"Oh sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvellous works among all the peoples!
4 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
6 Splendour and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!
8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts!
9 Worship the Lord in the splendour of holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth!
10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!
Yes, the world is established; it shall never 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 all that fills it;
12 let the field exult, and everything in it!
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
13 before the Lord, for he comes,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness,
and the peoples in his faithfulness."
Psalm 96
What was said in the previous note about the association of ideas between the fact of the Lord's becoming king (10) and His coming (13) illustrates the story of the gospel itself. It is when Jesus is enthroned, and exalted as King, that He comes, by His Spirit, in blessing to the world (cf Acts 2:33 and Philippians 2:5ff). The sentiments expressed in the Psalm are indeed very apposite in relation to the history of Acts and the Early Church - the new song (1), the declaring of His glory among the heathen (3), saying among them 'the Lord reigneth', the general rejoicing in spirit. The sense of mission and of message is very real throughout. The gospel lights up the whole psalm wonderfully. In the second place it is interesting to note that the whole psalm is quoted in 1 Chronicles 16:23ff in a very significant context. In the Old Testament story, David is intent on bringing back the Ark to Jerusalem. An earlier chapter (1 Chronicles 13) shows an abortive attempt to do so, which incurred God's anger, because it was done carelessly and presumptuously. But the second time, all went well. And the significance of this is that David was intent on doing it in accordance with the Word of God and in obedience to that Word. David had put himself under the discipline of the word of God, and was determined to submit to its teaching. And his life was thereby changed. The spirit of worship that pulses in 1 Chronicles 16 flows from the work God had done in his heart in making him obedient. Furthermore, when a man is seeking to do God's will and live in obedience to His commands, his mind and spirit tend to become awakened to discern the meaning of that Divine will for his life, and the purpose of God for His people.