Pastor's Blog February 25, 2019
"God's Throne"
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Psalm 47 presents some very beautiful images of God's reign and triumph. Throughout the psalm, the believer is called upon to praise the Lord (vv. 1 and 5-7). The reasons for praising God are several: God is awesome (v. 2), God has subdued the nations (v. 3), God chose and loved Israel - and by extension the whole people of God (v. 4), and God is king (vv. 2 and 6-8). This psalm is swimming in kingly language that highlights the sovereignty and reign of God; God is in control in Psalm 47, and the attention of his people is directed to how God's kingship is a cause for joy and rejoicing in their lives.
And it's in this context that we encounter an arresting image - in Psalm 47:8, God is described as a king who is enthroned on holiness. Several Bible translations fail to capture the entirety of the imagery of this verse (though the KJV comes the closest), so here is my translation of the passage: "He reigns - God - over the nations; God sits over the throne of his holiness." It's easy to call God a king and talk about him reigning upon a heavenly throne; however, have you ever thought about the nature of that throne?
Earthly kings and monarchs sit upon large, overly stuffed chairs made of materials that men and women use every day: wood, stone, cushions, fabric, gems and precious stones, perhaps even metals like iron and steel. But it's interesting that Scripture takes great pains to stress that God doesn't sit upon a throne made of something. Instead, God is said to sit "over" his own holiness.
In some way, God is enthroned upon his own holiness. What this seems to suggest is that God's holiness is not only something intrinsic to what it means for God to be God, but that God's holiness is also the basis of his kingly rule over the universe and his kingly protection and love for us. In short, God's awesomeness, his ability to subdue the nations from attacking his people, his act of choosing us and saving us and loving us - all of these acts of God are what his holiness looks like, because they all spring from the holiness that is his and which is the basis of his kingship.
Brothers and sisters, it is often tempting to think of God as just a bigger version of all the despotic monarchs in human history. But I invite you today to recognize that God shows himself to be a different kind of king. God is a HOLY king, and God continually loves and cares for us precisely because he is OUR holy king. And this is joyous news indeed.
Blessings
Pastor Nathaniel Gamble
