Rejoicing in our King

This is another psalm that rejoices in the greatness of our King.

The psalmist starts by shouting out,

The LORD reigns, let the earth be glad;
let the distant shores rejoice.  (Psalm 97:1)

“Let the earth be glad.”

In a perfect world, all would rejoice in our King, and the fact that he reigns.

They would rejoice that he reigns in righteousness and justice (2).

They would rejoice in his power (3-5).

And they would rejoice in awesome glory (6).

But the truth is so many do not.  Instead, they cling to their idols, whether it’s literal ones, or the “gods” of money, possessions, sex, or whatever it may be.

And the day will come when they will be put to shame (7).

I suppose the question is what do we rejoice in?  Do we rejoice in the greatness of our King?  Or do we rejoice in that which ultimately brings shame?

If we truly rejoice in God, the psalmist tells us,

Let those who love the LORD hate evil.  (10)

It’s impossible to love the Lord and embrace evil at the same time.  And so if we really love God, we need to learn to hate what he hates, and to put what is evil away in our lives.

For those who do, the psalmist says,

[The Lord] guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.

Light is shed upon the righteous and joy on the upright in heart.  (10-11)

He then concludes,

Rejoice in the LORD, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name. (12)

What do you rejoice in?