You are more glorious and excellent than the mountains of prey. (Psalm 76:4)
Keep in mind that this psalm is speaking prophetically, and specifically of the day when God’s people are gathered unto Him, which is to say at the end of the present exile. That being so, this verse hints at what will transpire when the Messiah returns to vanquish His foes and ascend the Throne of David. First of all, it is understood that “the mountains of prey” makes reference to wild beasts, such as lions, who make mountain peaks their home. The nations are as ferocious and powerful as these beasts in relation to God’s people, but Israel’s God is more powerful than they. In the day that He makes His Name known, the strongest of these predator nations will be defeated.
Secondly, the Hebrew word translated as “glorious” is derived from the word that means “light.” The inference is that when His enemies are put down, God’s fame will spread throughout the world and, with it, the light of truth will permeate the entire world. It would be akin to the scene that opens Scripture: darkness was upon the face of the deep and then God said, “Let there be light” and it was so. Likewise, in the days when all seems to be at its darkest, the Lord will intervene on behalf of His people, strike down wicked oppressors with one mighty blow and fill the earth with the knowledge of His might and the light of His glory.
The fruition of this promise is found in Messiah, the Light of the World. As a lamb led to the slaughter, He allowed Himself to be stricken by those He created. In so doing, He infused this world with a great light as it is written: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined” (Isaiah 9:2). However, He will return as a roaring lion causing all the mountains of prey to tremble and fear. In that day, the Lord will destroy His enemies with the “breath of His mouth and the brightness of His coming” (2 Thessalonians 2:8). The world may seem dark now, and our enemies fierce, but soon the Almighty’s Voice will shout, “Let there be light,” initiating the age when this world will be filled with the light of His glory and the knowledge of the Lord of Hosts.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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