Psalms
Chapter 96
The Lord, King, and Judge
Sing to the Lord a new song, sing to the Lord, all the earth!
Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation, day after day.
Recall his glory among the nations, tell all the peoples his wonderful deeds.
How great is the Lord and worthy of praise! Above all gods, he is to be feared.
For all other gods are worthless idols, but the Lord is the one who made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty go before him; power and glory fill his Sanctuary.
Give to the Lord, you families of nations, give to the Lord glory and strength.
Give to the Lord the glory due his name; bring gifts and enter his courts.
Worship the Lord with holy celebrations; stand in awe of him, all the earth.
Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!” He will judge the peoples with justice.
Let the heavens be glad, the earth rejoice; let the sea and all that fills it resound;
let the fields exult and everything in them; let the forest, all the trees, sing for joy.
Let them sing before the Lord who comes to judge the earth. He will rule the world with justice, and the peoples, with fairness.
Commentaries
96
What can we offer to God, the Lord of all creation? What gift is truly worthy of our God, our King? First and foremost, we bring him praise (v. 7), adoration, and heartfelt acknowledgment of who He is. We declare the glory of the Creator on behalf of all creation, longing for our praise to echo throughout the universe.
In verse 8, the psalmist suggests that we ‘bring gifts.’ If we do so sincerely, all our offerings—prayer, worship, good deeds, trust, faith, mercy, kindness, and devotion—will be received with love, and we will remain forever in his love.
Human society is built on justice that honors God more than the mere splendor of the universe: there is joy in creation when God establishes his kingdom among us. Yes, until then, the universe’s joy was overshadowed by our excessive ambitions. The joy of nations that have discovered their true purpose!
As we continue to express our longing for God’s kingdom to come into the world, we can pray using this psalm.