Psalm XCVI
1 0 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.
7 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.
The voice of
Chi-ist.
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.
11 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:
13 Then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice before the Lord: For He cometh! for He cometh to judge the earth!
He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with hia truth.
^heptv-ition Some say that wherever ‘’new song” occurs, it is a song to Messiah directly, At any rate, He is always prominent, for the manifestation of Godhead is in all such Psalms a prominent theme.
The call of last Psalm came at a critical moment, namely, in the interval between the cry for vengeance in Psa. xciv., and the answer to that cry in Psa. xcvi For it is with the Kingdom and the Coming King just at hand, that Psa. xcvi. is sung.
itoiigin. The first draught of this song appears in 1 Chron. xvi. That
scene was a type. There was joy because of rest to the land, and rest to the ark of God in the midst of the land. And “If creation (says Home) be represented as rejoicing at the establishment of the kingdom of grace, how much greater will be the joy at the approach of the kingdom of glory, when, at the resurrection of all things, man, new-made, shall return to the days of his youth, to begin an immortal spring, and be for ever young.”
The theme. It is in harmouy with Rev. xiv, 7, and xix. 1-] 1. Creation
at its first birth had its joyful songs from the morning stars, the sons of God (Job xxxviii. 7); shall not creation renewed have its songs (Isa. lxii. 10)? and shall not Earth itself sing its own bliss? It is not angels that are invited to sing, though no doubt they will join; it is a redeemed world — and the men of that redeemed world are to be telling of the salvation not for a few moments only, but from “day to day.” In telling the salvation, they are to tell chiefly the glory of Him who has wrought it out(ver. 1-10) — his wonderful doings, his greatness, his praise -worthiness, his fear, the nullity of all other gods, the creator-skill of our God who made the heavens —
GLORY TO HIM WHO COMPTl’H. 289
“Glory and majesty are his inseparable attendants: (Not mere transient displays, such as Esther i. 4 records.)
“Power and splendour are in his sanctuary.’’’ (Ver. G.)
(The originals of all kingly magnificence are in his palace.)
“Give unto Jehovah, ye families of the nations;
Give unto Jehovah glory and power.
Give unto Jehovah the glory of his name!
Bring a present* and come into his courts!
Worship Jehovah in (real sanctuary splendour) the beauty
of holiness.
Tremble at his presence, all earth!
Tell among the nations, Jehovah is king!”
As a consequence, there is the reverse of Psa. lxxxiii. 5. Yes, tell this also to men,
“The world stands firm; it totters no more ■’
He judges the people with uprightness!”
On this announcement, there is a shout that makes the welkin ring — a shout like that at Corinth, when “Soter, Soter!” rang through the air, and astonished birds as they flew, reeled, and dropt their wings. It is earth rejoicing (Rev. xix. 5) that now what was foretold in Rom. viii. 19-21 about the deliverance of the whole creation is at last accomplished —
“For He cometh.’ for He cometh!
To judge the eaHh •’”
That is, to put earth in order, t to be its Gideon and Samson, to be its ruler, to fulfil all that the Book of Judges delineates of a judge’s office. It is, as Hengstenberg says, “a gracious judging,” not a time of mere adjudication of causes or pronouncing sentences — it is a day of jubilee. It is the happiest day our world has ever seen. Who would not long for it? Who is there that does not pray for it? It is the day of the Judge’s glory, as well as of our world’s freedom — the day when
* See 1 Sam. ix. 7, 1 Kings xiv ‘,’. Allusion is made to the custoniiiry forms of approach to the great.
t The Septuagint has given this title to this Psalm —” on 6 oizog uixodojyiiTO iMira rrjv af/jMoXosiav!’ We may suppose they meant their title to be figurative.
T “the judgment of this u-orld” (John xii. 81, and xvi. 11), which his cross began and made sure, is completed by the total suppression of Satan’s reign, and the removal of the curse. All this is anticipated here; and so we entitle this Psalm The glory due to Him who Cometh to judge the earth.