The Great Gladness Revolt Text: Psalm 97:7-9
Introduction: Worship is Warfare
We live in an age that is drowning in idols, and the tragedy is that most of our contemporaries do not even know that they are idolaters. They think idolatry consists of bowing down to a little wooden statue in a loincloth, something no respectable, iPhone-carrying person would ever do. But idolatry is far more sophisticated than that. An idol is anything you look to for deliverance, for meaning, for identity, apart from the living God. Your idol is your functional god, the thing you boast in, the thing you serve, whether it is your political party, your sexual identity, your career, your 401k, or your own autonomous reason.
And the first thing we must understand is that all idolatry is slavery, and it always ends in shame. The world is full of people boasting in things that cannot save them, and which will ultimately humiliate them. Into this sad, gray, and confused world, the Word of God speaks with the force of a thunderclap. The Lord reigns. And because the Lord reigns, true worship is not a passive, pious sentiment. It is a declaration of war. It is the central act in the great gladness revolt against the grim, dour, and failing rebellion of secularism.
This psalm describes the manifestation of God's glorious reign. It is a terrifying thing for His enemies. Fire goes before Him, lightning illuminates the world, and the very hills melt like wax at His presence. The heavens declare His righteousness, and all the peoples see His glory. This is the context for our passage. The revelation of God's glory on a global scale has immediate and profound consequences for worship. It forces a choice. It sorts everyone into one of two camps: the confounded idolaters or the rejoicing people of God. There is no middle ground, no neutral territory. When God shows up, you either bow in worship or you are broken in judgment.
The Text
Let all those be ashamed who serve graven images,
Who boast of idols;
Worship Him, all you gods!
Zion heard this and was glad,
And the daughters of Judah have rejoiced
Because of Your judgments, O Yahweh.
For You are Yahweh Most High over all the earth;
You are exalted far above all gods.
(Psalm 97:7-9 LSB)
The Humiliation of Idols (v. 7)
We begin with the inevitable consequence of false worship in verse 7.
"Let all those be ashamed who serve graven images, Who boast of idols; Worship Him, all you gods!" (Psalm 97:7)
The psalmist pronounces a curse, a prophetic declaration of what must happen when the glory of the true God is revealed. "Let all those be ashamed." The Hebrew word is related to being confounded, confused, and utterly disgraced. This is not just a mild embarrassment. This is the deep, soul-crushing shame that comes when the thing you have built your entire life upon is exposed as a fraud and a failure. All who serve graven images, all who boast in idols, will be put to shame.
To "serve" an idol is to be enslaved by it. To "boast" in an idol is to find your identity and security in it. The modern man serves the idol of his sexual autonomy and boasts that he is "brave." The materialist serves the idol of Mammon and boasts in his portfolio. The intellectual serves the idol of his own mind and boasts in his enlightened reason. But when the Lord of glory appears, all these idols are revealed to be nothing. They are worthless nothings, vanities, empty wind. And those who trusted in them are left with nothing but their shame. You become like what you worship. If you worship a blind, deaf, and dumb idol, you will become spiritually blind, deaf, and dumb.
But then the verse pivots with a stunning command: "Worship Him, all you gods!" Who are these "gods"? The Hebrew is elohim. In the context of the surrounding verses, which speak of idols, this is first and foremost a direct taunt to the false gods themselves. The psalmist is commanding the very idols, the demons behind the idols, the spiritual forces of wickedness, to bow down before Yahweh. This is the ultimate power flex. It is not enough that their worshippers are ashamed; the so-called gods themselves are summoned to do obeisance to the one true God. This is spiritual warfare at the highest level. We are demanding that the fallen creatures praise Him too.
The author of Hebrews quotes the Septuagint version of this verse and applies it directly to the Son, Jesus Christ: "And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, 'And let all the angels of God worship Him'" (Hebrews 1:6). This identifies Jesus as Yahweh and tells us that "all you gods" includes the angelic realm. The holy angels worship Him gladly, and the demonic powers will be made to bow the knee, whether they like it or not. Every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:10-11). This is the great sorting. All lesser lords, all pretenders to the throne, all powers and principalities, are summoned to the footstool of Christ.
The Joy of Zion (v. 8)
The reaction of God's people to this cosmic showdown is not fear, but gladness.
"Zion heard this and was glad, And the daughters of Judah have rejoiced Because of Your judgments, O Yahweh." (Psalm 97:8)
While the idolaters are being confounded, Zion is rejoicing. Zion, the people of God, the Church, hears the proclamation of God's absolute supremacy and is filled with joy. Notice the cause of their gladness: "Because of Your judgments, O Yahweh." This is a truth that makes modern, sentimental Christians very uncomfortable. We are supposed to rejoice in God's judgments.
Why? Because God's judgments are the concrete expression of His righteousness in a fallen world. His judgments mean that He is setting things right. He is tearing down the oppressive regimes of false gods. He is vindicating His people. He is demonstrating that evil will not have the last word. The judgments of God are good news for the righteous. When God judges the idols of our age, whether it is the idol of secular humanism or the idol of sexual confusion, the Church should not be wringing its hands. Zion should hear and be glad. The daughters of Judah, the individual covenant communities, should rejoice.
This is not a bloodthirsty desire for vengeance. It is a righteous longing for justice and order. It is the joy of seeing the rightful king take His throne and clean house. The songs of the saints in Heaven provide the soundtrack for judgments on earth. When Babylon falls, the command in heaven is "Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has pronounced judgment for you against her!" (Rev. 18:20). Our gladness is tied directly to His righteous judgments. To be ashamed of His judgments is to be ashamed of Him.
The Foundation of Our Joy (v. 9)
The final verse in our text gives the ultimate reason, the bedrock foundation, for both the humiliation of the idols and the joy of Zion.
"For You are Yahweh Most High over all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods." (Psalm 97:9)
This is the great "for." This is the explanation for everything that has come before. Why are idolaters confounded? Why must all other gods worship Him? Why does Zion rejoice? For this reason: Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel, is the Most High. He is not one god among many. He is not at the top of a pantheon. He is in a category all by Himself. He is transcendent, sovereign, and supreme over all the earth.
He is "exalted far above all gods." This is not a close competition. The distance between Yahweh and all other claimants to power is infinite. They are creatures; He is the Creator. They are dependent; He is self-existent. They are localized and limited; He is Most High over all the earth. This is the foundational truth of reality. If this is true, then idolatry is not just a mistake, it is insanity. And if this is true, the joy of the saints is not just a fleeting emotion, it is the most reasonable response in the universe.
This is the heart of the gospel. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead was God the Father's public declaration that this man, Jesus, is Yahweh, the Most High over all the earth. He has been given the name that is above every name. He has been exalted far above all rule and authority and power and dominion. Our joy is not rooted in our circumstances, but in His cosmic position. Because He is enthroned, we can be glad, even in the midst of a world still kicking against His rule. Our gladness is a confident affirmation that His reign is absolute and His victory is certain.
Conclusion: The Gladness Revolt
So what does this mean for us? It means our worship on the Lord's Day is not a retreat from the world; it is an assault on the world's false gods. Every time we gather to sing praises to the Father, through the Son, and in the Spirit, we are reenacting this psalm. We are publicly declaring that Yahweh is Most High over our city, over our nation, and over all the earth.
We are, by our worship, confounding the idols of our age. We are serving notice on the principalities and powers that their time is short. We are summoning them to bow before our King. And we are doing it with joy. Our gladness is a weapon. In the face of a dour, resentful, and dying secularism, our joyful worship is an act of defiance. It is the great gladness revolt.
Therefore, do not be ashamed of the judgments of God. Do not be timid in the face of arrogant idols. Know who your God is. He is Yahweh Most High. He is exalted far above all gods. Hear this, and be glad. Rejoice in His judgments, for they are clearing the way for His kingdom. And worship Him, for in that act of worship, you are participating in the victory of the world.