Just over a year ago over 20 million people in the United Kingdom, and many more from around the worldwatched on the televisions as the first monarch was crowned in Westminster Abbey nearly 70 years prior.

King Charles III, along with Queen Camilla, was crowned in a lavish ceremony in Westminster Abbey. The Abbey was filled with 2200 guests from 203 countries. These included members of the British royal family, church leaders, prominent politicians from the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, along with many other foreign heads of state.

As the King and Queen made their journey to the Abbey from Buckingham Palace, the route was lined with tens of thousands of people from the UK and the rest of the world to catch a glimpse of the couple.

After the coronation Over 5000 members of the Armed Forces, along with members of the armed forces from Commonwealth countries, formed a state procession to escort the newly crowned King and Queen back to Buckingham Palace.

All that happened outside the Abbey was eclipsed by the grandeur and majesty of what went on inside. As King Charles III was invested and crowned, after which the gathered crowds shouted, “God Save the King.” Charles was then enthroned, and homage was paid to him. This was an event that was majestic. It was an event like no other for its splendour. But what became very real a few months later, was that King Charles is a human being just like anyone else. With all the robes removed, and with his ordinary day suit on, he is just another human being. And he is a human being who suffers the same ailments and weaknesses as everyone else upon the earth.

The King that we are introduced to in Psalm 93 is a King like no other. He is a sovereign who reigns like no other. He is a ruler who has power like no other. He is the one who speaks like no other for his words are true. He is like no other earthly king because he perfectly holy. He is unlike any other king or queen who sits on an earthly throne because his throne is eternal.

Who is this king of which Psalm 93 speaks?

He is the LORD. This is the name that Moses was given by which to address God. It is the personal covenant name of God. If you look at Genesis 1 and 2 you will see that LORD is only used in Genesis 2 because it recounts God in relationship to man. It is the name that reminds us that of God’s promises to us.

This LORD is also the one who is seated on the throne above all thrones. He is the one who is continually robed in majesty. This majesty will always belong to the LORD. God is majestic, it is part of His being. It can never be removed from Him.

The LORD is the also strong. This word has the sense of God being the stronghold of His people. He is their refuge in times of trouble. These pictures of majesty and strength are further intensified when God is compared to the power of the floods of water and the waves of the sea. The psalmist tells us that the LORD is mightier than these things.

What a great comfort this is to us. In the trials and difficulties of life, the LORD is greater than these things. God is mighty. The promise making God, the King who is majesty, the one who is a refuge, is mightier than the power of the waves of the sea or the floods of water that might sweep us off our feet. As the psalm concludes the psalmist turns his attention to the LORD. He confesses that he the decrees of the LORD are trustworthy – they can be believed in, they can be hoped in.

But then comes a description about the house of this King. About what is the psalmist speaking – the temple in Jerusalem, or the family or household of the King? Well, both can be in view. The Temple in Jerusalem was the House of God. It was the place where God’s people came to worship Him. It was where He dwelt with His people.

However, the King has a family, a dynasty, a line of descendants, and to be part of that family those who belong to it must be holy. The House of Windsor doesn’t have the greatest track record for holiness. It is a family that has been beset by scandal over the years. The Sovereign LORD that this psalm speaks of has a family that is holy. We can become part of this family, not because of our own holiness but because of the grace of God in clothing us in His own holiness, through the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. And when we do come to Him and belong to His family, we will be part of His house for eternity.

This world in which the Christian is called to live is a difficult one. We are bombarded by sin, we are faced with laws that are devaluing the value of life both at its beginning and end, we are called to endure. But this psalm reminds us that we have a King who rules and reigns. We have a King who is sovereign over all things. We have a King who is our refuge and strength. We have a King whose words we can trust in. We have a King with whom we can dwell for all eternity.

May we know the LORD, might we serve the King, and might we honour Him in all things