in Christ Jesus, and in his exaltation, have fountains of joy prepared for them. Those that sow in tears, shall reap in joy. Gladness is sure to the upright in heart; the joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment. Sinners tremble, but saints rejoice at God's holiness. As he hates sin, yet freely loves the person of the repentant sinner who believes in Christ, he will make a final separation between the person he loves and the sin he hates, and sanctify his people wholly, body, soul, and spirit.

For thou, Lord, art high above all the earth,.... Above all the inhabitants of the earth, as the Targum; he is highly exalted above every name, men of the greatest name that is named in the world; he is made higher than the heavens, and the inhabitants of it; and has all power in heaven and earth, as Mediator; and, as a divine Person, he is the most high God, as the word "Elion", here used, signifies; and all this lays a foundation for joy and gladness in the saints; even the dignity of Christ's person, and the exaltation of him in the human nature: thou art exalted far above all gods: not only the fictitious deities of the Gentiles, or the greatest potentates upon earth, being made higher than the kings of the earth, who are called gods; but also than the angels in heaven; he is set down at the right hand of God, where they are not, and never were, nor shall be; angels, authorities, and powers, being subject to him, Hebrews 1:13.

Verse 9. - For thou, Lord, art high above all the earth; rather, art the Most High ( eliun ) above all the earth (see the Revised Version). Thou art exalted far above all gods (comp. ver. 7, and see also Psalm 83:18 ). No comparison can be made between Jehovah and the heathen gods. He is "exalted" far, far above them. Psalm 97:9

For He is not a local God, but of universal agency, while idols are nothing. 6. Honour and majesty —are His attendants, declared in His mighty works, while power and grace are specially seen in His spiritual relations to His people. 7-9. Give —or, "ascribe" (Psalms 29:1) due honor to Him, by acts of appointed and solemn worship in His house. 8. offering —of thanks. 9. beauty of holiness —(Psalms 29:2). fear … him —(Psalms 2:11). 10. Let all know that the government of the world is ordered in justice, and they shall enjoy firm and lasting peace (compare Psalms 72:3, 7; Isaiah 9:6, 7). 11-13. For which reason the universe is invoked to unite in joy, and even inanimate nature (Romans 8:14-22) is poetically represented as capable of joining in the anthem of praise. ## PSALM 97 Psalms 97:1-12. The writer celebrates the Lord's dominion over nations and nature, describes its effect on foes and friends, and exhorts and encourages the latter. 1, 2. This dominion is a cause of joy, because, even though our minds are oppressed with terror before the throne of the King of kings (Exodus 19:16; Deuteronomy 5:22), we know it is based on righteous principles and judgments which are according to truth. 3-5. The attending illustrations of God's awful justice on enemies (Psalms 83:14) are seen in the disclosures of His almighty power on the elements of nature (compare Psalms 46:2; 77:17; Habakkuk 3:6, &c.). 6.

[Reformed Biblical] Jesus (Psalms 97:1), the sacred fire descends (Psalms 97:3), like lightning the gospel flames forth (Psalms 97:4), difficulties vanish (Psalms 97:5), and all the nations see the glory of God (Psalms 97:6). The idols are confounded (Psalms 97:7), the church rejoices (Psalms 98:8), the Lord is exalted (Psalms 98:9). The Psalm closes with an exhortation to holy steadfastness under the persecution which would follow, and bids the saints rejoice that their path is bright, and their reward glorious and certain. Modern critics, always intent upon ascribing the psalms to anybody rather than to David, count themselves successful in dating this song further on than the captivity, because it contains passages similar to those which occur in the later prophets; but we venture to assert theft it is quite as probable that the prophets adopted the language of David as that some unknown writer borrowed from them. One psalm in t his series is said to be "in David", and we believe that the rest are in the same place, and by the same author. The matter is not important, and we only mention it because it seems to be the pride of certain critics to set up new theories; and there are readers who