Many people find the sound of water comforting. My daughter Lucy has a sound machine to help her sleep better at night. This machine has several sound settings, and the one she likes the best is the one of water. Our psalm for this week is one of giving praise to God. It includes mankind giving Him praise, particularly with musical instruments, but also of nature giving Him praise, including the sound of water.
Our psalm begins with an encouragement to sing a new song of praise to the Lord (vs. 1). And what are we to praise Him for? He has done marvelous things! For one, the Lord has brought salvation to mankind, and made the way to accept that salvation known to everyone (vs. 2-3). With the fall of Adam, all mankind has sinned, is under God’s condemnation, and in need of salvation. In His love and mercy, God sent His only-begotten Son to die for our salvation. His plan of salvation is clearly recorded in the Bible.
God’s Word, the Bible, has been translated into nearly every language on earth, and is available for everyone to read. Down through the ages, and including today, many have tried to destroy the Bible. However, God has faithfully preserved His Word. We can sing a new song of praise to Him for this marvelous thing, that He has made known His salvation to us, and revealed it in the sight of the nations, for all the ends of the earth to see.
As our psalm continues, the psalmist encourages people to praise the Lord on all different types of musical instruments (vs. 4-6). He mentions the harp, the trumpet, and horns. As long as our songs are godly, holy, and with respect for the reverence of God, we can use any instrument, and especially our voices to praise the Lord. He wants us to shout joyfully, break forth, sing, and rejoice. Why? Because the Lord Jesus has done marvelous things, and has brought salvation to all who will accept Him.
The psalmist follows this with a call for all of nature to sing their praises to God, particularly the sea, the rivers, and hills (vs. 7-8). Like I mentioned at the beginning, the sound of water can be soothing and relaxing. Nature knows its Creator, and readily sings praises to Him. The musical sound of a bubbling creek and of waves gently hitting the shore, the sounds of all nature echoing in the hills, are all songs of praise to the Creator.
I remember many years ago when I went to see Niagara Falls. The sound of the roar from the water crashing over those falls can be heard long before you come anywhere near seeing them. Then when you do see the majesty of that great waterfall, a believer can’t help but give praise to the Lord, the Creator! We see and hear the roar of the sea when we watch the mighty waves crashing against a rocky coast. Living in Chicago, I am far from any ocean, but we do have Lake Michigan right at our door, which can have some significant storms and large waves. We may wonder how the roar of oceans, seas, and large lakes can be a song of praise to the Lord, as that might indicate a storm of some magnitude. Storms of any size can elicit praise to God, especially when we see how He delivers us from these storms, as Jesus did for the disciples on the Sea of Galilee (Mark 4:35-41).
In closing, Psalm 98 reminds us that the Lord is coming to judge the earth (vs. 9). The first time the Lord Jesus came, it was to die for our sins, and bring salvation to all who will accept Him as their Savior. The second time He will come it will be to bring judgment to mankind. The wicked, and all who have refused to obey His Word and accept Him as Savior will be judged. This will be a righteous judgment, for as we read earlier in the psalm, God made known His salvation to all the earth. Everyone has had a chance to accept Jesus as Savior, and are without excuse. Turn to the Lord Jesus now, for He is longing to accept you into His family!
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