Psalm 96

1 O 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 Honor and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

7 Give unto the Lord, O ye kindred 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.

10 Say among the heathen that the Lord reigns: 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 fullness thereof.

12 Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice

13 Before the Lord: for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth. (KJV)

This is a psalm that proclaims the gospel of the Lord to the world. It reveals a time that the Lord will come, he will come to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his truth. Jesus spoke of this time in Matthew 25:1-13 where the Lord liken the kingdom of heaven to ten virgins, five of them wise and five of them foolish. As I look at verse 13 of this psalm, I reflect on these verses in Matthew 25 and ask the question “which description of the wise virgins would I fit into”.

Questions to ask yourself in self-examination:

• As I read this psalm about the Lord does my daily walk reflects the truth of God’s future judgment that I see in this psalm?
• Do I take lightly the salvation that God has provided for me in Christ?
• Do my daily actions proclaim this great salvation to those around me?
• Can those around me see the glorious work of transformation that God is performing in me daily to make me more Christ-like?
• Do I truly worship him with the glory due his name?
• Do I truly view him as creator of heaven and earth and worship him as creator?
• Do I truly fear the Lord?

I use three difference versions of the Bible in my studies of the Bible. These versions are: King James Versions (KJV), New American Standard Bible (NASB), and the New International Version (NIV). In the NASB version verse two and three of this psalm reads, “Sing to the Lord, bless His name; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples. “These verses reflect on how important the proclamation of the gospel of the Lord is in our life. In my daily conversation I realized how little the world in which we live gives God the glory he desires. In Job chapter thirty-eight records God’s answer to Job “Who is this that darkened counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee and answer thou me. Where was thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.”. There will be a day that the Lord will demand of us for the actions and deeds in our life. With this realization I ask, “who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge in this world today?”. We are living in a world that needs to hear the gospel since almost all their desires are nothing but are idols of the world that are worthless. Am I a witness that darkens the knowledge of the Most High or am I one that daily proclaim the gospel of God to a world in need of a Savior?