Psalms Of Faith And Doubt In Ancient Times
In my opinion, Book IV of the Psalms (Psalms 90-106) consists mainly of songs that remind us of the life and ministry of Moses, and of what God did for his people through the first and greatest of the prophets. Most of these psalms do not give any indication of their author, and so the lack of any heading in Psalm 96 doesn’t surprise us. But this Psalm suddenly reappears in 1 Chronicles 16:23-34, almost exactly as it is here, saying that it was written (along with Psalm 105 and Psalm 106) by David for Asaph “and his associates” to be used in worship (1 Chronicles 16:7), and especially while the ark of the covenant was being brought to Jerusalem for the first time.
Psalm 96
1 Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Sing to the LORD, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
The LORD, the LORD, the LORD—the God of faithful love, the God whose grace is new and bigger and brighter every day, the God who keeps all his promises—this is the God who made the universe, the world, and even me. This is the God whom we praise. We praise him with our lives. We praise him with our hearts.
4 For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
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 Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and glory are in his sanctuary.
Picture David leading the long caravan from Kiriath-Jearim to Jerusalem. On a cart leading the way is the ark of the covenant (no trouble has happened yet) and there is David as well. The ark was the symbol of God’s presence. It was the place where God appeared to his High Priest. It was the thing that pointed ahead to Christ when God had forbidden his people from worshiping things. Here was no idol. Here was a throne.
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm, Minnesota. His wife, Kathryn, attended Chapel from 1987-1990 while studying Secondary Education (Theater and Math) at UW-Madison. Kathryn’s father, John Meyer, was also the first man to serve as a Vicar at Chapel.
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