March 1, 2020
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Reading along with us in Psalm? Here’s today’s reading:
Psalm 98 (ESV)
Make a Joyful Noise to the Lord
A Psalm.
1 Oh 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 known his salvation;
he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations...........Continue Reading
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Joseph Douglas on psalm 98 Praise to our King and ruler the Almighty one, our Lord and Savior! For everyone and everything in this God built universe we recognize your sovereign word and rule over all that occupies the land and plays a part in all of Gods creation! We all shall recognize the Lord as our Savior and The one who will forever judge us when the end comes to all the earthly occupants. We shall all remain content regardless of our earthly possessions, both large and small, over abundance, and barely enough. With God in our lives and the promise of Heaven and salvation, we need not desire the things that we do not have in this world! Gods loving Grace is all we will ever need! AMEN…..
I have to share this from the ESV Study Bible regarding this Psalm.
This hymn celebrates God’s universal kingship (v. 6) by referring to the “marvelous things” and “salvation” that God has worked in the sight of the Gentiles, on behalf of his people.
The flow of thought is straightforward: God has worked salvation (rescue from evil) for Israel, which all the ends of the earth have seen (vv. 1-3); all people in the earth should join Israel’s celebration, because God is their rightful king, too (vv. 4-6); the material creation should join all mankind in jubilant praise of the one true God, as they look forward to his rule (vv. 7-9). There are many overlaps with Psalm 96, as in the opening invitation (98:1; cf. 96:1); the interest in the Gentiles (98:4; cf. 96:7); the rejoicing of the material world (98:7-8; cf. 96:11-12); and the Lord as universal “judge” (98:9; cf. 96:13). This psalm lies behind Isaac Watts’s famous hymn “Joy to the World.” The psalm and the hymn have come to be associated with Christmas; like Psalm 96, this is not inappropriate, provided it is clear that the coming of Jesus as the Davidic king who will bring light to the Gentiles is what establishes the connection.
Lane T. Dennis, ed., ESV Study Bible, The: English Standard Version, (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Bibles, 2008), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: “Psalms 98”.
I love reading the psalms 1st thing in the morning. They prepare my heart to praise the Lord all day long no matter what happens.
7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
the world and those who dwell in it!
8 Let the rivers clap their hands;
let the hills sing for joy together
Thank you Lord that nature rejoices in you!
Once again we are encouraged to sing a new song, not because there is anything wrong with the old ones…and there is a place for them, but because God is always on the move, He is a present God who is acting on behalf of His people in different and personal ways. New songs reflect that reality and music is a tool God has established in all creation as means to engage thought and emotion to enthusiastically exalt our great God. This is certainly what David is doing here in this Psalm.
I was also struck by God’s salvation being known to the ends of the earth. I imagine that is found not only because of His hand on the Jews but also because of His hand in creation…in the same way Paul says in Romans 1 the God’s eternal nature is found in creation so man is without excuse. And God always shows Himself to be a saving God, a revealing God, always reaching out to man to make Himself known and to aid humankind in our lives.
So of course the earth should shout for joy to this God who is so good. And all creation raises their voices in a great chorus to Him, that we have the privilege of being aware of and participating in!
4 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
5 Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
with the lyre and the sound of melody!
6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn
make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!
7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
the world and those who dwell in it!
8 Let the rivers clap their hands;
let the hills sing for joy together
9 before the Lord, for he comes
to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with equity.