Good morning, so we have Psalm 96 and then Nina's going to come and read Psalm 98. 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. Declare His glory among the nations. His marvelous deeds among all peoples.
For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise. He is to be feared above all gods, for all the gods of the nation's rivals. But the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and Majesty are before Him.
Strength and glory are in His sanctuary. Describe to the Lord all your families and nations. Describe to the Lord glory and strength. Describe to the Lord the glory due to His name.
Bring an offering and come into His courts. Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness. Tremble before Him all the earth. Say among the nations, the Lord reigns.
The world is firmly established. It cannot be moved. He will judge the peoples with equity. Let the heavens rejoice.
Let the earth be glowed. Let the sea resound and all that's in it. Let the fields be jubilant and everything in them. Let all the trees of forest sing for joy.
Let all creation rejoice before the Lord. Where He comes He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His faithfulness. Sing to the Lord and New Son for He has done marvelous things.
His right hand and His holy own have worked salvation for Him. The Lord has made His salvation known and revealed His righteousness to the nations. He has remembered His love and His faithfulness to Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Shout the joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music. Made music to the Lord with the heart, with the heart and the sound of singing. With the trumpets and the blasts of the ramthorn, shout the joy before the Lord the King. Let the sea resound and everything in it.
The world and all who live in it. Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy. Let them sing before the Lord, for He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in equality.
Let us pray. Lord, may your word live in us. Be a much root to your glory. Amen.
Well, I don't know about you, but it seems to me there's been a poor across our city ever since those terrible events. Excuse me, Bondo, beach, not even a month ago. New year, all that notwithstanding. Hand the victory over the English.
Who, doesn't? It hasn't been helped by all that wrangling about inquiries and commissions. Although I thank God that it's now been resolved. And in my case, I would admit, a general feeling of heaviness has been added to you by some personal health issues.
And you may have other issues in your lives too, but personal nature which added to the somewhat heavy feeling just this time of the year. Now, it's into that mood that the two Psalms, which are today's set readings, have something uplifting to say. Uplifting? Yes, I can imagine as far as to assert that they have the one thing above all else that we need to hear today.
As Justin said earlier, we're in the third in our short series on Psalms that speak about singing a new song. New Song Psalms is the title of the series. As our theme in our sermons for 2026 will be, all things new. Now, as we've been hearing the phrase a new song does not so much mean a song that's been recently composed as a song that's a fresh response to when you act of God.
Not a song that's been recently composed, but a song is a fresh response to a new act of God. It's new because of the occasion, a fresh response not necessarily new musical style. It's new in context and cause. And today we have two Psalms, 96 and 98.
Each begins by calling for the singing of a new song to the Lord. In almost identical ways. Psalm 96, sing to the Lord a new song, sing to the Lord all the earth, Psalm 98, sing to the Lord a new song for his done marvelous things. Now listen, I want to ask the notice, three features of these Psalms before I return, very briefly to say what they have got to say to us.
Now the three features, one, one will be a very common but overlooked way, the Psalms praise God, two, why the Lord is praised in these particular Psalms, and three, and issue with these two Psalms will give us a deeper understanding of them. And they'll help us apply them today as beginning of 2026. Okay, point one. I'm very common but overlooked feature of these Psalms and many Psalms.
It's this, instead of praising God directly, a directly addressing God, Psalms will praise almost invariably praise God by telling others to praise God. Instead of praising God directly, they praise God by telling other praise God. Therefore instead of we praise you, oh Lord, we have praise the Lord, we should call for others to praise the Lord. Or as these Psalms have it, sing to the Lord a new song.
And by the way, that's what hallelujah means. Hallelujah is Hebrew, hallelujah, which is a plural command, use praise, and yah, short for the name of the Lord. Use praise the Lord, hallelujah. When I look at the book of Psalms, I notice this, Psalms asking for God to do something, usually the rest of the person or people saying the Psalm.
No Psalms are directly addressed to God, I call to you, oh Lord. But Psalms of praise are usually addressed to others about God, to others. And our two Psalms, especially, they are built on plural imperatives. Now for those who have had the benefit of a more modern education, therefore know nothing about ramble, part of speech, let me explain, a plural imperative is a command addressed to more than one personal thing.
Command addressed to more than one personal thing. And the only place in these two Psalms, which are not plural imperatives, when there's a description of why you should do the praising. Take the opening words of Psalm 96, a whole series of plural imperatives. 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 by day, declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
Sing, sing, sing, praise, proclaim, declare, all commands that in the plural. And a little later, who has been commanded is specified. There's the call for all nations to praise and worship the Lord in his temple, verse seven. Ascribed to the Lord, all your families and nations.
Ascribed the Lord, glory and strength. Ascribed to the Lord, the glory to his name. Bring an offering and come into his courts. Worship the Lord in the spend of his holiness and travel before him, all the earth, all the nations.
That's not enough, not enough at all. In the end, the praise of the Lord is commanded from the creation itself, verse 11. Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad, let the sea resound at all the tenant, let the fields be jubilant and everything in them, let all the trees of forest sing for joy, let all creation rejoice before the Lord. There it is, do a praise from all the ears.
And notice this important feature. The Psalm does not simply call upon others to praise the Lord, but to rejoice in the Lord, not need to praise the Lord, but to rejoice in the Lord. Psalm 96, at verse 11 through 13 again, let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad, let the sea resound and everything that's in it, let the fields be jubilant and everything in them, let all the trees of the forest sing for joy, let all creation rejoice before the Lord. There it is, calling upon all to praise, no to rejoice in the Lord.
Now, Psalm 98, the other Psalm that we've chosen today, emphasizes such joy even more, verse four, shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Burt in the jubilant song with music, make music to the Lord with the harp, with harp and the sound of seeing the trumpets at the blast of the rams from, shout for joy before the Lord the King. And just like Psalm 96, Psalm 98 then goes right over the top, verse seven, let the sea resound and everything in it, the world and all who live in it, let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing for joy together, let them sing before the Lord. Both Psalms call for exuberant rejoicing before the Lord from everyone and everything, exuberant rejoicing before the Lord from everyone and everything.
You may say, what is with this calling upon everyone and everything to rejoice? It's because a key aspect of rejoicing and enjoying is sharing with others. The key aspect of rejoicing is sharing with others. English writer says Lewis writes about this in his interesting book, Reflections on the Psalms.
Lewis explains that often he does this kind of thing, he has a difficulty, thinks about it and gets an insight. He's difficult, he was, why is these commands for everyone to praise God in the Psalms? Then he noticed, thinking about this, that things about normal human praise and other things that help him. People cannot help but praise something they rejoice in.
But more importantly, part of praising was calling upon others to join in with you. Part of praising something is calling others to join in with you. Then he quotes some sentences from Lewis. I quote, he says, I had not noticed, either the just as people spontaneously praise whatever they value, so they spontaneously urge us to join them in praising it.
Give that sentence again. Just as people spontaneously praise whatever they value, they spontaneously urge us to join them in praising it. Isn't she lovely? Wasn't it glorious?
Don't you think that magnificent? Lewis goes on, the psalmist in telling everyone to praise God and doing what all people do when they speak about what they care about. My whole and my general difficulty about the praise of God depended upon my absurdly denied to us as regard to what the supremely valuable, what we delight to do, indeed, we can't help doing about everything we value. That's right.
That's the first feature of the Psalms on adortial tension. They praise God by calling upon others, sharing the praise of God included exuberant rejoicing before the Lord from everyone and everything. Second, second heading, why? What is it about the Lord that records that exuberant rejoicing?
Now, each Psalm has a slightly different answer. The Psalm 96 is because the Lord is King who reigns over his creation. Pick up for the three, for example. Clear among the nations, for his marvelous deeds among all people, for great is the Lord.
And worthy of praise, he is be feared above all gods. For all the gods and nations are idols. The word here is a Hebrew word for nothings, that vanity. But the Lord made the heavens, splendor and majesty are before him, strength and glory are in his century.
Verse nine, worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness, travel before him, all the earth, say among the nations, the Lord reigns. The reason for rejoicing, the Lord alone is God, the Lord reigns. And in Psalm 98, the reason for exuberant rejoicing before the Lord from everyone and everything is because he acted according to his promises and brought salvation to his people. Verse one, again, sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things.
His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. The Lord has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations. He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to Israel. All at the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Interestingly, both Psalms end in very similar ways, in fact the same way really, where the reason for exuberant rejoicing before the Lord, from everyone and everything, is that the Lord is coming to put things right. The Lord is coming to put things right. Take verse 13 from Psalms 96, did all the creation rejoice before the Lord, before he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness at the peoples in his faithfulness.
By the way, saying the Lord will judge the world in righteousness and the people in his faithfulness is not saying he'll just give them a score, like a judge in martyr's ship, or the answer will start. No, when it says the Lord will judge, it's a bit more like in our own judicial system where a judge may indeed make a judgment about this context, but then we'll wish orders, the court issues orders, to put things right. And so with the Lord, he's coming not merely to assess, but to put right. And that's why there's such rejoicing.
And that's the source of such extravagant joy. Verse seven of 98, let the sea resound and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it, let the rivers clap their hands at the mountains sing together for joy, let them sing before the Lord for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity. Rejoice everything, everyone, for the Lord is coming to set things to right.
Of course, behind all this is the assumption that it's a wonderful thing that the Lord is King, the reigns. And it's a wonderful thing that it's the Lord, and none other who's coming to put things right. The Psalm have nothing to say on the surface anyway, but those who do not want the Lord to reign, or regard to the crossfit as unwelcome tyranny, except perhaps that they should frankly get with the program and rejoice with the Lord. The implicit assumption is very important.
The implicit assumption in both Psalms is the Lord's reign is not just about power, but deep goodness. So again, the implicit assumption between both Psalms is the Lord's reign is not just about power, not just about his will, but it's about deep goodness. And that is why the Psalms call for rejoicing from everyone and everything. If you ever say the one response to this announcement, the Lord is coming to reign, that these Psalms don't mention, but could still be important, crucial.
What's that, what is the one response these Psalms don't mention that could be crucial? Well, look at the way Jesus announces that God is coming to reign. Well, that in fact is message, same as the Psalms actually. In Mark 115, Jesus announces, I quote, the time has come, the kingdom of God has come near.
Therefore what, sing to the Lord, new song? Now there's not what he says surprisingly. He said, the time has come, the kingdom of God has come near, repent and believe the announcement, repent and believe the gospel basically. I guess it's true that once you have repented, that is turned your life around to align it with the Lord and believe the announcement is coming to reign.
Well, then you can sing a new song, because it's good news now that he's coming to put things right. He comes to judge the earth. You two can rejoice then, that he will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity. Okay, we've seen two of the three features of the Psalms I wanted to draw to your attention.
One, the first one you remember was that common at overlooked feature that Psalms appraise work by calling upon others to rejoice in the Lord. The second, why these two particular Psalms do that? To do with the Lord uniquely reigning and the Lord coming to put things right. Lord showing his salvation.
The third feature is this, an issue with the two Psalms, which I think will give us a deeper understanding of them and how to use them. Let me try to put like this, two questions. What did these Psalms mean when they were written? And secondly, does their meaning change when they were laid up collected in description?
What did they mean when they were written? And did that meaning change in some way when they were collected in description? Let me explain what I mean. What was a context in which these Psalms were created?
Remember I said earlier that a new song is a fresh response to a new act of God. So you think what was the new act of God that led to these songs? How do they rise? Now of course, you can't use it, that's how they answer that one, of course you can't.
But it seems likely that these Psalms were composed in association with a high moment of worship of the Lord, perhaps in his temple in Jerusalem. Interestingly, one chronicle 16 has a version of Psalm 96 being sung when David brings the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem. That is when the Lord comes to his resting place among his people. Although interestingly, the word is a new song where it's the absolute version of that.
So that may be the hint, the kind of occasion. Celebration of the kingship of the Lord when he ascends his throne. In fact, some scholars go so far as to postulate the Psalms like these were used at an annual liturgical drama of divine enthronement in the temple. And that's got some merit I imagine.
Well, if that's when they first were used, that's a situation they've written. What was the situation when they were collected with all the other Psalms, 150 of them, into that collection we now know as the Psalms, which you've got in your vitals there? Did that change their meaning? Well, I'm getting out of this.
And sometime after all the various Psalms were written in various times, they were gathered finally into a collection that we have inscription, the book of Psalms, the telling him. They were collected and gathered together so they could still be used by the Israelites, even in new circumstances. If Psalm 96.9 yet were written during the high time in the temple, Solomon or David's day, they were added to the collection finally, many possibly centuries later. What was the situation then?
Well, I think we can get a clue. As you may know, the Psalms are collected into five books. And out to Psalms, 96.9, I mean what's called book four. But book three ends with Psalm 89.
Now, Psalm 89 is a very, very different Psalm 96.9, very different indeed. Psalm 89 is a lament, a complaint to God. Calling upon the Lord have mercy on David. That is the Israelite king after the destruction of the temple by the Babylonians and the going into exile of Israel.
It has lies like this in it. I quote from verse 39 of Psalm 89, the speaking to God, you have renounced the covenant with your servant and defiled his crown in the dust. You have broken through all his walls and reduced his stronghold to ruins. And verse 46, how long O Lord, will you hide yourself forever?
How long will your rough burn like fire? And then the other Psalms in the collection is well like that. So if book three, just as example, reflects the demise of the Davidic kingdom and the destruction of the temple and the exile of the people, it must have been the Psalms were put together after those events have happened. Not because they're obvious, obvious.
The time when the Psalm was elected most likely was in the time of exile and loss. In fact, you can imagine why you might under that second time just quickly start gathering this up together. It's all speaking to you, but that's what scholars think. Now, what therefore do our two Psalms now mean in that context?
What does it mean in a time of exile and loss to keep the Psalm with the lines say among the nations, the Lord reigns? What does it mean to keep the Psalm in a time of exile and loss which have the lines sing to the Lord of use on for his done marvelous things? His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for you. Or a line like, the Lord has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations.
My point is this, they kept in saying these Psalms even while the nations ruled over them and the salvation and reign of the Lord sing far, far away, far away. In this context then, Psalm 96 and Psalm 98 become not so much statements of a present reality as they may have been when they were formed, not as a present reality or there are elements still in that, but they now become prophetic promises, a prophecy, a promise of a new future when a new song will again be called for. By keeping those arms in that time, there was a great promise of a future when the Lord will again do marvelous things. His holy arms will have worked salvation for him in the sight of the nations.
As Psalms calls it, I quote, such Psalms are now in the new context of being gathered together after the exile, reasserting the reign of the Lord as the basis for the community's future. You see that? And I think that's the key for the relevance of Psalm 96 and 98 for us today, even if these are somewhat gloomy days. And if at times we may be suspected, tempted to suspect that death and meaningliness might be the final word.
Psalm 96 and 98 ring out, lifting words of hope and joy, for they are now words of promise. They're words of reassurance. They're words that speak of a reality that may be hidden, but will not remain so. They're words in short that speak to faith.
Yes, I could even go so far as assert. They have the one thing above else we need to hear today. Sing to the Lord and you song for a single Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord praise his name, proclaim his salvation day after day, declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
Sing to the Lord and you song for his unmarvous things, his right hand, holy arm, have works of that. Now as I conclude, I want to stress, we have so much more than those people who kept those Psalms in the dark times of exile and loss. We are much, much more because we, by God's grace, know what they could not know. We now know that Psalm 96 and Psalm 98 speak of the present and of the coming reign of the Lord through the reign of the risen Lord Jesus Christ.
That's what they're about. That the heavens rejoice, that the earth be glad, that the sea resound, and all that's in it, that the fields be jubilant and everything in them, that all the trees, the forest sink for joy, that all creation rejoices before the Lord, for he comes. He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness.
Amen. Come Lord Jesus.