97:2The dark clouds that surround God symbolize his unapproachable holiness and the inability of people to find him on their own. If he were uncovered, no one could stand before his blazing holiness and glory.
Life Application Study BiblePsalmsChapter 97
Psalm 97
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 946, 947
A few verse numbers on this page were hard to read in the scan and are marked with a dotted underline — compare with the original page image if in doubt.
97Psalm 97
1Let the farthest coastlands be glad.
2Dark clouds surround him.Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3Fire spreads ahead of himand burns up all his foes.
4His lightning flashes out across the world.The earth sees and trembles.
5The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,before the LORD of all the earth.
6The heavens proclaim his righteousness;every nation sees his glory.
7Those who worship idols are disgraced—all who brag about their worthless gods—for every god must bow to him.
8Jerusalem* has heard and rejoiced,and all the towns of Judah are gladbecause of your justice, O LORD!
9For you, O LORD, are supreme over all the earth;you are exalted far above all gods.
10You who love the LORD, hate evil!He protects the lives of his godly peopleand rescues them from the power of the wicked.
11Light shines on the godly,and joy on those whose hearts are right.
12May all who are godly rejoice in the LORDand praise his holy name!
Theme: A song of joy and victory. Because God is victorious over follow him will be victorious with him when he judges the earth.
Textual footnotes
- 97:8 Hebrew Zion.
Life Application Notes 3 notes
97:7People worship all kinds of images and idols. Although God reveals himself and his tove through nature and the Bible, there are many who decide to ignore or reject him and pursue goals they believe are more important. The Bible makes it clear that these people are idol worshipers because they give their highest loyalty to something other than God. One day we will stand before God in all his glory and power. Then we will see all our goals and accomplishments for what they really are. How foolish our earthly pursuits will seem then!
97:10A sincere purpose to please God will result in an alignment of your desires with God’s desires. You will {ove what God loves and hate what God hates. If you love the LORD, you will hate evil. If you do not despise the actions of people who take advantage of others, if you admire people who only look out for themselves, or if you envy those who get ahead using any means to accomplish their ends, then your primary desire in life is not to please God. Learn to love God's ways and hate evil in every form—not only the obvious sins but also the socially acceptable ones.
Charts, profiles & sidebars from the printed pages
Study feature · page 947
fair,
Study feature · page 947
99:2 Hebrew Zion.