Psalm 96--Worship in the Splendor of Holiness

Psalm 96
English Standard Version

Worship in the Splendor of Holiness
96 Oh sing to the LORD a new song;
    sing to the LORD, all the earth!
2 Sing to the LORD, bless his name;
    tell of his salvation from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
    his marvelous works among all the peoples!
4 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
    he is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
    but the LORD made the heavens.
6 Splendor and majesty are before him;
    strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

7 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples,
    ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!
8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
    bring an offering, and come into his courts!
9 Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness;
    tremble before him, all the earth!

10 Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns!
    Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved;
    he will judge the peoples with equity.”

​11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
    let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
12     let the field exult, and everything in it!
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
13     before the LORD, for he comes,
    for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness,
    and the peoples in his faithfulness.

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Worship is not just something we do individually, but corporately, and there are several passages in the Bible that call on all creation (especially all of mankind) to join in worship of their Creator and Savior.  Not everyone will want to worship the LORD, especially those from foreign nations who worship false gods.  It is our duty as the people of God to be His ambassadors and spread His Name and tell of His excellent greatness throughout the whole earth.  He alone is to be feared, obeyed, and worshiped, because He alone is God.  There is no other.  Peoples of other nations may worship their idols, but they are impotent, deaf, dumb, and mute, and they are unable to save the people from their sins.  Only the LORD can do that.  The LORD is the one who made the heavens and earth and all that is in them.  He filled the heavens and the earth with beauty and splendor so that we might better understand something about Him.  All of creation points us to the fact that there is a Creator God, and we know something of His invisible attributes by the way in which He designed and continues to interact with His creation.

Therefore, it is proper for us to ascribe glory and honor and praise to Him--all the nations of the earth are to join in worshiping Him.  We worship Him with our songs, with our tithes and offerings and with our obedience.  We are His humble servants.  He is our King and Master.  The earth is the LORD's and everything in it, therefore we are only giving Him what already belongs to Him, and the great thing is that He entrusts us to be stewards of so much.  He is radiant, full of splendor and glorious.  Let us draw near to Him by the Way that He has provided (the body and blood of Christ our Savior) and join with the creatures of heaven and earth as they worship Him with their voices and their lives.

The LORD is not only great and to be worshiped for what He did in the past (creation and salvation) but for what He does in the present to hold everything together.  He also deserves worship for the fact that one day which He has set forth, He will judge the living and the dead.  There will be accusations of an unfair trial.  The LORD will have perfect knowledge and perfect wisdom to judge with equity.  There will be one standard that will be applied equally to all.  Are you in Christ or not in Christ?  That is it.

There is a call to worship at the end.  Let everything that has breath join us and praise the LORD--whether those creatures be in earth or sky or sea.  Submit to His authority and praise Him now, for there is a day that is coming when everyone will bow before Him either willingly or by way of subjugation.  Those who willingly bow before Him now and are citizens of His Kingdom are to be forever blessed, and those who refuse to bow before Him willingly and are citizens of the kingdom of this world will follow the devil and His angels into the eternal torture and punishment that was created for them in the Lake of Fire.  It is your choice right now which kingdom you want to be a citizen of, but there are only two choices--a broad way that leads to destruction and a narrow way that leads to eternal life.  When He comes to judge the living and the dead, whom will He find faithful?