Psalm 97 – Clouds and Darkness
While we commonly understand God as light, what about the God of clouds and darkness? In Psalm 97 – clouds and darkness, God is surrounded by clouds and thick darkness. What does that mean for us?
Psalm 97
Psalm 97 falls in the middle of three psalms of praise. “Psalms 96-98 each hail God’s coming as the world’s King. But Psalm 96 and Psalm 98 soar with delight at what is in store for the world when God returns, while in Psalm 97 the frightening, awesome side of God’s kingly rule is emphasized.” (James Montgomery Boice) Enduring Word Bible Commentary Psalm 97
It follows a simple three-part structure. The psalmist asserts God’s kingship, a common theme in the Psalms (1-5). Creation responds (6-9), Then the writer calls individuals to respond (10-12).
Psalm 97 – clouds and darkness, begins with the call to rejoice, God reigns. God is surrounded by clouds and darkness, fire goes before him, lightning strikes and mountains melt. An awesome, all powerful, and frightening image.
“The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice.
Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
Fire goes before him and consumes his foes on every side.
His lightning lights up the world; the earth sees and trembles.
The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth.” (1-5)
Creation Responds
The heavens respond by proclaiming God’s glory.
“The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all peoples see his glory.
All who worship images are put to shame, those who boast in idols—worship him, all you gods!” (6)
Then the psalmist instructs the people to hate evil.
“Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.” (10)
We aren’t always that good at hating evil. As one commentator says, “Clearly, the preacher’s principal task here is to acknowledge and deal with the fact that human beings are, to put it mildly, not all that good at hating evil and rejecting all unrighteousness. Indeed, when the thorough and consistent unrighteousness of human conduct is considered, the psalm’s presentation of God’s thunderous power and his absolute opposition to evil is unnerving. (Commentary on Psalm 97 – Working Preacher from Luther Seminary) But what is evil? It is the absence of God, the absence of love. All that is contrary to God’s will, unloving and unkind, is evil.
The response of the people is worship:
“Zion hears and rejoices and the villages of Judah are glad because of your judgments, Lord.
For you, Lord, are the Most High over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.” (8-9)
In the end, God’s light will shine.
“Light shines on the righteous and joy on the upright in heart.
Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name.” (11-12)
God of Darkness
What are we to make of the clouds and darkness that surround God in Psalm 97? God appears on Mt. Zinai in clouds and darkness Exodus 19:16-20. Humans are not able to see God face to face so God hides behind clouds and darkness. God also appears in this psalm with fire and lightning, speaking of God’s great power and holiness, a power that melts mountains.
“Clouds and thick darkness warn of his unapproachable holiness and hiddenness to presumptuous man (yet the hiddenness owes nothing to caprice: 2b), while the fire and lightnings reveal a holiness that is also devouring and irresistible (cf. Heb. 12:29).” (Kidner) (Enduring Word Bible Commentary Psalm 97)
In the face of such holiness, the psalmist calls us to worship. “Worship bears witness to a realm and to a reality that runs decidedly counter to the world-and-life view of so many in this world. Whereas too many people live within the shrunken boundaries of their own selfish selves or within the confines of a life seeking nothing other than money and power, worship seeks to expand people’s hearts and minds, to open them up to the limitless and infinite things of the Creator and Redeemer God. If the vision painted by Psalm 97 seems almost too good to be true and perhaps too all-encompassing to be true, reality is just the opposite. Psalm 97 reminds us that when it comes to the things of our God in Christ, we actually cannot ever get quite expansive enough.” (Psalm 97 – Center for Excellence in Preaching)
No words are sufficient to describe our God.
Psalm 97 – Clouds and Darkness
Sometimes God’s light shines so bright it is like darkness to the human eye. God masks his light with clouds and darkness to protect us. Sometimes, when God seems farthest away, God is right there, in our face, trying to get our attention. Only with our limited senses, we are blind to God’s presence.
Whether darkness or light, clouds or sun, our God is everywhere, in every facet of the universe. God calls us through Psalm 97 to hate evil, everything contrary to God’s will, and worship our all-powerful God.
What has been your experience of the God of darkness?
For other takes on this psalm see:
Psalm 97: Mountains Melting Like Wax – Patricia M Robertson
Psalm 97 – Repetitions that Delight – Christmas 2011 – Patricia M Robertson
This post is part of a series of blog posts on the Psalms. Sign up to follow this blog and receive a free copy of Still Dancing, the second book in my Dancing through Life Series. click here to sign up
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