Psalms 96:1-13
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 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.
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 fulnessa 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 cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.
“The Lord Reigneth”
This psalm is found also in 1 Chronicles 16:1. Note the thrice-repeated command, Sing, sing, sing, Psalms 96:1; the corresponding, thrice-repeated, Give, give, give, Psalms 96:7; the triple call for joy from heaven, sea, and land, Psalms 96:11. It is good to read these psalms; they impart the burning devotion of these olden saints. They break on our lethargy as the bugle-call on the sleeping soldier. Notice that we call men to a Jubilate, not a Miserere, when we invite them to come home to God.
What a stately procession escorts the King to the throne of the world! He comes to reign in equity. Righteousness and truth which had fled the world return with Him. Honor and majesty are His avant-couriers. Strength and beauty stand in His court-circle. When we are brought into the divine Kingdom, and are at one with God, we detect the unison of nature in her song of praise. The seas provide the bass; the quivering leaves, the song of buds, the hum of insect life provide the tenors and altos; while the stars in their courses sing the treble. To the anointed ear, the new song has already begun.