Psalms 96:1

The Bible says in Psalm 96:1-6, “O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth.[2] Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day.[3] Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people.[4] For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods.[5] For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens.[6] Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.” Notice that verse one says to sing unto the Lord “a new song.” There are many wonderful songs to sing about God’s love, and the mercy of Christ, and the future He has prepared for us in heaven. It is good to sing the old gospel songs because they were written by people who were close to the Lord and who were not affected by many of the excesses of our current society. Learn the old songs and keep singing them as unto the Lord. Be that as it may, there will always some new songs because the love of God is eternal, and there are always new ways of expressing His great love and mercy. We will sing new songs in heaven too. It will be wonderful.

Verse two tells us some reasons why we should sing unto the Lord. The first thing mentioned is the “name” of the Lord. His name is wonderful. His name stands for His goodness and love and truth. How we treat the name of God demonstrates what we really believe. It is even in one of the Ten Commandments: “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.” Notice all the other things mentioned in the verses above for which we should praise the name of the Lord: His salvation, His glory, His wonders, His greatness, His creation, His honor, His majesty, His strength, and His beauty. And those are just a few of the reasons to sing unto Him.

Verse three tells believers to “Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people.” God wants everyone on the earth to know about Him because God loves everyone and wants everyone to go to heaven. That is why Jesus said to His disciples in Matthew 28:18-20, “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.[19] Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:[20] Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” It also says in Romans 10:13-15, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.[14] How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?[15] And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!”

Psalm 96:5 says, “For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens.” Of course, there is only one God. Anyone who worships any God except the One true God, is worshipping an idol. An idol is no god. An idol has no power. An idol exists only in the mind of the worshipper. Who is the One true God? He is the Creator. He is the One who made you and gave you life. It says about Jesus in John 1:1-3, “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.”

The Bible says in Psalm 96:7-9, “Give unto the LORD, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the LORD glory and strength.[8] Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts.[9] O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.” How do we give glory and strength to the LORD? We recognize in our thoughts, in our prayers, and in our minds that God has the glory and the strength. God is the mighty one and the majestic one. We take our eyes off of human beings and we put them on the Lord Jesus. When we hear the name LORD, or Jehovah, or Jesus, or God, we think of the glory and honor due to His name. His name stands for who He is, and so we use it with respect. Notice that verse eight also says, “bring an offering.” If we really want to honor God, we will not do it only with our words, but also with our substance. If everything that you have really belongs to the Lord, then some of it you will give for the advancement of the gospel.

Verse nine says, “O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.” It is one thing to think about the Lord and to believe in the Lord, but He wants out actions to change also. He wants us to have holy lives. What is your plan to make your life better so that you can be more holy? That is God’s will for you after you believe in Jesus. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.”

The Bible says in Psalm 96:10, “Say among the heathen that the LORD reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously.” One way of looking at the people of the world is that they are divided into two groups: the believers and the heathen. If you are not a true believer in Jesus, then you are a heathen. But God does not want the heathen to stay that way. Jesus wants to save every single one. His method is that the believers would spread the Gospel to the heathen.

Notice that the second phrase in verse ten says, “the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved.” God created the world, and He preserves the world. That is because He loves the world that He created and He has a plan for it. Be careful about all these voices who say that the world is going to end by a meteor strike, or a nuclear war, or global warming. The world will not end until God is finished with it, and then He will create a new heaven and a new earth. Enjoy life, live it to the fullest, and do not fear because God is in control.

The last phrase in verse ten says, “he shall judge the people righteously.” Yes, there are some wicked people in the world, but God is over all; and God is the Judge of all. God brings the judgment that He wants to bring and when He wants to bring it. That is one of the great assurances of the Bible. It is one of the reasons that you had better repent of your sins and turn to Christ. “It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

The Bible says in Psalm 96:11-13, “Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof.[12] Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice[13] Before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.” God deserves so much praise that even the inanimate objects should praise Him. In some ways they do because the creation declares the glory of God and shows forth His handiwork. The heavens, the earth, the sea, the field, and the trees are all commanded to praise God, to rejoice, and to be glad. That means that God wants everything and everyone to be happy. God is not the author of sadness or depression. Such things come from other sources and not God. The truth is that if a Christian thinks rightly and puts his or her faith in the Lord Jesus each day concerning all things, there will be joy and gladness in the heart of that person. One of the great values of the Bible is that it gives a thought process that results in joy and gladness. Let’s name a few things for those who know Jesus as Savior: Forgiveness of sins, a purpose to all things, the power of God who can do anything, answers to prayer, hope for the future, an eternity in heaven, the presence of Jesus every moment, all the promises of the Bible, the eternal love of God. Verse thirteen gives another reason to rejoice and be glad in the Lord: “for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.” There are a lot of injustices in this world: a lot of deceit, a lot of cheating, a lot of crime, a lot of sin, a lot of hatred, and a lot of violence. How will things ever change? How will these wrongs be righted? They will all be fixed when Jesus comes back, and He will return. That is one of the great promises of the Bible concerning the future. God sees all things and knows all things, and He is Judge. Every single person will stand before the Lord. The unbelievers will be judged to determine how hot their hell will be. The believers will be judged to see if they will receive any rewards in heaven. No one will get away with anything.

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