God Speaks
98 A psalm.
1 Sing a new song to the Lord,
for he has done wonderful deeds.
His right hand has won a mighty victory;
his holy arm has shown his saving power!
2 The Lord has announced his victory
and has revealed his righteousness to every nation!
3 He has remembered his promise to love and be faithful to Israel.
The ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.
4 Shout to the Lord, all the earth;
break out in praise and sing for joy!
5 Sing your praise to the Lord with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song,
6 with trumpets and the sound of the ram’s horn.
Make a joyful symphony before the Lord, the King!
7 Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise!
Let the earth and all living things join in.
8 Let the rivers clap their hands in glee!
Let the hills sing out their songs of joy
9 before the Lord,
for he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with justice,
and the nations with fairness.
99 1 The Lord is king!
Let the nations tremble!
He sits on his throne between the cherubim.
Let the whole earth quake!
2 The Lord sits in majesty in Jerusalem,
exalted above all the nations.
3 Let them praise your great and awesome name.
Your name is holy!
4 Mighty King, lover of justice,
you have established fairness.
You have acted with justice
and righteousness throughout Israel.
5 Exalt the Lord our God!
Bow low before his feet, for he is holy!
6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests;
Samuel also called on his name.
They cried to the Lord for help,
and he answered them.
7 He spoke to Israel from the pillar of cloud,
and they followed the laws and decrees he gave them.
8 O Lord our God, you answered them.
You were a forgiving God to them,
but you punished them when they went wrong.
9 Exalt the Lord our God,
and worship at his holy mountain in Jerusalem,
for the Lord our God is holy!
Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: Fr. Reardon contends that Psalm 98 points to the wonderful deeds and mighty victory of salvation that Jesus the Messiah and Son of God performed by His incarnation, atonement, and resurrection. By these, “God’s arm invades the processes of human destiny with the outpouring of His own life.” * He goes on to say that the Gospel “is not some theory about God or even some set of norms by which man is to live.” After He completed His work on the cross and rose from the dead, Jesus commissioned His followers and equipped them with the Holy Spirit to carry out verses 2 and 3: to announce His victory and reveal His righteousness to every nation! At a future date known only to the Father, Jesus will return to judge the world with justice and the nations with fairness (verse 9).
Psalm 99 focuses on the LORD God’s just, fair, and righteousness rule over all the nations. He rules as the mighty King, lover of justice and righteousness. He answers the prayers of His faithful servants. He is a forgiving God, but He punishes them when they go wrong. The good news is that a person who claims Jesus’ atoning death on the cross can go free to live in His righteousness.
* Christ in the Psalms by Patrick Henry Reardon p. 193-196.
Prayer: Dear victorious God, thank You for the victory that the Lord Jesus won for me by His death and resurrection, these wonderful deeds. Please help me and others of Your people pour out our lives on behalf of Your kingdom as He did. Help us to announce His victory and reveal His righteousness to every nation! May we make a joyful symphony before You, Our LORD and King! When Christ Jesus returns to the earth, He will judge the world with justice and the nations with fairness, and all His saints will join Him. He will reign as King of kings and Lord of lords. O LORD our God, You are a forgiving God, but You punish those refuse to repent and follow Christ. Give us hearts that trust and obey You. For Your glory, LORD. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will try to write the lyrics of a psalm of praise to God; I’ll also write the music (if I know how).
- I will investigate how I can support or encourage someone who is using their talents in music to serve the LORD.
- I will take a walk and praise God for everything I see.
- I will live today as if I really believed that the LORD God is my king, and I will carry out the acts of justice, fairness, and righteousness He assigns to me.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.