Psalms 95:1

The Bible says in Psalm 95:1-3, “O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.[2] Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.[3] For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.” This is an invitation to sing the raises of the Lord. That is one of the four things that a Biblical church does. It invites people to come and sing with the other believers. We also have teaching of the Word of God, prayer, and Christian fellowship where everyone uses their gifts to help other Christians.

It is a good thing that it says “make a joyful noise.” We will do the best that we can with our music as the Lord gives gifts and abilities to people, but it is what is in the heart that is most important. We all have our cross to bear, but we can always praise the Lord no matter what happens to us. Verse one gives one of the many reasons to praise the Lord. Jesus is “the rock of our salvation.” There is nothing more important than being saved from sin. If you do not realize that now, then you will at the judgment. Notice that our salvation is on a “rock.” That is an expression of eternal security. We cannot lose our salvation. Those who hope to be saved for any other reason than the salvation through Christ that God has provided will sink into the abyss. Jesus used this same analogy in His teachings. Jesus said in Matthew 7:24-27, “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:[25] And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.[26] And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:[27] And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”

Psalm 95:3 tells us to praise God for who He is. It says, “For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.” Since there is only one God, all other gods are false gods. They do not exist. Since there is only one truth, all religions are false religions except for Biblical Christianity. And of course, this also means that God is a King above all other. Since Jesus is the King of kings, Jesus is head of all power and authority. Jesus is the head of all supposed power and authority too.

The Bible says in Psalm 95:4-6, “In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also.[5] The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.[6] O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.” These verses tell us why we should worship God: He is the Creator. God made us and everything else. The Bible starts out saying in Genesis 1:1, “In the Beginning God made the heaven and the earth.” The Gospel of John starts out in John 1-3, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.[2] The same was in the beginning with God.[3] All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” We were born to serve the Lord because the Lord created us. We should use everything that we have for His glory because He made everything that we have and it all belongs to Him. He is the rightful owner. “let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.”

The Bible says in Psalm 95:7-11, “For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice,[8] Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:[9] When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work.[10] Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:[11] Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.” Verse seven compares believers to sheep. We are like sheep because we need a shepherd to lead us and to protect us. One of the many benefits of believing in Jesus is that we do have a great Shepherd: Jesus Christ the righteous. But many people in the world do not have the Lord Jesus as their Shepherd, and so starting at the end of verse seven is an invitation to turn to Him.

It says, “Today if ye will hear his voice.” Notice the word “today.” Because of the temporary nature of life, no one has a promise of tomorrow. A wise person will think about their own mortality and their own spiritual needs today, and will not put it off. Do not procrastinate on the issue of the destination of your soul. The second word in this phrase is “if.” Salvation is not a human being joining a religion. Rather, it is God speaking to your heart to draw you to Jesus. If you know that God is speaking to you to draw you, make sure you respond to Him. It will start you down a terrible road, if you refuse God’s invitation. He invites you, but He does give you a free choice. That is why it says in verse eight, “Harden not your heart.” Human beings who have a hard heart against God have hardened their own hearts. It does not make sense to lose heaven because of hardening your own heart. It does not make sense to stay in your sins because of hardening your own heart. Verses eight through eleven give the example form the Old Testament of when many of the Jewish people hardened their hearts against God, and the result was that they wandered in the wilderness and that generation never entered the Promised Land. Of course, that symbolized the fact that anyone who hardens their own heart against the Gospel of Christ, will not go to heaven, the place of ultimate rest.

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