How does Psalm 97:5 relate to the theme of divine sovereignty? Text “The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the Lord of all the earth.” (Psalm 97:5) Literary Setting and Flow of Psalm 97 Psalm 97 is one of the so-called “Yahweh-malak” (“the LORD reigns”) or “enthronement” psalms (Psalm 93; 95–99). Each celebrates God’s kingship with cosmic imagery, moral exhortation, and prophetic anticipation. Verses 1–4 proclaim universal joy, righteousness, and theophany; verse 5 supplies the climactic picture of creation trembling; verses 6–9 announce His supremacy over idols and false gods; verses 10–12 call the righteous to loyal worship. The verse in question forms the hinge: God’s visible, powerful presence establishes His uncontested sovereignty, then demands exclusive allegiance. Exegetical Focus: “Mountains Melt Like Wax” 1. Lexical nuance: “מַסֶּה” (masêh, “melt”) portrays rapid, irreversible liquefaction—imagery for total capitulation. 2. Simile: “like wax” evokes a household lamp where heat instantly dissolves the candle; Israelite listeners knew how fragile wax is before flame. 3. The double phrase “at the presence of the LORD… of all the earth” repeats pan-cosmic lordship, answering verse 1’s “Let the earth rejoice.” Divine Sovereignty Displayed in Theophany Throughout Scripture, mountains—symbols of permanence and power—are upended when God manifests Himself: • Sinai quaked and smoked (Exodus 19:18). • Micah 1:3–4 declares, “the mountains will melt beneath Him.” • Nahum 1:5 says, “The mountains quake before Him; the hills melt away.” By echoing these passages, Psalm 97:5 affirms that no force in the created order, however colossal, resists Yahweh’s rule. Historical and Archaeological Corroboration The Masoretic Text preserved in Codex Leningrad dates Psalm 97 to at least the 10th century AD; yet Dead Sea Scroll fragment 4QPs^d (c. 50 BC) carries an identical Hebrew line for v. 5, underscoring textual stability. Separately, the volcanic features around the traditional Sinai region (Jebel al-Lawz and environs) show burnt summit rock and sedimentary metamorphosis consistent with an extreme heat event—evocative of Exodus-Sinai descriptions that Psalm 97 echoes. Cosmic Sovereignty: Lord over Nature By causing “mountains” to “melt,” God demonstrates mastery over the largest features of earth’s geology. This cosmic scope is reinforced by: • Psalm 104:32, “He looks on the earth, and it trembles.” • Colossians 1:16–17, attributing all creation’s existence and cohesion to Christ. Divine sovereignty here is not abstract; it is physically observable and empirically invasive. Moral and Judicial Sovereignty Immediately after v. 5, the psalm shifts from natural upheaval to moral admonition (vv. 6–9). The same power that levels mountains also topples idolatrous powers. God’s reign is therefore judicial: He enforces righteousness (v. 2, “righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne”) and exposes false gods. Salvific Sovereignty in Redemptive History The psalm’s oracle of trembling creation foreshadows salvific interventions: • The Red Sea parted (Exodus 14–15). • Jordan halted (Joshua 3). • The earthquake at Christ’s resurrection (Matthew 28:2) signaled the climactic victory of the Sovereign Lord. Each event ties physical upheaval to redemptive milestones, culminating in the resurrection, which historical minimal-facts scholarship (Habermas, 1 Corinthians 15:3–8) demonstrates on evidentiary grounds. Christological Fulfillment Hebrews 12:26–29 appropriates Sinai’s quake and cites Haggai 2:6 (“Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens”) to show Christ’s superior covenant: “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken…” The dissolving mountains in Psalm 97 thus prefigure the supremacy of the risen Christ, “the Lord of all the earth” (Acts 10:36). Eschatological Implications Revelation 6:14 and 16:20 pictures every mountain removed under eschatological judgment, fulfilling Psalm 97:5 on a global scale. Divine sovereignty will be publicly, consummately displayed; creation’s dissolution paves the way for the “new heavens and new earth” (Isaiah 65:17; Revelation 21:1). Practical Theology and Discipleship 1. Worship: Awe at God’s majesty breeds joyful submission (Psalm 97:1,12). 2. Mission: Since idols collapse, believers witness confidently, as Paul did on the Areopagus, confronting false worldviews with the risen Lord (Acts 17). 3. Ethics: God’s immovable justice motivates moral alignment with His character (Psalm 97:10). Summary Psalm 97:5 locks the theme of divine sovereignty into vivid sensory imagery: the Creator’s presence melts mountains—earth’s mightiest strongholds—certifying His unrivaled authority in nature, history, salvation, and final judgment. Every aspect of reality must therefore bow to “the Lord of all the earth.” |
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