Enthroned with the Lord

It is Sunday, a day we get together with other Christians to worship God. The word that describes Him is suitable for this day. It is ENTHRONED, suggesting images of kings on enormous chairs of gold and carvings and places of judgment. It is a Hebrew word that simply means to sit or to be seated. Obviously, the context of this word has more significance than the word itself. The Bible says heaven is the throne of God. This is where He is seated, enthroned, ruling all.

I read all sixteen verses from the OT in the ESV Bible, then found a few more in other Bibles at this link. This seems simple but there are suggestions and implications that invoke worship!

The first verse speak of God being enthroned on the cherubim, then above the cherubim. No clue what that means except that other versions say “between” depicting God in position over or with angelic beings.

There are several that say God’s throne is for justice. I get that. Other verses say He is enthroned in the praises of His people. I get that too. When we praise God, we are recognizing that He is exalted and rules over all. He sits enthrone as King forever and our praise results in a greater sense of His nearness even though He is with us all the time.

Several verses speak of God as enthroned forever in the heavens and above all. His is a “throne of grace” where Jesus is seated at His Father’s right hand. Jesus promised His people a place with Him on that throne:

(Revelation 3:21) The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.

In reality, those who believe in Christ are already there. The NT makes this incredible statement:

(Ephesians 2:4–7) But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. As I worship God and consider that He is enthroned and rules over all, and as I think that I am considered already seated with Him in a spiritual sense, then there is only one way to apply this to my life — I must consider myself a citizen of that place, not being ‘heavenly minded without earthly usefulness’ but an ambassador who represents my ‘country’ to a world that needs to know Him. To do this, my mindset needs to be there, not here because this place is not my home and because what I think about will govern my words and actions:

(Colossians 3:1–3) If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.