If something really great happens in our life, we usually tell other people about it. Perhaps we became engaged to be married, or found we were expecting a baby, or won the big prize in a contest, or received a great scholarship. We like to tell others about a movie we watched and really enjoyed, or the latest good book we read, or a new restaurant we really liked. What about the greatest thing that ever happened in our life, the biggest and best news we could ever tell someone? Would we share that with others, or would we keep quiet about it? If you’re a Christian, you have the best news ever, and our Scripture for today urges us to proclaim that to everyone every day. Let’s look into Psalm 96.
The author of Psalm 96 is not specifically identified, though the events surrounding its composition seem to be when the Ark of the Covenant was brought into Jerusalem, as it is very similar to the song sung in I Chronicles 16:23-33. Our psalm begins, as many psalms do, with a call to worship the Lord. Has the Lord blessed you with some new blessings lately? Then sing Him a new song of praise (vs. 1-2). He is always bringing new blessings to His Blood-bought children who have put their faith in Him. We should be proclaiming God’s praise to every nation, to all people on earth. God is not merely the God of Israel. He is Lord of all creation. We have the Gospel, the Good News of salvation, and Jesus commissioned us to proclaim that to everyone. Real worship is not just singing, but also includes proclaiming God’s salvation to others.
Even in the Old Testament it was God’s plan to include the Gentiles, as we see in verse 3. The prophet Isaiah testified to this on numerous occasions, including in Isaiah 49:6. Jesus continued with that order by instructing His disciples to bring His message of salvation to all nations (Matthew 28:19-20). Every believer is a witness. God did not save us merely to enjoy salvation, but to share it.
One reason for praising the Lord is for His greatness (vs. 4). The surrounding nations of Israel worshiped a variety of false gods and idols (vs. 5). They worshiped Baal, the god of rain and crop fertility, and Astarte, the goddess of love and human fertility (equivalent to Aphrodite). They also sacrificed children to Molech. These gods could not create. They could not speak, and certainly could not save. Yahweh, created all things, and He alone can save us. Today, in addition to some worshiping pagan gods, they worship money, fame, pleasure, and themselves. Anything that replaces God in our affections becomes an idol.
Three times in verses 7-8 we are commanded to give glory to the Lord. As believers we recognize that He is worthy of all glory, and this should be publicly acknowledged. Worship also involves sacrifice. Due to the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus, we no longer sacrifice animals for sin. We are told to give our lives (Romans 12:1), along with sacrifices of praise (Hebrews 13:15). True worship should cost us something.
Many today speak of worship while neglecting holiness (vs. 9). True worship requires reverence, purity, and obedience. God is not seeking entertainment from our worship services at church. That is what so many churches today have, an entertainment service, not a worship service. The Lord seeks worshipers whose hearts are surrendered to Him.
We are to proclaim to the world that God reigns, both now and throughout eternity (vs. 10). The Lord reigns now in sovereign control and there is coming the day when His reign will be openly manifested throughout the earth when Jesus returns. His kingdom will have justice and stability. All of creation will rejoice when Jesus returns (vs. 11-13) since at that time all will be restored. Creation suffered because of man’s sin (Romans 8:19-22), but it will share in the blessings of Christ’s reign. His return is certain, and it will bring righteousness and truth.
As we look back at our Scripture, we see that God’s heart has always included all people. We also see that true worship is not primarily about what pleases us, but what honors God. Our psalm also looks ahead to the visible reign of Jesus. He is the coming Judge. Every person will ultimately stand before Him, so this should motivate us to holy living and telling others about salvation through Jesus Christ.
Worship and witnessing belong together. Those who truly know the Lord’s greatness cannot help but declare His glory among the nations and proclaim His salvation from day to day. Our psalm gives believers hope as we look forward to the day when Jesus Christ will return to judge in righteousness and reign as King.
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