Psalms Reading – 4.1.2022
Psalm 98
A psalm.
1 Sing to the Lord a new song,
for he has done marvelous things;
his right hand and his holy arm
have worked salvation for him.
2 The Lord has made his salvation known
and revealed his righteousness to the nations.
3 He has remembered his love
and his faithfulness to Israel;
all the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
for he has done marvelous things;
his right hand and his holy arm
have worked salvation for him.
2 The Lord has made his salvation known
and revealed his righteousness to the nations.
3 He has remembered his love
and his faithfulness to Israel;
all the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
4 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth,
burst into jubilant song with music;
5 make music to the Lord with the harp,
with the harp and the sound of singing,
6 with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn—
shout for joy before the Lord, the King.
burst into jubilant song with music;
5 make music to the Lord with the harp,
with the harp and the sound of singing,
6 with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn—
shout for joy before the Lord, the King.
7 Let the sea resound, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it.
8 Let the rivers clap their hands,
let the mountains sing together for joy;
9 let them sing before the Lord,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples with equity.
the world, and all who live in it.
8 Let the rivers clap their hands,
let the mountains sing together for joy;
9 let them sing before the Lord,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples with equity.
Psalm 98 joyfully celebrates the Lord’s righteousness and was the inspiration for Isaac Watt’s hymn, “Joy to the World.”
Verses 1-3 call the community of believers to sing a new song for God has done remarkable acts. God has made his salvation known, revealed his righteousness to the world, and remembered His love and faithfulness to His people. As a result, all the earth has seen God’s salvation displayed. This is all the more relevant for us as Christ has brought God’s salvation to earth!
Verses 4-6 call the whole earth to joyfully celebrate the Lord, the King. The psalmist gives us vivid imagery of how powerful and beautiful such instrumentation and singing should be. He was not calling for a soft song of praise but one that boldly proclaimed God as King.
Verses 7-9 call all of creation to demonstrative worship. The sea was to reverberate, the rivers were to clap, and the mountains were to be a choir of joy as they declared their praise. The reason for such unthrottled praise was that God judges the world with righteousness and equity. He can be trusted to make all things right and good in due time when Jesus returns to establish His kingdom on earth.
Memory Verse: Psalm 95:6-7, Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.
Question(s) to Consider: Does our praise rise to the level that the psalm calls us to give? Which of the reasons most encourage you to offer vibrant praise: God’s salvation, kingship, or judgment?