Embrace the Word for Wednesday, July 29, 2026
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Psalm 96 is a charge for God’s people to direct their worship of the LORD to serve as a witness about the LORD. While Psalm 96 does not have a superscription, there are hints that David may have a strong connection to its authorship. 1 Chronicles records a song that David commissioned to be sung as he brought the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem (See 1 Chronicles 16:23-33). The song that was sung at that time closely follows Psalm 96:2b-13. As Book 4 of the Psalter is set in the context of Israel living in Babylonian captivity awaiting their anticipated new Exodus and thus, return to the Promised Land, they were to continue worshipping the LORD, as Psalm 95 directed; and their worship of the LORD was to be a means of bearing witness. Israel’s mission in exile was to declare the LORD’s glory among the nations. Psalm 96 shares many links with Psalm 95, with Psalm 96:1-6 essentially being a modified variation of Psalm 95:1-5. However, there are ways in which Psalm 96 and Psalm 95 differ from each other. Essentially, Psalm 95 is a charge for God’s people to worship Him, while Psalm 96 starts off with the same charge, but shifts by issuing a charge for all the peoples of the earth to worship the LORD. Ironically, the warning issued in Psalm 95:7b-11 concerning the hardness of Israel’s heart toward the LORD, leads to the spread of the Gospel to the nations (See Romans 11). Psalm 96 is arranged around three appeals to worship (96:1-3, 7-9, 11-13a), and each section is coupled with a reason for that worship (96:4-6, 10, 13b).
Psalm 96 opens with a charge to express unrestrained exuberance to the LORD: “Oh sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth! Sing to the LORD” (96:1-2a). The threefold charge to sing is to emphasize the urgent importance of this charge. The LORD’s people, as instructed in Psalm 95, are to sing to the LORD. What they are to sing is “a new song,” which in this case is not a song previously unsung, but a previously sung song, now freshly sung. Part of the newness of their song is that it’s audience is now expanded—it is not simply sung to the LORD in the congregation of God’s people, but now it is sung before “all the earth.” As such, the song sung to the LORD is also a song sung about the LORD: “bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!” (96:2b-3). As Israel worshipped the LORD, their witness consisted of multiple aspects: (a) they were to “bless,” that is to state what they experienced with the LORD; (b) they were to “tell,” that is to explain the truth of how God rescued them; and (c) they were to “declare” that is proclaim how mighty and beautiful God is, as seen through His magnificent works. This engagement of witness was to be “day to day,” that is continually, and “among all the peoples,” that is universally.
The charge to worship is explained: “For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary” (96:4-6). There are two stated reasons for the charge to worship and bear witness. First, the LORD is superior to anyone or anything. The LORD is great—therefore the worship and witness of Him is to be carried out exceedingly. The intensity of worship and witness should be in proportion to how genuinely the worthiness of God is perceived. God alone is to be feared, for actually any other god is not a god, and is in fact nothing—worthless, useless, powerless, utterly pathetic. Only the LORD made all things. The second reason behind the charge is that the LORD is superior in and of Himself. Only the LORD exists with splendor, majesty, strength, and beauty. These do no describe separable attributes of God, but multiple terms that attempt to accentuate the sheer infinite, eternal, and unchangeable perfection of God.
A second charge is put forward, but the recipients are not simply the LORD’s people, but the whole world: “Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength! Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts!” (96:7-8). The charge to “ascribe” is stated thrice to once again underscore the urgent importance of the matter. To “ascribe to the LORD” is to essentially acknowledge the things that are true about the LORD and therefore to submit to the LORD, the One to whom these things are true. All nations are charged with truly worshipping the God whom God’s people worship. And the truth that is to be acknowledged and proclaimed includes the admission that glory and strength are the LORD’s alone. Such admission must be reflected through an attitude and response that is commensurate with how mighty and beautiful that the LORD has shown Himself to be. Such a reaction to the LORD would include drawing near to Him as the worshipper would offer himself to the LORD (See Romans 12:1). Every person in every nation throughout every corner of the earth is obligated to revere God: “Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!” (96:9).
The reason behind this second charge is provided: “Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity” (96:10). All the nations are charged to worship the LORD because in reality, the LORD rules over every nation. The certainty of the LORD’s Kingship or reign over all the nations is simply due to the fact that the LORD made all the world and He subsequently sustains all that He made. No one or nothing else accounts for the establishment of the world and no one or nothing else will change or alter the world. The stability of the universe is in the hands of God. Therefore, whatever is distorted and disordered at the moment will be rectified when the LORD who reigns, issues His final judgment. The world is not out of control; it is operating just as the LORD has ordained it. Yes, there is trouble and affliction and difficulty, along with sorrow and sadness and distress; but that is because the LORD has temporarily issued a judicial curse (See Genesis 3:17-19). Yet, when He deems it is the appropriate time, the LORD will issue a final judgment.
The reason behind the second charge gives way to a third charge: “Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the LORD” (96:11-13a). While the second charge tilted heavily on the necessity of reverence in the worship of the LORD, this third charge orients around the need to rejoice in worship. As with Psalm 95, so now with Psalm 96, rejoicing and reverence are coupled together as the fitting response to the LORD. While all of creation is presently groaning—including all persons in creation (See Romans 8:19-22), because of who the LORD is and what the LORD has purposed to do, every aspect of creation—and every person in creation—is charged, in anticipation, to “be glad,” “rejoice,” “roar,” “exult,” and “sing for joy.” And the reason embedded in this charge is the wonderful fact that when the LORD comes, He will renew and restore all things: “for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness” (96:13b). This renewal and restoration will occur when the LORD, as previously stated, comes to render judgment. The scope of the LORD’s judgment will include “the earth,” “the world,” and “the peoples,” which covers it all. It will be a universal judgment, and since the judgment will be carried out consistent with the LORD’s qualities of “righteousness” and “faithfulness,” then the wicked will receive their due reward and the LORD’s people will experience all that He has promised them. In light of that happy day, the sounds of happy worship can already start, for the LORD is always true to His Word.
As we reflect on Psalm 96 we can consider the Lord Jesus Christ as judge. Psalm 96 states, “for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness” (96:13b). It might seem wrong to suggest that Jesus will be the One who carries out what Psalm 96 states. At Jesus’ first coming, He said: “If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world” (See John 12:47). The first coming of Christ pertained to saving condemned sinners; but the second coming of Christ will concern judgment: “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead” (See Acts 17:30-31). The wicked will remain in their condemnation, while those who have turned to Christ in light of His saving work, will be vindicated at the time of judgment: “so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.” (See Hebrew 9:28). And in anticipation of what the Lord has for His people, we can begin our rejoicing, for the world will “be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God” (See Romans 8:21).
That’s all for Embrace the Word for Wednesday, July 29, 2026. I look forward to being back with you for the Friday, July 31, 2026 episode of Embrace the Word as we take a look at Psalm 97.