Psalm 93 begins with the exclamation of the reign of Jehovah and confirms it with a five-verse description of His divine nature.  Revelation 19:6 is near the end of a book which details the conflicts of faithful Christians in times of persecution and hatred against the church.  The statement of the reign of the Lord in Revelation is one of victory: since He cannot be defeated, all who are with Him will also be victorious.  And that victory will have eternal results in heaven (Revelation 14:13).

The point of both of these exclamations directs us to a study of the nature of this “One Who Has The Right To Reign.”  Let us read the psalm, and then let us study it under five headings.

The claim of the psalm is that “the LORD reigns.”  This is His Own “proclamation of His eternal sovereignty” (Kirkpatrick, p. 563).  We will now see how this claim is justified.

THE “CLOTHING” OF JEHOVAH (93:1a).

Majesty and strength are His clothing, and He has put them on Himself.  These items are symbols of His ability to fight on behalf of His honor and on behalf of His people (Exodus 15:3; Psalm 65:6; Isaiah 59:17).  One Who has such “clothing” deserves to be on the throne.  Other “gods” may have the appearance of such majesty and might, but they cannot pass even the simplest tests, so they do not deserve any honor.  We must never allow our attention to be diverted from His majesty, for every day has the potential of being the day that we quit depending on His glorious character.

Obviously, He is the “One Who Has The Right To Reign.”

THE “CREATION” OF JEHOVAH (93:1:b).

The God Who wears such strength and majesty is easily able to make a world (Psalm 33:6-9), sustain it (Colossians 1:16,17), and provide it with a moral standard for its successful functioning in every generation (Romans 1:18-23).  He is also able to see to it that is “cannot be moved”!

He is therefore the “One Who Has The Right To Reign.”

THE “DURATION” OF JEHOVAH (93:2).

There was no beginning, and there cannot be an end—to the reign of the Lord.  “His sovereignty and His Being are eternal: they know neither beginning nor end” (Kirkpatrick).  Note the words of Psalm 90:2 and 92:8:  “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.”  “But thou, LORD, art most high for evermore.” 

Again, we reach the conclusion that He is the “One Who Has The Right To Reign.”

THE “CONTRAST” WITH JEHOVAH (93:3,4).

At times, the Bible uses words referring to the power of the sea in a figurative way when demonstrating that God is greater than the mighty earthly enemies faced by His people (Isaiah 8:7,8; 17:12,13; Jeremiah 46:7,8; Psalm 46:3; 89:9).  The waters that cover the earth do have the power to cause great calamities; and it is truly fitting to compare them to the might of evil nations.  But when either the floods and waves or the wicked nations are contrasted with Jehovah, He is infinitely “mightier” than they are.

In light of this truth, He is the “One Who Has The Right To Reign.”

THE “COMMUNICATION” FROM JEHOVAH (93:5).

In this verse, the author refers to the communication from Jehovah as His “testimonies.”  This is a clear reference to the will of God.  He says that they are “sure”.  This word means, “to be firm, stable, such as one may safely lean upon” (Wilson’s OT Word Studies).  This is one of the most meaningful characteristics that a person’s “word” could have!  And it is a characteristic of the word of God!!  

The God Who speaks such testimonies is the “One Who Has The Right To Reign.”

The conclusion is a simple, humble statement of praise to God: “holiness adorns your house, O Jehovah—for ever.”
 

SICK LIST:  Dave Komisak continues to recover from his surgery; Nancy’s back has been bothering her—and Katie has been ill, also!  The Grubbs’ daughter-in-law, Anna, is still having complications from the delivery of her baby; Jacqi has been with her this past week.  Robyn Kendrick continues to need our prayers.  Jewell Graves has been ill with a cold.  Cleah Boaz has not been feeling well.     

PLANTATION SOUTH:  Group 3 is in charge of the services today at 1:30. 

TEACHER PREP CLASSES:  Brenda Rutherford will be training the women teachers who will be teaching “The Church” this spring.  Classes will be Wednesday, January 23 and 30, and February 6 and 13, and will be downstairs in the multi-purpose building.

FELLOWSHIP MEAL:  There will be a covered dish dinner Sunday, January 27, following morning services.  Group 2 will host.

SWEETHEART BANQUET:  February 9 will be our annual Sweetheart Banquet—the men prepare and serve the meal for all our ladies.  There is a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board for all the ladies who will be attending.

THANKS:  We want to thank all who helped with our Stand Fast Preachers and Elders Workshop this past weekend.  We especially thank the ladies for preparing the lunches!.