Royal Psalms

Some of the most inspiring psalms are the royal psalms. These are psalms that celebrate God as King. Amazingly, the first time Scripture refers to God as King is in one of the oracles of Balaam, the pagan seer who was blind to spiritual reality until God confronted him (Num. 23:21). Once God was revealed as the Great King, the psalmists made much of that fact.

The reign of God in the Psalms is presented against the cultural backdrop of Canaanite thought and religion. The Canaanites regarded their chief deity El as king of the gods. But according to Canaanite mythology, El’s rule was attacked by Baal, a god of storm and fertility. He defeated a number of the followers of El. These were the gods Yamm (the god of the sea), Lotan (a sea monster), and Mot (the god of death). Baal himself was mortally wounded in this conflict and Anat, the wife-sister of Baal, was associated with his resuscitation. With this victory, Baal became king. But there was always a lingering question: How long would Baal rule? How long would his enemies remain defeated? Could not Lotan surge anew and threaten Baal’s position? The Canaanites who believed in these stories lived their lives on the brink of a heavenly catastrophe. Their gods were fragile; they were easily established and easily deposed.

It is against this background that the words of Ps. 93 obtain their force. The living God is the King from the beginning of time; He is no recent claimant to power (vs. 1, 2). As King, He exercises authority over all. He does not have to fear a resurgent sea (vs. 3, 4). Not only is the Lord omnipotent, but He is truthful and holy, unlike any of the gods of the Canaanite imagination (v. 5).

In general, the royal psalms speak of the Lord as King in three different ways. He is King over creation, for He is the Creator (74:12–17). He is King over the Israelites (44:4), for He is their Savior. And He is the coming King, for He will eventually judge everyone (47:7, 8). Sometimes in people’s minds, God’s kingdom is narrowly identified with the coming glorious rule of Jesus: God’s present reign over creation is ignored. But sometimes the opposite is true. God’s present rule can be emphasized so much that Jesus’ coming is disregarded. The royal psalms consistently balance these two ideas: “The Lord reigns” (93:1), but the Lord is also coming to establish His permanent rule (24:9).

Taken from NKJV Study Bible