In The Word
Read: Psalms 95-96
Praise to the Lord, and Warning against Unbelief.
95 O come, let us sing for joy to the Lord,
Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving,
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
3 For the Lord is a great God
And a great King above all gods,
4 In whose hand are the depths of the earth,
The peaks of the mountains are His also.
5 The sea is His, for it was He who made it,
And His hands formed the dry land.
6 Come, let us worship and bow down,
Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
7 For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.
Today, if you would hear His voice,
8 Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
As in the day of Massah in the wilderness,
9 “When your fathers tested Me,
They tried Me, though they had seen My work.
10 “For forty years I loathed that generation,
And said they are a people who err in their heart,
And they do not know My ways.
11 “Therefore I swore in My anger,
Truly they shall not enter into My rest.”
A Call to Worship the Lord the Righteous Judge.
96 Sing to the Lord a new song;
Sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing to the Lord, bless His name;
Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day.
3 Tell of His glory among the nations,
His wonderful deeds 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 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 of His name;
Bring an offering and come into His courts.
9 Worship the Lord in holy attire;
Tremble before Him, all the earth.
10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns;
Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not 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 it contains;
12 Let the field exult, and all that is in it.
Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy
13 Before the Lord, for He is coming,
For He is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
And the peoples in His faithfulness.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
When we come to the knowledge of how good the Lord has been to us, there is an outward reaction. This outward reaction to His goodness is praise. Praise is the voluntary response to an expression of goodness toward us. So, it is appropriate that, in our reading today, David explained what singing unto God meant. David described many of the things that the Lord did. For example, “He is the Great King above all gods,” (Psalm 95:3) and, “He made the sea” (Psalm 95:5).
Much like David, we do not have to look too far to find God’s goodness on display in our personal lives. If we are honest with ourselves, we can sing of His goodness and mercy every day. However, this song that David refers to in Psalm 96 wasn’t just praise from an individual, it was a testimony to God’s goodness.
One of the most powerful witnesses we have as believers is our public praise. David said in Psalm 96:3, “Declare His glory among the heathen.” Our praise will show the heathens God’s rightful place amongst His people.
If you believe God is great, there should be an overwhelming urge to tell others of His greatness. The best way to tell someone about the Lord is to share the joy that is in your heart through your relationship with Him. Today, allow your love for our Savior to overflow from your heart to your lips so that all will see how great He is.