#827 The Lord Reigns

96 Oh sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!
4 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
6 Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.


7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!
8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts!
9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth!


10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!
Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.”


11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
12 let the field exult, and everything in it!
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
13 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. Psalm 96 ESV

A Psalm of God's glory of which parts are seen in 1 Chronicles 16

Oh sing to the Lord a new song - Every day of the Christian walk is fresh and new, and if we are growing in the Lord then we are moving away from repetition. We no longer sing on cue because we are supposed to or it is that time, but so much more like a spring, that wells up from within, and then pours out like a stream, singing from every rock and ripple of a brook. 

All the earth - There is only one God, and when the people were scattered at Babel they made their own religions, but this is a call, an invitation from the people of God, to sing together, unified in the truth. 

Tell of His salvation from day to day - Are you saved? If you are then you have much to sing about, that hope that is within you, that once you were lost but now found, blind but now you see. I was a sinner with no works, no gifts fit for such a king, but He has manifested His love to me in that while I was yet a sinner, Christ died for me. I was bound by pride, the lust of life, self centered and full of me, but He has so graciously set me free. 

Declare His glory among the nations - Don't hide this great thing, and he who has such light and life will also have compassion, he will not forget the lost, no matter where they may be.

…18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”… Matthew 28: 18-20

His marvelous works among all the peoples - What has the Lord done? The Psalmist goes on, He is God, all other gods are worthless idols, made of men's vanity. People swear today that they are too advanced to make such shrines, yet they do another way. We worship ourselves, self esteem, when the Bible tells me I think to highly of myself to begin with. Men worship money, pleasure, material things, feelings, emotions, experiences, political power, prestige and the praise of other men. We say the ancients were barbaric in their sacrifices, like those who sacrificed their children to Molech, but we do the same. It's different though we think, because we have technology and words like viability, but these are all sacrifices to the self, sacrifices to sensuality, to lust, to greed, under the guise of compassion, but blind to reality.

The Psalmist goes on, there are more reasons, God is the Creator of the heavens, and not many people have that on their resume, I dare say none.

In the splendor of Holiness - No one has this of their own self either, all fall short, there is none righteous. 

Tremble before Him all the earth - There is nothing so worthy of fear, no one so holy, just, whose ways are so unlike our own. He is worthy of much consideration, but here we are debating over dead things, temporal things, afraid of silly superstitions, afraid of losing a life that was already in forfeit, blind to eternity.

…9Instruct a wise man, and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man, and he will increase his learning. 10The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. 11For through wisdom your days will be multiplied, and years will be added to your life.… Proverbs 9: 9-11

11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 12Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now even more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. 13For it is God who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good purpose.… Philippians 2: 11-13

He will judge the peoples with equity - No more trying to win a case at the cost of truth, for nothing is hidden from the Lord that will not be revealed. It is all before His eyes, and He is sovereign over all. The infinitely just will bring true justice. 

Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy - 

…36As He rode along, the people spread their cloaks on the road. 37And as He approached the descent from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of disciples began to praise God joyfully in a loud voice for all the miracles they had seen: 38“Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”…

…39But some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples!” 40“I tell you,” He answered, “if they remain silent, the very stones will cry out.” 41As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it… Luke 19: 36-41

…9Woe to him who builds his house by unjust gain, to place his nest on high and escape the hand of disaster! 10You have plotted shame for your house by cutting off many peoples and sinning against your soul. 11For the stones will cry out from the wall, and the rafters will echo it from the woodwork.… Habakkuk 2: 9-11