Psalm 97:
I. The Announcement of the Reign of the Lord (97:1-2).
Click on Link to hear Psalm 97
"This enthronement psalm....The imagery of the Lord’s presence may be the basis of some New Testament passages’ descriptions of the second coming.I. The Announcement of the Reign of the Lord (97:1-2).
II. The Effect of the Reign of the Lord (97:3-12).
A. On His Foes (97:3-9);
B. On His Friends (97:10-12).
And all have reason to rejoice in Christ's government.
DIVISION.
each containing three verses.
The psalm divides itself into four portions,
each containing three verses.
The coming of the Lord is described (Ps 97:1-3);
A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about. vs.3
its effect upon the earth is declared (Ps 97:4-6);
The hills melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. vs.5
and then its influence upon the heathen and the people of God (Ps 97:7-9).
Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: vs.7
The last part contains exhortation, urging to holiness (Ps 97:10-12).
Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: vs.10
---Deep Lesson from vs.2---
Clouds and darkness are round about him. God doth govern the world mysteriously. As there are mysteries in the word, so in the works of God; "things hard to be understood", (2 Peter 3:16)....The Psalmist may have in mind the appearance of God at Mount Sinai, which was marked by a thick cloud on the mountain and the smoke of a furnace....
---Thought on vs.3---
A fire goeth before him...This is a poetic description of the same kind of phenomenon that happened at Mount Sinai...."Our God in grandeur, and our world on fire."
---Message of Psalm 97---
At the remembrance of his holiness vs.12 - But why should you give thanks at the remembrance that God is holy? Because he has said, Be ye holy; for I am holy: and in holiness alone true happiness is to be found. False Christians hate the doctrine of Christian holiness."
Charles Spurgeon/BooksOfTheBible/SamuelSlater/AdamClarke