The Lord Reigns Over All the Earth

96:1 Sing to the Lord a new song! Sing to the Lord, all the earth! 96:2 Sing to the Lord! Praise his name! Announce every day how he delivers! 96:3 Tell the nations about his splendor! Tell all the nations about his amazing deeds! 96:4 For the Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise; he is more awesome than all gods. 96:5 For all the gods of the nations are worthless, but the Lord made the sky. 96:6 Majestic splendor emanates from him; his sanctuary is firmly established and beautiful. 96:7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the nations, ascribe to the Lord splendor and strength! 96:8 Ascribe to the Lord the splendor he deserves! Bring an offering and enter his courts! 96:9 Worship the Lord in holy attire! Tremble before him, all the earth! 96:10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns! The world is established, it cannot be moved. He judges the nations fairly.” 96:11 Let the sky rejoice, and the earth be happy! Let the sea and everything in it shout! 96:12 Let the fields and everything in them celebrate! Then let the trees of the forest shout with joy 96:13 before the Lord, for he comes! For he comes to judge the earth! He judges the world fairly, and the nations in accordance with his justice. Psalm 97

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Psalm 96 calls all people to sing to the Lord because he alone is great, worthy of praise, and superior to every idol. It tells the nations to give him glory, to worship him with reverence, and to proclaim that he reigns. The psalm ends with hope that the Lord will come and judge the world in righteousness.

This psalm begins with a call to praise the Lord with a new song. His people are to announce his salvation every day and tell the nations about his great deeds. The praise is not meant to stay private. It is to be spoken publicly among all peoples.

The reason for this worship is clear. The Lord is great and worthy of praise. He is more awesome than all gods. The gods of the nations are worthless idols. They have no real power. The Lord alone made the heavens. He is clothed with splendor and majesty, and his sanctuary is beautiful and firm.

The psalm then calls the families of the nations to ascribe glory and strength to the Lord. They are to bring an offering and enter his courts. They are to worship the Lord in holiness and tremble before him. True worship is joyful, but it is also reverent.

The final section proclaims, “The Lord reigns.” His rule gives stability to the world. He judges the nations fairly. Creation is pictured as rejoicing because the Lord is coming to judge the earth in righteousness. His judgment is not a cause for confusion, but for hope, because he will set the world right.

• The Lord alone is great and worthy of praise.
• The gods of the nations are worthless idols.
• The Lord is the Creator of the heavens.
• God’s salvation should be announced among the nations.
• True worship includes joy, reverence, and holiness.
• The Lord reigns over the world.
• He judges the nations fairly.
• The Lord will come to judge the earth in righteousness.

• Sing to the Lord a new song.
• Praise his name and announce his salvation every day.
• Tell the nations about his splendor and his deeds.
• Ascribe glory and strength to the Lord.
• Bring an offering and enter his courts.
• Worship the Lord in holy attire and tremble before him.
• Proclaim among the nations, “The Lord reigns!”
• The Lord judges the nations fairly.
• The Lord will come to judge the earth.

Psalm 96 joins worship, witness, and future hope. It looks beyond Israel to the nations, showing that the Lord’s rule is for all the earth. In the wider Bible, this fits the pattern that God’s name will be known among the peoples and that his righteous reign will be openly seen.

Believers should praise God openly, not only in private. They should speak about his salvation and his greatness among the nations. They should reject idols and worship the Lord with reverence and holiness. They can also trust that the world is not ruled by chance, because the Lord reigns and will judge fairly.

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