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Worship in the Splendor of Holiness
96 Oh sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all the earth!
Sing to the LORD, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!
For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
but the LORD made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts!
Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth!
Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns!
Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.”
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field exult, and everything in it!
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
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.
(ESV)
Psalm 96 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
“Sing to the LORD a new song; Sing to the LORD, all the earth. 2 Sing to the LORD, bless His name; Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day. 3 Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples.”
Psalms 96:1-3 NASB
Sing to the Lord, all the earth. Tell of His glory among the nations. Let’s stop and consider what that means in relation to God’s promises. God’s Salvation will go out to every tribe, tongue, and nation. They will be blessed to hear the Good News. This was promised to Abraham by God.
And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
Genesis 12:3 NASB
Under the New Covenant, the fulfillment of this promise was given by Jesus to his disciples.
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20 NASB
The climactic event (Jesus’ return) that brings the final judgment is ushered in by the process. We have been given the task of going before our Lord to proclaim His incredible plan and miraculous works. We are given the responsibility and privilege of making the future momentarily present through our words and actions in this life.
We celebrate God’s rule and His judgment over evil. We celebrate His grace and His love. We testify of His faithful works. In these acts, we believe that His righteousness and justice will rule over this life into eternity. The present will not be the present forever. The King is coming back to reign for eternity and we have been assigned the duty of preparing this world for His return!