God’s Throne Above All Others. Psalm 103:19

Near the end of this rich and densely packed Psalm, David says, “The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all” (vs 19). I am increasingly thankful that my God’s throne is in the heavens and not in any hall of human power. I am becoming grateful to the point of not being able to put words to the truth that God’s kingdom rules over every other kingdom that claims the name.

It is a perennial temptation of humans to begin to think that they have become gods. The story of the Tower of Babel may be thousands of years old, but the moral of the story is as fresh as the last sunrise. Humans, in their rebellion, believe they have become masters of their own fate and the captains of human history. We have words for rule by a few powerful people (tyranny, oligarchy), and for the belief in a multitude of semi-powerful deities (polytheism), but we lack a word for what is the most common rebellion among humans – rule by a small group of people who think they are gods.

The record of history is universal on this point. Humans raise their fist against God, gather to throw off his shackles, and wreak havoc in the lives of untold numbers of their fellow human beings (Psalm 2). But all if it is to no avail. No human can build a tower that reaches the limits of the sky. No group of experts or elites can coerce a solution to the human condition and become gods. All of it is futile. All of it is in vain. All of it is sin.

But my God, the One, True God, has established his throne above the heavens. He reigns in perfect light. His glory is weightier than the universe, and his Word will never fail. My God, the Only, Wise God, knows the beginning from the end. Any individual human barely knows the few decades of their own life. How can they solve the universal problem of sin? My God, the Sovereign Lord of Creation, is the source of all history and the goal of all history. It all comes from him and is headed to him. May God be praised!

To whom do you belong? Whose songs of praise are on your lips? In whom does your hope lie? The truth of it all makes our choice clear.