Sometimes reading through a psalm is a journey in a number of verses. Some brush against us emotionally and spiritually. This psalm is worship. And here’s what hit me:
1) Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns. The world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken. He judges the peoples fairly” (Ps 96:10).
With the world on fire, this verse hits a little differently than it would just a few short years ago. As in, “the world is firmly established”? Right now it feels anything but that. But that’s only if I look at things from a worldly perspective. God establishes the world. It cannot be shaken outside of his control and from a heavenly perspective. Practically what this means is that he is still in control. He reigns.
And the best part? He judges the peoples fairly. Oh how this is needed! With the volume of politically bent news and judicial cases that forget the basics of the law as outlined by God and so much more, I value fairness, righteousness and justice a whole lot more.
What also struck me about this verse is to say this among the nations, as in actually say it. Let the world know that God is still on His throne, He still has the world under his control, nothing is stressing God out right now. He is the ultimately power. And he is the one who will judge righteously. We need this message to go the nations. Am I saying this to the nations?
2) Declare His glory among the nations, His wonderful works among all peoples. (Ps 96:3).
There it is again. Declare His glory among the nations. This one hit me most. The last years I’ve just been living and trying to make it the next day. Am I declaring His glory among the nations? How can I do that?
I also ask myself, when I teach whether it be in person, in video, in writing, etc… am I declaring His glory? Does what I say and do point to Him or am I just being a Bible geek? This one hit me. And I hope changes how I do things.
3) Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice; let the sea and all that fills it resound. Let the fields and everything in them exult. Then all the trees of the forest will shout for joy before the LORD, for He is coming–for He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with His faithfulness (Ps 96:11-13).
Did you notice that joy and His coming go together? People typically associate His coming again with fear. And rightfully so. He is the God of all the universe and that’s quite scary.
At the same time for the righteous, it is a long awaited, joyful time. He is coming! Finally! And he is going to judge the world with righteousness. Oh, how we need judgment in righteousness. The more evil the times get, the more this is appreciated and longed for.
It’s interesting too that even in the Old Testament there is not just the coming of the Messiah, but the coming of all comings. A time when He comes to judge the world in righteousness and the people with His faithfulness. Scary. But encouraging for those in Jesus.
