We are in chapter fifteen of Exodus with our word for today which is actually a phrase, used for the first time in the Bible. יְהוָ֥ה מָלָֽךְ The Lord will reign. It is used 8 times in the Old Testament. I find it interesting that the noun form of the verb reign is king. So if you reign you are ruling or reigning as the king. Every time our phrase is used it is referring to God. Let’s look at our uses. We see God wearing his kingliness power like one would wear clothes. Psalm 93:1 יְהוָ֥ה מָלָֽךְ The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength; indeed, the world is established, firm and secure. God’s ruling is to be shared with all the nations because he judges justly. Psalm 96:10 Say among the nations, יְהוָ֥ה מָלָֽךְ “The Lord reigns.” The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity. Because of the reality that God reigns all the earth can be joyful. Psalm 97:1 יְהוָ֥ה מָלָֽךְ The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice. 1 Chronicles 16:31 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, יְהוָ֥ה מָלָֽךְ “The Lord reigns!” God rules in an absolute powerful way that even intimidates all the nations. Psalm 99:1 יְהוָ֣ה מָ֭לָךְ The Lord reigns, let the nations tremble; he sits enthroned between the cherubim, let the earth shake. This intimidation even extends to his created heavenly bodies. Isaiah 24:23 The moon will be dismayed, the sun ashamed; for מָלַ֞ךְ יְהוָ֣ה צְבָא֗וֹת the Lord Almighty [hosts, army camps] will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before its elders—with great glory. When God has to respond to sin he does so as a ruler with absolute power. Ezekiel 20:33 As surely as I live, declares the אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֑ה Sovereign Lord, אֶמְל֥וֹךְ I will reign over you with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with outpoured wrath.
What I think is great about our phrase is that it is the very last words of this song of worship in our chapter for today. Then the next verses we have the explanation and context for the song. Exodus 15:19 For when the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea, the Lord brought back the waters of the sea upon them, but the people of Israel walked on dry ground in the midst of the sea. Think about just experiencing this first hand then singing this song in worship with the last phrase of the song ringing out, Exodus 15:18 יְהוָ֥ה יִמְלֹ֖ךְ “The Lord will reign forever and ever.” This reminds me of the song those of us in Christ will be singing in heaven. Revelation 11:15 The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.”
