Commentary - Psalm 97:7-9

Bird's-eye view

This section of Psalm 97 marks a sharp turn from the majestic, impersonal display of God's power in nature to the personal, covenantal consequences of that power. Having established that the Lord reigns with fire, lightning, and mountain-melting force, the psalmist now applies this reality directly to the realm of worship. The passage pivots on the collision of two kingdoms: the kingdom of our Lord, and the sad, shabby kingdoms of all false gods. The result of this collision is twofold. For those who worship idols, the result is shame and confusion. For the people of God, the result is gladness and rejoicing. The reason for both reactions is the same bedrock truth: Yahweh is supreme over everything and everyone, including every rival claimant to the throne of the universe.

This is a text about the potency of right worship. Right worship sees God as He truly is, high and lifted up, and responds appropriately. Wrong worship, which is idolatry, is the attempt to domesticate God, to cut Him down to size, to make a god we can manage. This passage declares that all such attempts will end in public humiliation for the worshippers and their worthless gods. In contrast, the true people of God, who hear of His judgments, find their deepest joy not in their circumstances, but in the fact that their God is the undisputed Sovereign of all.

Outline

Context In Psalms

Psalm 97 is one of the "enthronement psalms" (along with Psalms 47, 93, 96, 98, 99), which celebrate the kingship of Yahweh. The recurring declaration is "The LORD reigns!" This is not just a statement of abstract theological fact, but a battle cry. It proclaims that God is actively ruling and judging the world, putting all His enemies under His feet. This psalm, like the others, has a strong eschatological flavor, looking forward to the day when God's rule will be fully and finally manifested over all the earth. The verses preceding our text describe a powerful theophany, a manifestation of God's presence that causes the whole earth to tremble. The heavens declare His righteousness, and all peoples see His glory (v. 6). The stage has been set, the glory of God has been revealed, and now, in our text, comes the inevitable fallout for all other systems of worship.

Verse by Verse Commentary

Psalm 97:7

Let all those be ashamed who serve graven images, Who boast of idols; Worship Him, all you gods!

Let all those be ashamed who serve graven images... The psalmist begins with what is not simply a wish, but a prophetic declaration of fact. It is a curse pronounced upon all idolaters. To be "ashamed" here is not a matter of slight embarrassment. The Hebrew word carries the idea of being confounded, confused, utterly dismayed, and publicly disgraced. This is what happens when the thing you have put your ultimate trust in is revealed to be a fraud. Idolatry is betting your life on a lie, and judgment day is when the lie is exposed. All who serve carved idols, who give their devotion to things made by human hands, will be put to open shame. Their worship is an absurdity, an exchange of the glory of the immortal God for a cheap substitute, and the day is coming when that absurdity will be manifest to all.

Who boast of idols... This strikes at the heart of the idolater's pride. Not only do they serve these false gods, they brag about them. They find their identity, their security, and their sense of superiority in their idols. Whether the idol is a wooden statue, a political ideology, a sexual identity, or a stock portfolio, the dynamic is the same. Men boast in these things. They are proud of their rebellion. But when the true God reveals His glory, all such boasting is silenced. The thing they were so proud of becomes the very instrument of their public humiliation. Their boasts are shown to be nothing but hot air, the pathetic cheerleading of a losing side.

Worship Him, all you gods! This is a staggering command. The psalmist, having declared the shame of human idolaters, now turns to the idols themselves. The word for "gods" here is elohim. While it can refer to the lifeless idols of wood and stone, the context here and in other places (like Psalm 82) suggests it refers to the spiritual powers that stand behind the idols, the principalities and powers, the demons. Scripture does not teach that these spiritual entities are non-existent; it teaches that they are created, finite, and rebellious. And here, in this majestic summons, they are all commanded to do the one thing they refuse to do: bow down and worship Yahweh. This command is ultimately fulfilled in the exaltation of Christ, at whose name every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth (Phil. 2:10). Even the demons must ultimately acknowledge His lordship. This is the ultimate power move. God doesn't just defeat His rivals; He commands their worship.

Psalm 97:8

Zion heard this and was glad, And the daughters of Judah have rejoiced Because of Your judgments, O Yahweh.

Zion heard this and was glad... The scene shifts dramatically. The same news that brings shame to the idolater brings gladness to the people of God. Zion, the covenant city, representing the assembled people of God, hears this proclamation. What do they hear? They hear that idols are a sham, that idolaters will be disgraced, and that Yahweh alone is to be worshiped. And their response is not fear or uncertainty, but gladness. The church is never happier than when God's name is vindicated and His authority is made plain. Our joy is not rooted in our own success or comfort, but in the triumph of our King.

And the daughters of Judah have rejoiced... This phrase personalizes and expands the joy. It's not just a corporate, abstract gladness. It is the personal, heartfelt joy of every member of the covenant community. The "daughters of Judah" signifies the individual towns and villages, the families and households that make up the people of God. When God acts, the joy ripples out to every corner of the kingdom. This is the opposite of the world's reaction. The world trembles when God shows up (v. 4). But the righteous rejoice. Why? The next clause tells us.

Because of Your judgments, O Yahweh. Here is the reason for our gladness. We rejoice because of God's judgments. This is a hard truth for our sentimental age, which wants a God who never judges anyone (except perhaps those who are judgmental). But for the saints, the judgments of God are a cause for celebration. Why? Because God's judgments are the means by which He sets the world right. His judgments mean that evil will not have the last word. They mean that injustice will be punished, that the proud will be brought low, and that righteousness will be established. We rejoice in His judgments because His judgments are always perfectly just and righteous, and they are the necessary prelude to the full establishment of His peaceable kingdom.

Psalm 97:9

For You are Yahweh Most High over all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods.

For You are Yahweh Most High over all the earth... This final verse provides the bedrock foundation for everything that has come before it. Why are idolaters shamed? Why do all other gods have to bow? Why does Zion rejoice? Because of this unalterable fact. Yahweh is the Most High. He is not one god among many; He is in a category all by Himself. His authority is not limited to one nation or one people; He is sovereign "over all the earth." This is the central confession of biblical faith. Our God reigns. He is not a candidate running for office; He is the enthroned King. This is not a hope or a wish; it is a statement of reality.

You are exalted far above all gods. The psalmist concludes by restating the point with emphatic finality. The distance between Yahweh and all other elohim is not a small gap; it is an infinite one. He is "far above" them. They are created; He is the Creator. They are finite; He is infinite. They are pretenders to the throne; He is the rightful King. This is the truth that settles every dispute and calms every fear. Our God is not simply stronger than the opposition; He is transcendently, incomparably, and eternally exalted above all of them. And that is why we can be glad.

Application

The application of this passage is direct and potent. First, we must take a hard look at our own lives and root out all idolatry. An idol is anything we boast in other than God. It is anything we look to for ultimate security, identity, or meaning. In our modern world, these idols are rarely made of wood or stone, but they are just as real. They are ideologies, comforts, reputations, and political saviors. This psalm promises that every one of these idols will be exposed, and all who boast in them will be put to shame. The call for us is to repent of our idols now, before that public shaming comes.

Second, we must learn to rejoice in the judgments of God. We live in a world that is unraveling precisely because it has rejected God's judgments. As Christians, we are not to despair at the chaos, but to hear in it the rumblings of God's throne. We should pray for His judgments to fall, because they are the only hope for true justice and righteousness to be restored. Our gladness should be tied to the vindication of His name, not to the stability of our pagan culture.

Finally, our worship must be grounded in the supremacy of God. We do not come to God to negotiate or to offer our helpful suggestions. We come to bow down before the King who is exalted far above all gods. True worship sees God as He is revealed in this psalm, glorious and terrible in His holiness, and it responds with glad submission. When we grasp this, when our worship is centered on the unshakeable reality of God's absolute sovereignty, we will find a joy that cannot be shaken by the turmoil of the world.