תהלים, פרק צ״ז, פסוק ט׳

The absolute superiority of God over both the physical and spiritual universe becomes fully apparent when His justice is revealed in the world. Through this revelation, humanity comes to recognize Him as the original and supreme cause behind all events [אבן עזרא, מלבי״ם]. He is highly exalted and praised not only above mankind but far above all other perceived deities [מצודת ציון]. These so-called gods are not actual divine beings. Rather, they represent the hosts of heaven, the stars, and the spiritual princes of the nations—forces that people have mistakenly worshipped as independent powers [רד״ק, מצודת דוד, אלשיך].

God's supremacy over these forces means that He rules over them completely, in both heaven and earth [אבן עזרא, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Every ounce of power they possess flows directly from Him. Furthermore, there is a fundamental difference in how they operate. While God acts out of free will, justice, and righteousness, these heavenly forces operate out of blind necessity, lacking any true knowledge or ability to choose [מלבי״ם].

This reality answers a deep historical and theological question regarding the periods of destruction and exile. During such dark times, one might mistakenly believe that the Divine Presence retreated to the heavens, abandoning the leadership of the world to these spiritual princes and heavenly hosts. This assumption would seem to explain the temporary success of the foreign nations that destroyed the Temple. However, even when God appeared distant and removed from the earth, He remained entirely supreme over all these spiritual forces. Independent control was never handed over to the gods of the nations. Any power they wielded was temporarily granted to them by God, guided by His wisdom, to fulfill a specific purpose at that exact moment. Ultimately, the future submission of these worldly forces will prove retroactively that their power was never truly their own, and that His kingship never ceased for even a moment [אלשיך].