In a section on the theological implications of Psalm 97, Old Testament scholar John Goldingay writes:
Yhwh reigns. Therefore Pharaoh or Sennacherib or Nebuchadnezzar or Cyrus or Caesar or Constantine or the Pope or George III or Hitler or the current British prime minister or the current American president do not reign. Yhwh reigns. Therefore Saul or David or Solomon or Rehoboam or Jeroboam or Hezekiah or Manasseh or Josiah do not reign. Yhwh reigns. Therefore the people of Britain or American do not reign.
The fact that Yhwh reigns is a worrying fact for people who think they reign. It means, among other things, that ‘prayer is a subversive activity’ because ‘it involves a more or less open act of defiance against any claim of ultimacy by the current regime.’ But for people whom others pretend to reign over; the fact that Yhwh reigns is good news. It is noteworthy that the themes of joy/gladness and faithfulness are ‘unifying features’ of Psalm 97.
“Psalm 97 Yhwh Began to Reign: Earth Is to Rejoice,” Psalms Volume 3: Psalms 90-150, John Goldingay