Psalm 96
by Pastor Mark Hudson
Psalm 96 may be easily divided into
1-6 the King’s glory
7-9 the King’s due
10-13 the King’s coming (Kidner)
Marvin E. Tate treats 96-99 as one unit. Some think these Psalms are ‘enthronement psalms.’ Tate prefers a less specific phrase that seems to be tied to the enthronement of an earthly king, ‘kingship-of-Yahweh psalm’ yet he recognizes the term ‘enthronement psalms’ is not going away.
One of the reasons believers have loved the Psalms since their inception is the over-abundance of joy expressed in the entire collection. All this singing, declaring, ascribing! The authors even call on the heavens, earth, the seas, fields, trees to rejoice and for what? His judgments. People and the world is so happy that God exists. You can’t help getting caught up with joy.
In verses 1-2, we are exhorted to sing a new song, all the earth should sing, and then to bless His name. We are not told specifically what is new. Is the song new because we realize something new about God or because He has done something new, or we should keep writing new songs? Maybe all and even more. We are to tell unbelievers (nations and peoples) about His glory. No other supposed god is worth serving or praising because those gods are “worthless idols” while the Lord is the Creator of the heavens (v. 5).
Believers are so be enamored, over-powered, and infatuated with God’s glory. He, Himself, is our treasure, not what He does or does for us, but God Himself. Sing, sing, sing! Notice the close connection between who He is (theology) and the worship of God. Study and reflection on God leads to worshipping God and loving our worship. This does not mean one has to like all the songs your church sings. It does imply that you love God so much that you can’t help but talk about Him. We love and worship Him and we also fear Him (v. 4).
Taxes are due to the government. Respect is due to those over you. Payment is due for work done. And glory and praise is due to God (v. 8). Just as we are told to sing 3 times in vs. 1-2, in vs. 7-8 we are told 3 times to ascribe (give) glory and strength to the Lord. When we bring an offering (v. 8) or tremble before him we worship the Lord. Worship is not only singing. Worship involves obedience to the totality of what God has commanded. If I sing a solo or preach a sermon in church but commit serious sin, I am not truly worshipping. But if my public worship and my private life are consistent, I truly worship.
Now we move on to vs. 10-13. We have a negative emotional reaction to God judging. His wrath, hell, and condemnation presents all sorts of problems for us. But the nations are told, “He will judge the peoples with equity.” And three verses later, He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in faithfulness (or truth) in verse 13. Some may think God judging is inconsistent with a loving God.
Imagine if at work, the people who came in late, stole from the company, wrecked company vehicles, and treated customers rudely were treated the same way as those who came to work early, helped make a profit, took special care for all the equipment of the company, and treated customers with respect. One is tearing down the company; one is lifting it up. How would you feel if they were treated the same? Unbelievers don’t want God to judge, but we demand justice in our lives, in our communities, and in our families.
God’s justice is not capricious, unfair, or unjust. God does not favor any individual. Who wouldn’t want a judge like that? As we mentioned, the fact that God judges makes some people feel uncomfortable, some even get angry. But think of what all of us want: justice. If your coworker steals, treats customers rudely, does not work and makes others work more, and breaks all the rules but gets treated like everyone else, it does not sit right with us. If a person murders or drives drunk and kills a child and that person gets “away with murder” we recoil against that. We want wicked people to by punished. When Bernie Madoff cheated people out of billions of dollars we demanded punishment. We really do not want a God that does not punish. We want evil people to receive what is due them. There is something inherent in us that demands that murderers be punished. We hate rich people cheating the poor.
In heaven, people are crying out for God to judge. Rev 6:10, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” These martyrs are asking God to avenge their death. Their death was an injustice. They want the justice they have been waiting for. We want equity, justice, and fair treatment for all. We want this here and now but that will never happen. But we know God will treat everyone justly and fairly.
We are commanded to rejoice and proclaim, “The Lord reigns!” . . . “He will judge the peoples with equity” v. 10. We are happy that he judges so fairly. Even the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all that fill it, the fields and everything that grows in the fields, and the trees should sing for joy. Why? “He comes to judge the earth” and the world in righteousness. I suggest if you do not feel this way about God’s justice, your feelings are out of alignment. Ask God to align your desires and worship with His justice.
Dear Heavenly Father, we worship You for your fair treatment of every human being in the world. No one, not one, can ever claim that You treated them unfairly. You define justice. You will give to the wicked what they are due. You will avenge every wrong ever committed and no one in heaven will question Your justice. Our prayer is that you will soon judge those who are wicked. Thank You that Christ took our punishment which we deserved. We thank You for such amazing grace and tender mercies. In Christ’s Risen Name. Amen.