John Calvin Commentary Psalms 97:1

"Jehovah reigneth; let the earth rejoice; Let the multitude of isles be glad." — Psalms 97:1 (ASV)

Jehovah reigns. His invitation for people to rejoice is proof that the reign of God is inseparably connected with the salvation and best happiness of humankind. And, since the joy he speaks of is common to the whole world and to the regions beyond the seas, it is evident that he predicts the enlargement of God’s kingdom, which had previously been confined within the narrow boundaries of Judea, to a far wider extent.

The Psalmist, in setting forth the various particulars of the Divine glory in the four verses that follow, seeks to impress all people with a reverential fear of him. Thus he gives us a representation of God’s formidable majesty, so that he may dash and humble vain confidence and carnal pride.

A cloudy sky overawes us more than a clear one, since darkness produces a peculiar effect upon the senses. The Psalmist, no doubt, uses this symbol to impress the world with a greater reverence for God. Others interpret the words more subtly and think that clouds are said to be around God to check human rashness and presumption, and to restrain that excessive curiosity that would pry more than is proper into the mysteries of the Godhead.

This interpretation of the words conveys a very useful lesson, but I am against all overly subtle interpretations. I think that the Psalmist, in associating darkness with God, intended to impress upon the hearts of people a general fear of him.

The same meaning is conveyed in the remaining context, when fire is said to go before him, and burn up his enemies, his lightnings to shake the earth, and the mountains to flow down. If anyone objects that this does not agree with what was said about the joy his kingdom diffuses, I might answer, first, that although God is ready on his part to spread blessedness wherever he reigns, not all are capable of appreciating it.

Besides, as I have already hinted, this truth is useful to believers, humbling the pride of the flesh and deepening their adoration of God. God’s throne is represented as founded on justice and judgment, to denote the benefit we derive from it. The greatest conceivable misery is living without righteousness and judgment, and the Psalmist mentions it as a matter of praise exclusively due to God that when he reigns, righteousness revives in the world.

He just as evidently denies that we can have any righteousness until God subjects us to the yoke of his word by the gentle but powerful influences of his Spirit. A great proportion of people obstinately resist and reject the government of God. Hence, the Psalmist was forced to portray God in his more severe aspect to teach the wicked that their perverse opposition will not pass unpunished.

When God draws near to people in mercy, and they fail to welcome him with appropriate reverence and respect, this implies a very aggravated form of impiety. For this reason, the language of denunciation is fitting for the kingdom of Christ. The Psalmist intimates that those who despise God in the person of his only-begotten Son will certainly feel in due time the awful weight of his majesty.

So much is implied in the expression used—The earth Shall See. For when the wicked find that their attempts to fight against God are vain, they resort to subterfuge and concealment. The Psalmist declares that they will not succeed by any such vain artifice in hiding from God.