Psalms 96
Reading Time: 2 minutes Listen
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 fulness 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.
Public Domain KJV text from Wordproject.org
Psalm 96:1-13
Worship in the Splendor of Holiness
1Oh sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth!
2Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.
3Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!
4For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be feared above all gods.
5For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
6Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
7Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!
8Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts!
9Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth!
10Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!
Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.”
11Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
12let the field exult, and everything in it!
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
13before the Lord, for he comes,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness,
and the peoples in his faithfulness.
ESV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
Psalm 96:1-13
Psalm 96
1Sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2Sing to the Lord, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
3Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
4For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
he is to be feared above all gods.
5For all the gods of the nations are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
6Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and glory are in his sanctuary.
7Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
8Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering and come into his courts.
9Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth.
10Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.”
The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.
11Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
12Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.
13Let all creation rejoice 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.
NIV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
Commentary
How often do you sing God’s praises? Would transcripts of your conversations extol the wonders of God’s character?
Raving about our favorite culinary delicacy, our admired singer, or even our ideal pastor comes naturally to us. We express awe and wonder at the exploits of our idolized athlete. Our conversations, tweets, and texts frequently praise the aesthetically pleasing. Yet too often we avoid praising the wondrous deeds of our beloved Savior.
Do we fail to praise God in our conversations because our hearts have no song to sing, no story to tell? Has God never performed wonders in our lives? Or is it that we are unpracticed in verbally praising? We might sing about Him. We might thank Him in the stillness of our hearts, but seldom do we engage in conversations that praise God’s attributes. Perhaps praising God’s loving actions just feels too awkwardly intimate to share.
It’s not that hard. Just say, “Let me tell you what God has done for me today!” Or, “Let me tell you what I love most about God.” Imagine the conversations that would ensue!
Praising God in conversations deepens our love for God, intensifies our gratitude, and strengthens our relationships.
Lori Engel
Chaplain (currently disabled), Eugene, Oregon USA (as of this writing)
