Psalm 96
Psalm 96
Declaring the Glory of God to the Entire World
Psalm 96 is a missionary psalm, a kingdom psalm, and a worship psalm. It begins with the people of God, then widens to the nations, then expands again until all creation is called to rejoice before the coming righteous reign of the Lord. The movement of the psalm is deliberate. Worship begins among God’s people, but true worship never remains private, silent, or isolated. When the Lord is known rightly, His name must be proclaimed publicly, His salvation must be declared continually, and His glory must be announced among all nations.
There is no author named in the Hebrew title of Psalm 96, yet the substance of the psalm appears within David’s song in 1 Chronicles 16:23-33, when the ark of the covenant was brought into Jerusalem. This connection strongly suggests a Davidic background. The ark represented the covenant presence of God among His people, and Psalm 96 rises out of that theology of divine presence, covenant worship, and worldwide proclamation. The God who dwelt among Israel was never merely a tribal deity. He is the Creator of the heavens, the rightful King over the earth, and the coming Judge of all peoples.
A New Song for All the Earth to Sing
Psalm 96:1-3, Worshiping God with a New Song
Psalm 96:1-3, “O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth. Sing unto the LORD, bless his name, shew forth his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people.”
Psalm 96 opens with a threefold call to sing unto the Lord. The repetition is not empty poetic language. It is an urgent summons to worship. The Lord is worthy of song because He is worthy of delight, proclamation, reverence, and renewed praise. The command to sing “a new song” does not mean that every act of worship must be novel or detached from the old paths of biblical faith. Rather, it means that the redeemed heart should never sink into dead routine. The Lord’s mercies are new every morning, His grace remains fresh, His works continue to display His glory, and His people should respond with worship that is living, thoughtful, and renewed.
A new song may come from an old saint when that believer gains a fresh awareness of the goodness of God. Mature believers should not have stale praise. Long years of walking with the Lord should deepen worship, not dull it. The more one knows of God’s faithfulness, forgiveness, providence, discipline, mercy, and truth, the more one ought to sing with spiritual freshness. The believer does not need a new doctrine, a new gospel, or a new God. He needs renewed sight of the same eternal Lord.
The command, “sing unto the LORD, all the earth,” shows the universal scope of the psalm. Israel was chosen by God, but God’s purpose was never limited to Israel alone. Israel was to be a priestly nation, bearing witness to the one true God before the nations. The Lord is not a local deity bound to a geographical territory. He is the Maker of heaven and earth, and therefore all the earth owes Him worship. This anticipates the global praise of the redeemed in Revelation 5:9.
Revelation 5:9, “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and has redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.”
This verse reveals the ultimate fulfillment of the new song. The worship of Psalm 96 reaches its highest expression in the redemption accomplished by Jesus Christ. The Lamb is worthy because He was slain and redeemed His people by His blood from every kindred, tongue, people, and nation. Psalm 96 calls the nations to hear of God’s glory, and Revelation 5 shows the redeemed from those nations singing before the throne. The missionary impulse of Psalm 96 is fulfilled in the blood bought worship of Christ’s people.
Psalm 96:2 says, “shew forth his salvation from day to day.” Biblical worship includes proclamation. The people of God are not merely called to sing within the sanctuary, they are called to publish the good news of salvation continually. The phrase “from day to day” teaches consistency. The message of salvation is not seasonal, occasional, or optional. Every generation must proclaim it. Every day gives another opportunity to speak of the Lord’s saving work. The gospel is not yesterday’s news. It remains the living message of eternal life.
The word “glory” carries the idea of weight, majesty, honor, and divine splendor. To “declare his glory among the heathen” means to make known the greatness of God among the nations. The Lord’s glory is not hidden because it is weak, but because sinful man suppresses the truth. The people of God are commanded to speak clearly of His wonders so that the nations may know who He is, what He has done, and what He requires. True worship and true evangelism belong together. The heart that rightly worships God will desire that others know Him also.
Psalm 96:4-6, Why the Lord Deserves Praise
Psalm 96:4-6, “For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens. Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.”
The psalmist does not call for empty praise. He gives the reason God must be praised. “For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised.” God’s praise must correspond to His greatness. Small thoughts of God produce weak worship. A biblical vision of God produces reverence, awe, obedience, and proclamation. The Lord is great in His being, great in His power, great in His holiness, great in His mercy, great in His wisdom, and great in His sovereign rule.
The Lord is “to be feared above all gods.” This does not mean that the idols of the nations are true gods in competition with the Lord. The next verse explains the point clearly, “For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens.” The so called gods of the nations are worthless things. They are lifeless, powerless, created objects, false spiritual systems, or demonic deceptions. They may receive worship from men, but they possess no divine nature, no creative power, no sovereign authority, and no saving ability.
1 Corinthians 8:4, “As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one.”
1 Corinthians 10:19-20, “What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing? But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.”
Paul’s teaching helps clarify the biblical view of idolatry. On one level, an idol is nothing. It is not a true god. On another level, idolatry is spiritually dangerous because demons work through false worship to deceive the nations. Psalm 96 stands against all religious pluralism. It does not say that the nations worship the same God under different names. It says that the Lord alone made the heavens, while the gods of the nations are idols.
This is why biblical worship must remain exclusive. The God of Scripture does not share His glory with idols. Creation itself testifies that the Lord alone is God. “But the LORD made the heavens.” The heavens are not the realm of pagan gods. The heavens are the handiwork of Yahweh. He is not part of creation, He is the Creator over creation.
Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”
Isaiah 42:8, “I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.”
Psalm 96:6 says, “Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.” The Lord is surrounded by honor and majesty because He is King. He is not merely powerful, He is glorious. He is not merely sovereign, He is beautiful in holiness. Human rulers often possess outward ceremony without inward righteousness. They may have robes, guards, palaces, and symbols of authority, yet lack justice, wisdom, and moral beauty. The Lord possesses perfect majesty because His throne is founded upon His own holy character.
The phrase “strength and beauty” is deeply important. Men often admire strength apart from beauty, or beauty apart from strength. In God, both are perfectly united. His strength is not brutal. His beauty is not fragile. His power is holy, and His holiness is glorious. The sanctuary, whether understood in its earthly representation or heavenly reality, displays the splendor of the Lord’s presence.
Hebrews 8:5, “Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.”
The earthly sanctuary was a copy and shadow of heavenly realities. Therefore, Psalm 96 looks beyond mere architecture. The true beauty of God’s sanctuary is not gold, fabric, or ceremony alone. It is the holiness, justice, wisdom, grace, and glory of the God who is worshiped there.
Psalm 96:7-9, Calling the Entire World to Glorify God
Psalm 96:7-9, “Give unto the LORD, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the LORD glory and strength. Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts. O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.”
The call now widens to “the kindreds of the people.” The nations are summoned to give unto the Lord glory and strength. This does not mean man can add glory to God as though God lacks anything. God is eternally glorious, eternally strong, and eternally complete in Himself. To give glory to God means to recognize, confess, declare, and honor what is already true of Him.
The repeated phrase “give unto the LORD” emphasizes the duty of worship. Man comes into God’s presence not only to receive, but to give. Modern worship is often centered on what man gets from God, comfort, encouragement, instruction, blessing, and answered prayer. Those things are real and good, but Psalm 96 emphasizes what man owes to God. The Lord is owed worship, reverence, obedience, surrender, offering, praise, and public allegiance.
The phrase “the glory due unto his name” teaches that worship is a debt. God is not begging for admiration. He is rightfully owed glory because of who He is. His name represents His revealed character. To give Him the glory due His name is to honor Him as holy, just, true, sovereign, merciful, faithful, and supreme.
The phrase “O ye kindreds of the people” also echoes the Abrahamic promise.
Genesis 12:3, “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”
The same broad idea of the families or kindreds of the earth is present. God promised that through Abraham all families of the earth would be blessed. That promise is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the promised Seed, through whom salvation comes to Jew and Gentile.
Galatians 3:8, “And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.”
Galatians 3:16, “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.”
Psalm 96 therefore has a strong kingdom and missionary thrust. The nations are not called to remain in pagan darkness. They are called to come under the worship of the one true God.
“Bring an offering, and come into his courts” shows that worship involves sacrifice. In the Old Testament context, offerings were part of covenant worship. In the New Testament, believers do not bring animal sacrifices for atonement, because Christ has offered Himself once for all. Yet the principle remains, true worship is never detached from sacrifice.
Hebrews 10:10, “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
Romans 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
The believer’s sacrifice is not a payment for salvation. It is the reasonable response of one who has been saved by grace. Worship includes the offering of one’s body, time, resources, obedience, service, praise, and devotion.
Psalm 96:9 says, “O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.” Holiness is not ugly, harsh, or lifeless. True holiness is beautiful because it reflects the character of God. The world often views holiness as restrictive or unattractive because fallen man loves sin. But to those who know God, holiness is beautiful because it is clean, ordered, righteous, pure, and set apart unto the Lord.
The verse concludes, “fear before him, all the earth.” Worship without fear becomes casual and man centered. Fear without worship becomes terror without love. Biblical worship contains both reverence and delight. The Lord is beautiful in holiness, but He is still the Lord before whom all the earth must tremble.
The Declaration to the Nations and to Creation
Psalm 96:10, What to Say Among the Nations
Psalm 96:10, “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.”
Psalm 96 now gives the content of the message that must be declared among the nations, “the LORD reigneth.” This is one of the most important declarations in all Scripture. The world is not ruled by chance. The nations are not ultimately governed by idols, demons, tyrants, armies, kings, presidents, markets, or movements of history. The Lord reigns.
This declaration is not dependent on whether the nations recognize it. God’s reign is objective reality. Men may rebel against it, deny it, mock it, or suppress it, but they cannot remove it. The Lord reigns now in providence, and He will reign openly and visibly through the Messiah when Christ returns to establish His kingdom.
Psalm 2:6-9, “Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son: this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.”
Revelation 11:15, “And the seventh angel sounded and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ and he shall reign for ever and ever.”
Psalm 96:10 also says, “the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved.” The Lord’s reign gives stability to creation. God did not create the world carelessly or abandon it to chaos. The created order remains because God upholds it. The nations may rage, governments may collapse, economies may fail, and cultures may decay, but God’s rule stands firm.
The verse concludes, “he shall judge the people righteously.” This is both a warning and a comfort. It is a warning to the wicked, because no sin escapes the judgment of God. It is a comfort to the righteous and oppressed, because God’s judgment is not corrupt, bribed, confused, partial, or unjust. Human courts may fail. Human rulers may abuse power. Human systems may protect the guilty and punish the innocent. God will judge righteously.
Acts 17:30-31, “And the times of this ignorance God winked at but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained whereof he hath given assurance unto all men in that he hath raised him from the dead.”
The appointed Judge is Jesus Christ. His resurrection is God’s public assurance that judgment is coming. The message to the nations is therefore not merely, “God loves you,” though that is true in the proper biblical sense. The message is also, “The Lord reigns, the world is accountable to Him, and He will judge in righteousness.” That is a message the modern world badly needs to hear.
Psalm 96:11-13, The Message of Joy to All Creation
Psalm 96:11-13, “Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof. Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice 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 final movement of the psalm calls creation itself to rejoice. The heavens, the earth, the sea, the field, and the trees are all summoned into celebration before the Lord. This is poetic language, but it is not empty poetry. Scripture teaches that creation is affected by man’s fall and will share in the joy of final restoration.
Romans 8:21-22, “Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.”
Creation groans under the curse. Death, decay, corruption, disorder, and suffering entered the world because of sin. Therefore, when the Lord comes to judge and restore, creation is pictured as rejoicing. The sea roars, the fields rejoice, and the trees of the wood celebrate because the righteous King is coming to set things right.
This joyful response to judgment may seem strange to modern ears because people often think of judgment only as destruction. But righteous judgment is good news for those who long for justice. In a corrupt world, judgment means evil will not have the last word. The oppressed will not be forgotten. The wicked will not escape. Lies will not prevail forever. The King will establish righteousness and truth.
The repeated phrase, “for he cometh, for he cometh,” emphasizes certainty and anticipation. The Lord is coming. From a New Testament perspective, this points ultimately to the return of Jesus Christ. The first coming of Christ accomplished redemption through His death, burial, and resurrection. The second coming of Christ will bring open kingdom reign, judgment, restoration, and the public vindication of God’s righteousness.
Revelation 19:11-16, “And I saw heaven opened and behold a white horse and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire and on his head were many crowns and he had a name written that no man knew but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses clothed in fine linen white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword that with it he should smite the nations and he shall rule them with a rod of iron and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”
Psalm 96 ends by declaring that the Lord “shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.” Righteousness and truth are the standards of His judgment. He will not judge according to propaganda, manipulation, political power, social status, wealth, race, nationality, or human opinion. He will judge according to perfect righteousness and perfect truth.
This is terrifying to the unrepentant sinner, but it is glorious to those who belong to the Lord. The believer does not fear the final triumph of righteousness, because Christ has borne the believer’s judgment at the cross.
Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
2 Corinthians 5:21, “For he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
Psalm 96 therefore calls the redeemed to sing, the nations to worship, and creation to rejoice. The Lord is great. The idols of the nations are nothing. The Lord made the heavens. He reigns. He is coming. He will judge righteously. His salvation must be proclaimed from day to day until the whole earth knows that He alone is God.
