Psalm 96

Again, what a blessing to be in the Psalms.  This great Hymn not only leads us to praise; it teaches us what our lives are all about.  Let us begin with the immediate context.  Israel was called to witness to God’s greatness and glory, a message that was to go to all the nations.  That is the essence of this song.

·         96:1-3: The redeemed are called to sing a new song, a song that proclaims the good news of salvation and the glory of the name of the Lord! This proclamation is to go to all the earth, among the nations and all peoples.

·         96:4-6: This song would simply be the expression of the way it is.  The Lord alone is great for the Lord alone made the heavens.  He is real!  All the gods of the people are idols (Heb. eliyl, meaning nothing, good for nothing, vain, worthless).  But God made the heavens.  Honor, majesty, strength and beauty fit Him perfectly.

·         96:7-9: Thus the families of the peoples are called to come join in the worship of the Lord, to tremble before Him, to give Him the glory due His name.

·         96:10-13: The one thing the nations need to know is it is the Lord who reigns and He is therefore the One before whom they will stand when He judges the people righteously.  The rest of creation will rejoice to see that day!

What a great testimony!  And in a sense it is not that complicated.  Just call attention to Him, giving Him the glory for the good things of life.  As a matter of fact, this approach to witnessing was practiced by the Apostle Paul and is thus commended to us in our context.  I am talking about Acts 17 in his sermon on Mars Hill.  But it’s not necessarily a sermon; he is bearing testimony, giving God the glory. 

·         17:22-23: Gentiles (the nations, the families of the peoples) tend to be religious.  But they have not found the true God.  Yet!

·         17:24-28:  The true God made everything and gave life to all.  He is, as the Psalmist said, a God of honor, majesty, strength and beauty.  He has made us and enriched our lives so that we might seek Him.

·         17:29: They ought not to think God is like their useless images.

·         17:30: Rather they should repent, turn away from that ignorance and turn to the true God.

·         17:30: Because the day is coming when they will stand before the judge, the Man who was God come in the flesh, the Lord Jesus Christ.

You see how the Apostle declared God’s glory to the nations.  That is how our testimony should begin: by word and deed that indicates we are living for the glory of God!  Declare His glory among the nations.  Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.  For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised.  Like Israel we, the redeemed Church, are God’s witnesses to the nations. 

And finally, this is Christmas, of course.  We have not changed our approach to Sunday posts.  But sure enough, Psalm 96 speaks to the glory of the birth of Christ.  The Incarnation was a great declaration of God's glory to the nations.  Apart from Christ's coming to earth there is no hope for Israel or the nations.  This Psalm should be a blessed meditation on this day.