"Say among the nations, Jehovah reigneth: The world also is established that it cannot be moved: He will judge the peoples with equity. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; Let the field exult, and all that is therein; Then shall all the trees of the wood sing for joy before Jehovah; for he cometh, For he cometh to judge the earth: He will judge the world with righteousness, And the peoples with his truth."
Psalm 96:10-13
The study of Psalms takes me deeper into the revealed Word of God and a profound relationship with my Creator, which is vital for every Christian. It opens up a well full of words and insight causing me to worship, pray, reflect, and put God's Word into action – It will not let me just study and learn. As I study the Book of Psalms, I glow with deep peace and strength in the highest God. I can reach out to God for guidance and more profound growth in my walk with Him. I can praise the King of kings and Lord of lords, Who is worthy of all praise and honor. The Psalms have become my friends and my companions when I need to find refuge and strength. I find so much delight when I read and reflect on them since they speak out to me so powerfully. They help me to grow in my heart and mind. They guide me to my final destination, eternity with my Father and His Son. I pray that you may find delight and comfort as you read these faith-filled words of the Psalms.
I chose Psalm 96 in my study because it is one of those Psalms that is near and dear to my heart since it praises our Creator and acknowledges His Lordship as the only righteous Judge of all the earth and heaven. This Psalm portrays God's rule and government as King of His Kingdom. This Psalm declares that our God is worthy of our praise and obedience. Most importantly, He is worthy of our lives as a living sacrifice to Him. As Jehovah of old, He reigns and judges the world and every creature. Our God reigns! Join me as we consider the sentiments of this beautiful Psalm afresh.
Psalm 96 is a Psalm that declares the coming kingdom of God. It displays the Messianic pinnacle of glory and the approaching revelation of salvation by Jesus Christ. This Psalm declares the "good news" as glad tidings to sinners, providing salvation from sin and death as well as an entrance to the gates of heaven. It is also a call to all nations through God's glorious gospel of His accession of Lordship over the whole earth. Psalm 96:1 expresses the same thoughts found in Isaiah 42:10; 52:7; 60:6; 66:19, and Psalm 96:3.
Consider the following exegesis of this beautiful and majestic Psalm that expresses salvation in a higher sense - salvation from sin and death.
I. A Call to Worship and Bless Jehovah: (verses 1-3)
"1 Oh sing unto Jehovah a new song: Sing unto Jehovah, all the earth. 2 Sing unto Jehovah, bless his name; Show forth his salvation from day to day. 3 Declare his glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples."
All the earth is called to sing a new song. In Revelation 5:9; 14:3, we hear of a new song that proclaims victory and deliverance. It acknowledges God as the Judge and King of all the earth's inhabitants and how they all must praise God for the victory He has brought them.
- We are to sing to the LORD and bless His name.
- We are to tell of His salvation to all men.
- We are to declare His glory through His Gospel to a lost world dying of sin.
II. The Purpose for Worship: (verses 4-6)
"4 For great is Jehovah, and greatly to be praised: He is to be feared above all gods. 5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols; But Jehovah made the heavens. 6 Honor and majesty are before him: Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary."
Consider the reasons for singing praises and blessings to our LORD:
- Because He is great and most worthy of praise. Therefore, He must be greatly praised and feared in our hearts and mind. We are grasshoppers (Isaiah 40:22). To do otherwise is to be immensely ignorant and irrational. His creation helps us to remain in awe of His greatness and the evidence of His royal and glorious presence. Our God is glorious because He is our King and Creator!
When the apostle Paul went to Athens, he saw all the idol-worshipping and an altar that was subscribed "to the unknown god." To them, one god was just as real as any other god. In their ignorance, they had created gods to meet their needs, wants, and desires.
Paul told the Romans that they worshiped the creature rather than their Creator. They attributed power to their gods because they could see the sun, moon, and stars. They also made images of birds, beasts, men, and women to worship them as gods.
Today, we live in a culture that does not necessarily worship physical idols but worships other gods in many different ways. Their idols or gods are wealth, pleasure, and even mankind. They do not acknowledge that they are still idols and false gods. Any god that is not our true Creator, Who made the heavens and the earth, is false and leads to the soul's destruction.
The God we read of in this beautiful Psalm is the God that the apostle Paul described to the Athenians. He is the God of the Bible. He is the Only True God. The One who made us and gave us this universe to live. He is the God, Who provides for and sustains us, giving us the ability to think, reason, and remember. He is the God, Who allows us to choose what is right and wrong to serve Him and praise Him.
This same God of the earth and universe before Whom we will one day bow down. We will bow before Him and His Son, our Lord and Savior. Likewise, every tongue will confess Jesus as Lord and King.
III. The Substance of our Worship: (verses 7-9)
"7 Ascribe unto Jehovah, ye kindreds of the peoples, Ascribe unto Jehovah glory and strength. 8 Ascribe unto Jehovah the glory due unto his name: Bring an offering, and come into his courts. 9 Oh worship Jehovah in holy array: Tremble before him, all the earth."
Verses 7-9 tell us what we must do to worship our LORD. We are called to ascribe to the LORD or attribute to Him the glory and strength that is His. We are to recognize His power, glory, and greatness and praise Him, giving Him the glory due to His name for all these attributes: His name, reputation, and very character. We are to bring God our lives as an offering of living sacrifices and worship Him in the splendor of His holiness. Therefore, we must come to Him trembling as we honor His greatness. The Psalmist gives us a beautiful picture of a heart of worship. To ascribe to God glory and strength is suitable for Who He is.
IV. The Coming of the Judge, the King: (verses 10-13)
"10 Say among the nations, Jehovah reigneth: The world also is established that it cannot be moved: He will judge the peoples with equity. 11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; 12 Let the field exult, and all that is therein; Then shall all the trees of the wood sing for joy 13 Before Jehovah; for he cometh, For he cometh to judge the earth: He will judge the world with righteousness, And the peoples with his truth"
In verses 10-13, we see an exhortation to teach the world about the glory and rule of God, His Kingdom. One of the most vital parts of our worship to God is to proclaim to the world that the LORD reigns. We must proclaim Him and His glory to all unbelievers through the glorious Gospel of His Son. Evangelism is not an option. It is a command connected with the remarkable reality of Who God really is. God has created and established the heavens and the earth. We cannot afford to be silent about our faith and expect to worship Him adequately. Why? Because the LORD reigns and is the Judge! He will judge the earth as a righteous Judge in the sense of "govern, rule, exercise of government." When both John and Jesus declared that "the kingdom of God is at hand," they were proclaiming that the reign of God had come in the Messiah Himself. (Mark 1:15; Matthew 3:2; 4:17; 10:7). In Jesus our Lord, "our God reigns!"
"And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunders, saying, Hallelujah: for the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigneth." Revelation 19:6
"7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace, that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation, that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!" Isaiah 52:7
Praise the LORD, for His King has come to His kingdom in all righteousness and faithfulness! All the creation is called to rejoice and worship the Lord of lords and King of kings. Everyone is to exalt Jehovah God before His Son. Notice that the Psalmist portrays the coming of the Judge as something to anticipate. The Psalmist is looking forward to the coming of the Lord. Therefore, the whole earth is to rejoice at His coming. The Psalmist declares in the most joyous and distinct words that Jehovah is King. He is worthy of all praise, our obedience, and our lives. Let us praise God that He will judge in righteousness of mercy and in the faithfulness of His promises when everything will be put back to right and justice will prevail. Our Jehovah God reigns! Have you allowed Him to reign in your life and the lives of others?
CONCLUSION:
God is God no matter what the world thinks around us. He is still God! Even though this world's "greatest minds" may deny His existence, it does not change the truth of His majesty and power. God spoke, and the world came into existence from nothing. It is an actual fact that God did not make the world. He created it. That is the God we serve!
Satan, the prince of this world, has deceived many into believing that our God is like man because they serve gods made after the image of mankind. The Truth is that mankind is made in the image of his God and must seek Him and become like Him in His righteousness. The true God of the Bible is majestic in power, controlled by His great love and lovingkindness shown to us through His Son, Jesus Christ. Our Lord Jesus judged the world by His perfect life. Likewise, He judged the world again when He sacrificed Himself for the sins of a condemned world. He judges and rules even still by His righteous Gospel. He would judge us by the same words at the end of time.
May our LORD give us wisdom to teach this dying and sick-sin world His Truth, the good news of the glorious Gospel of His Son, and be able to boldly present it to sinners so that they might be saved from the judgment to come against those who practice lawlessness and do not repent.
"And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things. But do you suppose this... Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each person according to his deeds: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God." Romans 2:2-11
Luci
P.S. I want to leave you with the beautiful words of this song:
THE LORD JEHOVAH REIGNS
The Lord Jehovah reigns; His throne is built on high.
The garments He assumes are light and majesty.
His glories shine
With beams so bright no mortal eye
Can bear the sight.
The thunders of His hand keep the wide world in awe;
His wrath and justice stand to guard His holy law.
And where His love
Resolves to bless His truth confirms
And seals the grace.
Through all His mighty works surprising wisdom shines—
Confounds the powers of hell, and breaks their cursed designs.
Strong is His arm,
And shall fulfill His great decrees,
His sovereign will.
And will this mighty King of glory condescend,
And will He write His Name: My Father and my Friend?
I love His Name;
I love His Word. Join, all my powers,
And praise the Lord!
