Psalm 98
Echoes of Salvation's Song
I remember when I was younger, there used to be a church service that a number of people decided to go to early on a Sunday morning because it was the shortest. It was shorter than others because they removed all singing from it.
But isn’t that missing something key and fundamental to our worship? How can we not sing when we consider what God has done?
Throughout the Bible, we sing to God because of what he has achieved for us and promised to us. And this Psalm is no exception, as it focuses on his salvation for us.
A psalm.
1 Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done marvellous things;
his right hand and his holy arm
have worked salvation for him.
2 The LORD has made his salvation known
and revealed his righteousness to the nations.
3 He has remembered his love
and his faithfulness to Israel;
all the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.4 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth,
burst into jubilant song with music;
5 make music to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and the sound of singing,
6 with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn –
shout for joy before the LORD, the King.7 Let the sea resound, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it.
8 Let the rivers clap their hands,
let the mountains sing together for joy;
9 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.
This Psalm is a song celebrating the salvation of God. The notes of salvation here are echoed throughout the Scripture. I want to point out three in particular:
Christ’s Incarnation
When Mary went to visit Elizabeth, the child in her cousin’s womb leaped in the presence of the Son that Mary carried. For the Son she was to bear is the blessed one who would redeem God’s people (Luke 1.41-42).
Mary then was inspired to sing of the wondrous works God was going to do through the Son conceived by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1.46-55). God would reverse the injustices of the world, casting down the proud and lifting up the lowly. This would begin with Jesus, the low born King, who would humble himself to death and then be raised to the name above every other name (see Philippians 2.6-11). Then that same King would raise up the downtrodden and persecuted. Mary then says this salvation is rooted in God’s faithfulness to his promises and his people (Luke 1.54).
Here she is echoing v3 of our Psalm. God remembers. He is faithful. The promises he makes are the promises he keeps. He will overturn evil and he will lift up his own. And Mary helps us to see this will happen through the Son raised in a nowhere town, who was rejected by his own. It is through him that the holy arm of God is revealed.
Gospel Proclamation
When Paul was writing to the church in Rome, his great concern was to preach the gospel to them. This aim was rooted in his confidence that the gospel was the power for salvation for all who believe (Romans 1.16). It is the power for salvation, because through the preaching of the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed. All who receive the gospel by faith are declared righteous, credited with the righteousness of Christ himself (Romans 1.17; 3.23-26; 4.1-6).
In this, Paul is echoing v2 of our Psalm, which celebrates how God will reveal his righteousness and make known his salvation to the world. This will happen through the holy arm of God being revealed. In the final servant song, we learn that the holy arm of God is revealed through the suffering servant (Isaiah 52.10; 53.1). In Jesus being crucified, he who knew now sin became sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God. This is made known to the whole world through the proclamation of the gospel. And we all must respond to it in one way or the other, as we will stand before God.
Final Adjudication
Paul was summoned to the Areopagus in Athens. This was the centre of the philosophical world where the great ideas of the day were discussed. Paul had caused quite a stir in the city by proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ’s resurrection. He came to explain the truth about Jesus. At the end of his address, he said all must repent as there will be a day when God would judge the world (Acts 17.30-31).
In saying this, Paul was echoing v9 of our Psalm. The song concludes with the good news that evil will not go unpunished. The Lord will purge the world of sin, violence, corruption, and wickedness. And as Paul said to the Areopagus, we can be confident this will happen because the Lord Jesus Christ is risen and so his word is true.
Therefore Rejoice
Because we know of God’s salvation, the Psalm says the simple but true response is to celebrate. We are to:
Sing a new song
Shout for joy
Burst into jubilant song
make music to the LORD
Shout for joy
But this will not just be us but the whole creation will be summoned to worship (7-9) for this is good news for everyone and everything, as the LORD has heard our groaning (Romans 8.22-25) and God has remembered us.
So let’s get singing Church!
Glory be to God the Father, who has revealed his righteousness to the whole earth in the gospel.
Glory be to God the Son, who will return to judge the world in righteousness.
Glory be to God the Spirit, who has revealed in our hearts the light of the gospel.
Ever three and ever One.
Home Group: 1 Peter
The main thrust of the letter is calling the church to be holy (1 Peter 1.15). What does holy mean? Why is holiness such an important part of our witness to the world? How might we grow in holiness?
In what ways does hospitality act as a witness to the watching world (1 Peter 4.9)? How can we show hospitality to others in a way that isn’t an unnecessary burden?
Peter says people will ask for the reason for the hope we have as Christians (1 Peter 3.15). What would be scenarios where you might be asked for the reason of your hope? How should we answer those who ask us?