God’s Word for You
Psalm 96:1-6 Petty little gods
by Pastor Timothy Smith on Wednesday, December 23, 2020
Psalm 96 is one of a handful of “orphan” psalms, with no author and no heading whatsoever. It is included with the fourth group or book of Psalms, poems that especially recall the exodus and the years in the wilderness when the people were led by Moses (Psalms 90-106). By placing this Psalm in this group, the editor who arranged the Psalms in the order we have them (Ezra?) deftly calls our attention to the glory of creation and the worthlessness of the “petty little gods,” the useless idols of the nations.
1 Sing to the LORD a new song.
Sing to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Sing to the LORD, bless his name.
Preach the gospel of his salvation day after day.
In these opening verses, someone is called on to sing to the Lord. God’s special covenant name, “LORD,” always reminds us that he is the God of grace, grace that is always free and given without any merit from us, and grace that is faithful and endless. The someone who is called on to sing is “all the earth.” Should we take this to be all mankind, or everyone and everything? The reasonable answer is that only people are called on to praise God, but God’s word transcends our understanding just as his peace does (Philippians 4:7). The final verses will invite more than men and animals, but seas, stars, fields, and trees to praise the Lord. All creation is called on to give glory to God, just as the same creation yearns to be released from sin’s curse and be brought into God’s paradise (Romans 8:20-21).
The second line of verse 2 begins with the word basar, which means “bring good news” or “bear glad tidings.” As New Testament believers, we understand perfectly well that this is the same as “preach the gospel,” especially when the good news is salvation. The gospel of salvation is the point of the whole of Scripture. It’s exactly what has been preserved for us “through the hands of his servants the prophets” (Daniel 9:10, Hebrew text). This gospel of salvation is the “new song” we are to sing. It is new because it replaces and obliterates the need for the old idea of salvation through deeds, but free salvation “not because we are righteous, but because of God’s great mercy” (Daniel 9:18). God’s mercy is new every morning (Lamentations 3:22); for he is the gracious and merciful God (Nehemiah 9:31). We will sing praise for his mercy always (Romans 15:9; Psalm 18:49). This is God’s grace through the crucified Christ, who presents us to the Father “without fault… both now and forevermore” (Jude 1:24-25).
3 Declare his glory among the nations.
Declare his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
4 For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise.
He is to be feared above all gods.
Why does the psalm writer bring up the idea of other gods? This is simply because worshiping other gods remains a temptation for mankind until the end of the world. There is a good reason why the First Commandment is a command never to worship anything that is not the true God (Exodus 20:3-6). Gods of wood, gods of stone, gods of marble, gods of imagination—all of these enter into man’s mind and into man’s heart when he rejects the true Lord of heaven (Jeremiah 16:13). Power becomes a god to some, money becomes a god to others, and uncontrollable passions become a demon-god to many more. Those gods are not truly gods at all. They are not beings. Some of them are powerful longings, but they do not care about us or have any real existence. Only the true God is truly to be feared. This “fear” is norah in Hebrew, and here that means a reverence for God, not a fearful terror. Only God, the true God, should be revered as divine.
5 For all the gods of the nations are petty little gods,
but the LORD made the heavens.
The word I’ve translated “petty little gods” is elilim, “little El’s.” El is sometimes an old word for God, most often as an element in names (Immanu-el, “God with us,” Isaiah 7:14) but sometimes it occurs alone alone: “I will raise my throne (says sinful man) above the stars of God” (Isaiah 14:13). Jonah warns, “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs” (Jonah 2:8). No idol is worth man’s time. No sinful impulse, no urge for pleasure, no fixation on coincidence, mythology, astrology or secret signs is worth any of our time at all. They are petty little nothings, worthless wisps of nonsense that distract us from the salvation we have in Jesus. Compared to the Lord who made the heavens, they are nothing. Giving reverence to the creation rather than the creator is like lecturing an artist on his own art. It is useless, a waste, and a sin.
6 Splendor and majesty are before him.
Strength and glory are in his sanctuary.
Splendor and majesty are depicted as if they are God’s robes, and strength and glory are the place where he lives. This is the way God appears in the hearts of those who believe in him. He is worthy of our praise, of our worship. We adore him and glorify him. He shines like the warm summer sun and we bask in his light and warmth. Everything good comes emanating from the face of God turned toward his beloved (2 Corinthians 4:6).
Those who do not know him are lost, like birds born at sea that have never yet seen the land. They have no idea of the glory, peace, and rest that God offers and gives. But God provides a path for all, a path through the deep waters (Psalm 77:19), a path on dry ground for his beloved people (Exodus 15:19). He sent his Son into our wilderness of sin and despair to rescue us and lead us to our heavenly home. Trust in his Son. Kiss the Son (Psalm 2:12). Although he was betrayed with a kiss from his friend (Luke 22:48; Psalm 41:9), he invites our kiss of love and thanks, our friendship and our devotion. In Christ the Son of God, we see the splendor and majesty of God most clearly. He is the King of kings who won the victory over the devil. His strength and glory are there with him on the cross, where he set such things aside in order to atone for us, to save us, and to lead us by his strange and unexpected path to everlasting joy.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm, Minnesota. To receive God’s Word for You via e-mail, please visit the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church website.