Declare His Glory Among the Nations - Psalm 96

Introduction

Psalms 93-100 affirm and celebrate God’s (Yahweh’s) rule over the earth.  

This Psalm is taken from the song of David he wrote when he brought the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem.  1 Chronicles 16. It was probably used thereafter in corporate worship.

Worship the Lord with a New Song

 96:1–3

The psalmist called for an outburst of praise to God. He wanted praise to be sung to the Lord by all of the earth, not just the Israelites. So, there is an invitation to the Gentiles here to join in the worship of Yahweh instead of their pagan idols. 

To bless God’s name is to praise him. The New International Version uses the word “praise” instead of “bless”. We cannot bless God as he blesses us. We cannot add anything to him; he is self sufficient. This is the doctrine of “aseity”. 

But, we praise him and acknowledge his greatness. 

The psalmist also instructs us to tell\declare of his salvation and his glory to the Gentiles. (3) The words “nations” and “peoples” refer to the Gentiles, those outside of covenant between God and Israel. God wants us to do this daily (day to day). (2) 

Praise and declaration are both part of worship. 

God desires, and has always desired, worship from all of the earth. We see that in the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20, where Jesus commanded the disciples to make disciples of all nations. 

The Reason For Worship: God’s Greatness 

96:4–6

The reason we should worship God is that he is great. And he is the greatest. He is not like the manmade idols. He made the heavens. He is the creator. 

Additionally, God has splendor and majesty, beauty and strength. “Splendor” means a magnificent appearance that invites admiration. The word originally referred to brilliance and glory. These again are reference to kingship. 

Give to the Lord the Glory Due His Name 

96: 7–9

One way we praise God is to acknowledge his attributes. The psalmist tells us to ascribe, or attribute, to God glory and strength. These verses are the same as Psalm 29:1-2. We acknowledge that God has glory and strength. It is important: the psalmist says ascribe three times. 

His glory radiates from him as a result of his holiness. It brings us to worship. We see some examples in the Bible. Those who came into contact with angels, who reflected God’s glory, caused people to fall on their faces. Those who experienced Jesus’ divinity fell on their faces, such as Peter when Jesus calmed the sea.  

We also worship God with offerings. We do not come empty handed. 

And, finally, we worship with reverence. The psalmist calls us to tremble before God. It is a recognition of his great power and exalted nature. 

Proclaim the Lord's Reign and Coming Judgment

 96:10–13

We worship God by acknowledging that he reigns over the world. He created it, he owns it, and he reigns over it. And part of reigning is judging. He will judge all people. All must come before him. 

That judgment is a cause for rejoicing in us, because God will vindicate us for our faith. (2 Thessalonians 1:5-6)

 Even creation will rejoice in the Lord coming to judge. Paul wrote that the earth groans until its redemption at the coming of the Lord. (Romans 8:22) So we live with the end in view. We, as believers, will get to see our vindication and the consummation of God’s kingdom manifested. 

Takeaways

We are called to worship in singing, proclaiming, reverencing, giving, and anticipating. 

We should do this daily, not just on Sunday.

And we should live with the return of Christ continually in mind.