For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: Psalm 93

1 The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty;
    the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength;
    indeed, the world is established, firm and secure.
2 Your throne was established long ago;
    you are from all eternity.

3 The seas have lifted up, Lord,
    the seas have lifted up their voice;
    the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.
4 Mightier than the thunder of the great waters,
    mightier than the breakers of the sea –
    the Lord on high is mighty.

5 Your statutes, Lord, stand firm;
    holiness adorns your house
    for endless days.

A. Find Out:

1. What does the Lord do and how is he robed? v.1a
2. What does he say about the world? v.1b
3. When was God’s throne established? v.2
4. What have the seas done? v.3
5. Yet who is mightier than the seas? v.4
6. What stands firm and what adorns what for how long? v.5

B. Think:

1. What is the point of the reference to the seas?
2. How is the Lord portrayed?
3. How is a sense of stability conveyed?

C. Comment:

The middle verse of these five verses conveys the strength and power of the seas of the earth. Was the psalmist on a seashore watching the waves crashing in? Perhaps the seas, more than any other part of nature, convey strength and power beyond the control of man. The seas can thus portray the circumstances of life perhaps, that one minute are calm and the next seem out of control and utterly threatening.

The psalmist doesn’t speak about his circumstances at all, but you have a sense that something in the back of his mind draws him to write the way he does about the Lord. He pictures the Lord as a ruler, robed in majesty (v.1a), clearly indicating His splendour that separates Him off from any other being. He is armed with strength (v.1a) indicating He is very strong and powerful, and thus the world, which is under His rule, will not be moved (v.1b). This isn’t something that has just come about, God hasn’t just developed, just gained strength; His throne, His rule has always been (from all eternity v.2). The Lord is mightier than all the strength of the seas (v.4) and so we can be assured that nothing will move Him or His will for us. His statutes, His decrees of how the world will work, are firm and steady (v.5) and will not, therefore, be moved. Holiness – purity and perfection and completeness – are the characteristics of His dwelling (v.5) and always have been.

D. Application:

1. Nothing changes God.
2. In Him is complete stability and security.