Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb19980111.htm

PSALMS: DIARIES OF GODLY OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS
Psalm Ninety-Seven - MOTIVATION For The Godly To Get SERIOUS In Overcoming Personal Sin
(Psalm 97:1-12)
  1. Introduction
    1. When a person comes to believe in Christ, becoming a new "baby" Christian, 1 John 2:12, 13c reveal that such "little children" appreciate that their sins are forgiven and that they know the Heavenly Father.
    2. However, the challenge to grow for the Christian involves going beyond simply basking in the warmth of the Heavenly Father's love and forgiveness -- it involves God's urge that the believer learn to stop loving the world system as it is evil in opposition to the forgiving Heavenly Father, 1 John 2:15!
    3. Psalm 97:1-12 provides motivation for the upright to become intolerant of evil this way as follows:
  2. MOTIVATION For The Godly To Get SERIOUS In Overcoming Personal Sin, Psalm 97:1-12.
    1. Psalm 97 is an admonishing treatise as six times, the listener is admonished in a direct command or an indirect jussive, an implied command, to respond in a certain way to God, Ps. 97:1a, 1b, 7b, 10a, 12a, 12b with Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament, p. 864.
    2. The arrangement of this psalm's treatise reveals a burden of the psalmist to lead the godly to become serious about overcoming any personal evil to live uprightly as follows:
      1. Due to the fact that Israel's Jahweh, the Eternally Existing One, or the "I AM" (Ex. 3:14) reigns, the psalmist twice urges the earth and distant shores to be glad, Ps. 97:1.
      2. To add motivation to his readers to heed this call, the psalmist reveals the absolute vulnerability all men will have to Jahweh when He comes to pass judgment upon the earth, Ps. 97:2-9, Ibid.:
        1. In envisioning the coming of Jahweh to rule the earth, the psalmist pictures Him being surrounded by clouds and thick darkness, a picture of great judgment, Ps. 97:2a with Dt. 4:11; 5:22-23.
        2. This overwhelmingly sovereign judgment will be founded on righteousness and justice, Ps. 97:2b.
        3. In application, God's negative decisions against the unrighteous and the unjust will consume the ungodly like a fire, a fire as sharp as lightening that causes even witnesses to tremble, Ps. 97:3-4.
        4. Such judgment is so powerful that it figuratively makes even the mountains melt down like wax, and that sovereign power of God against the ungodly will be experienced worldwide, Ps. 97:5-6.
        5. In fact, all who worship false idols will be put to shame, so the psalmist calls on even the idols to respect so as to worship the Lord, Ps. 97:7!
        6. Those who are upright in Israel (Zion and Judah) will rejoice because of God's vindicating judgments to come, for that judgment is sovereign over all evil oppressors, Ps. 97:8-9.
      3. Because both the ungodly and godly will be totally vulnerable to the absolutely correct judgments of God when He comes to judge the earth, a summarizing admonition is offered by the psalmist, 97:10-12:
        1. First, those who love Jahweh need to hate evil THEMSELVES, for God preserves the welfare of His upright ones, even snatching them away from the destructive hands of the wicked, Ps. 97:10. The implication also exists that our failing to HATE evil leads to greater vulnerability to the oppressions of the ungodly!
        2. For the godly who hate evil, "light", representing prosperity or welfare (Ps. 27:1; 36:9) will be shed upon them along with joy, Ps. 97:11. (Ibid.)
      4. Accordingly, the psalmist closes his admonition, addressing the upright who are to hate evil that they should rejoice in Jahweh and praise His name that is separate from evil, or that is "holy", Ps. 97:12!
Lesson: (1) God is ABSOLUTELY sovereign AND ABSOLUTELY righteous. (2) THAT God is also coming to judge EVERYONE on the earth. (3) Thus, there exist OVERWHELMINGLY stark CONTRASTS in the status of the final destiny of the ungodly and the godly due to their mutual exposures to this God. (4) As such, one does himself a very PRUDENT thing not only to become upright, but even to hate evil so as to stand SHARPLY on the side of uprightness!

Application: God is to be RESPECTED in contrast to man's tendencies to DISRESPECT authority! His overwhelmingly STRICT sense of righteousness and His overwhelming power and desire to judge all men in response to His character should MOTIVA TE us to get very serious about overcoming sin!