Psalm 96 (Psalms of Praise)

Psalm 96 (Psalms of Praise) – Sep 13^th, 2026Psalm 96 (Psalms of Praise) – Sep 13^th, 2026

The “free encyclopedia that anyone can edit,” aka “Wikipedia,” tells us that time is “the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future.” We humans have long used measurement tools like calendars or clocks in our attempts to track the chronology of the universe, the world, human history, and our own lives.

Here is a small sampling of the many things the Bible has to say about time:

Ecclesiastes 3:1 – “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven …”

John 7:6 – “Jesus said to them, ‘My time has not yet come, but your time is always here.’”

2 Corinthians 6:2 – “For [God] says, ‘At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you.’ See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation!”

From God’s perspective, all time is now. After all, God is Lord of all, including time. God is mysteriously outside of time and has entered time with us. God is present with us in every moment. From our perspective, we can divide all time into three sections: the past, the present, and the future. Although we might struggle with thinking too much about the past or the future, God invites us to live in the present, as God does.

A traditional Christian proverb encourages us to “trust the past to God’s mercy, the present to God’s love, and the future to God’s providence.” If you’ve visited our literature display racks in the front hallway, you will know that I personally find it helpful to seek to live by the simple yet challenging principle – be present in the present in the presence of God.

Today, in our last sermon (for now) on the Psalms of Praise, we will discover that Psalm 96 calls all the world to worship God as the king of the universe, in the past, the present, and the future! Let’s read this magnificent psalm together. If you are sitting on this side of the aisle, read the words in bold. If you are sitting on the other side of the aisle or on Zoom, read the words in italics. Bold on the left side; italics on the right side and on Zoom. Are we ready?

Psalm 96 (NRSV)

¹ O 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 revered above all gods.

⁵ For all the gods of the peoples are idols,

but the Lord made the heavens.

⁶ Honor 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 holy splendor;

tremble before him, all the earth.

—

¹⁰ Say among the nations, ‘The Lord is king!

The world is firmly 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 is coming, for he is coming to judge the earth.

He will judge the world with righteousness,

and the peoples with his truth.”

Psalm 96 calls all the world to worship the Lord God, King of the universe, who created the world in the past, who rules over it in the present, and who will come to judge it in the future. Psalm 96 thus helps us to see that faith must live in all three tenses.

The first way in which Psalm 96 calls us is to worship the Lord God, King of the universe, who created the world in the past.

We join in the psalmist’s call to recount God’s greatness. The verbs tell us how we are instructed to do that: sing, sing, sing, bless, tell, and declare. Three times we are told to sing to the Lord, sing to the Lord, sing to the Lord! So, what is it that we are to sing to the Lord? A new song that blesses the Lord’s name!

Let’s take a little detour here to enjoy a lengthy passage from The Magician’s Nephew by C. S. Lewis. This book, one of the series of seven in the Chronicles of Narnia, includes a beautiful and imaginative account of the creation of the world of Narnia, connecting the song of Aslan with his creative work:

“There was certainly plenty to watch and to listen to … They stood on cool, green grass, sprinkled with daisies and buttercups. A little way off, along the river bank, willows were growing. On the other side tangles of flowering currant, lilac, wild rose, and rhododendron closed them in … All this time the Lion’s song, and his stately prowl, to and fro, backward and forward, was going on … Polly was finding the song more and more interesting because she thought she was beginning to see the connection between the music and the things that were happening. When a line of dark firs sprang up on a ridge about a hundred yards away she felt that they were connected with a series of deep, prolonged notes which the Lion had sung a second before. And when he burst into a rapid series of lighter notes she was not surprised to see primroses suddenly appearing in every direction. Thus, with an unspeakable thrill, she felt quite certain that all the things were coming (as she said) ‘out of the Lion’s head.’ When you listened to his song you heard the things he was making up: when you looked round you, you saw them. This was so exciting that she had no time to be afraid.”

I so appreciate Lewis’s gift to us in this beautiful narrative of connecting the majesty and wonder of God’s creation with the mystery and weightiness of song. Zephaniah 3:17-18a tells us that God is joyous over us with singing: “The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing as on a day of festival.” So, it should come as no surprise to us who are God’s image-bearers that God calls us to respond with a song of our own.

Thinking about time again and where we are in relation to creation, let’s notice that although God created all that there is in time past, none of us were yet present at that time. It is as we are present in our present moments today, as we pay attention to this incredible thing called creation all around us, as we allow ourselves to be overcome with awe at the magnificence of creation, as we choose to enter fully into worshiping the Lord God, King of the universe who created the world in the past, it is at this point – now, in the present – that we are able to respond to God’s call to sing a new song to the Lord that blesses the Lord’s name! It’s not singing that is new. We humans are quite young in relation to God’s creation as a whole. Each part of creation – the stars, the waves, the mountains, the trees, the birds – has been singing praise to God right from the moment God breathed it into existence. It’s our song that is new. We are called to add our voices to the voices of all creation – of all the earth – to praise the greatness and goodness of the Lord. We are called to rejoice in the Lord wherever the Lord rules (hint: that’s everywhere)!

Theologian Daniel J. Estes writes, “All the inhabitants of the earth are enjoined to celebrate God’s kingship … The glory of the Lord, which the heavens declare, must also be proclaimed by humans, as they exclaim God’s unparalleled importance that is revealed through his works … As the Psalms reassert repeatedly, the wonders performed by the Lord are truly extraordinary, and they evoke awe and praise in the one who sees them.”

No matter how we feel, no matter what happens, there is never a good reason to withhold praise from the Lord. Whenever we feel discouraged, whenever we forget this call to sing a new song to the Lord, we can pause, pay attention, allow ourselves to be overcome with awe, and again choose to fully enter into worship the Lord God, King of the universe.

The second way in which Psalm 96 calls us is to worship the Lord God, King of the universe, who rules over the world in the present.

We join in the psalmist’s call to all the people of the world to join together here and now in celebration to the Lord. Other kings, other leaders, force people to give some kind of tribute or taxes. But the Lord is worthy of all of our worship and praise because of God’s great acts toward the world. God not only created the world but rules over the world in the present by keeping the world secure and managing the chaos.

Estes notes that “because Yahweh reigns over all peoples, not just the covenant nation of Israel, he deserves universal praise from all who live in his domain … In his realm there is both stability in the natural order and moral stability in his rule. As king, the Lord is both great and good, so he should be respected and revered by all humans … The only proper response to the Lord’s rule is exuberant joy by all those in his domain.”

In the year 1224, mystic, poet, and friar, Francis of Assisi wrote “Praises of God,” a beautiful prayer in poetic form:

You are holy, Lord, the only God, You do wonders.
You are strong, You are great, You are the most high,
You are the almighty King.
You, Holy Father, the King of heaven and earth.
You are Three and One, Lord God of gods;
You are good, all good, the highest good,
Lord, God, living and true.
You are love, charity.
You are wisdom; You are humility; You are patience;
You are beauty; You are meekness; You are security;
You are inner peace; You are joy; You are our hope and joy;
You are justice; You are moderation, You are all our riches.
You are beauty, You are meekness;
You are the protector,
You are the guardian and defender;
You are strength; You are refreshment.
You are our hope, You are our faith, You are our charity,
You are all our sweetness,
You are our eternal life:
Great and wonderful Lord,
God almighty, Merciful Savior.

The third way in which Psalm 96 calls us is to worship the Lord God, King of the universe, who will come to judge the world in the future.

We join in the psalmist’s call to celebrate God as the one who will come to judge with righteousness and faithfulness. We talked about this a good bit last Sunday. Theologian Beth Tanner offers these insights: “In some traditions, this good news of God’s coming to judge all the peoples with equity has become a threat. God’s coming to judge is a reason to be afraid, so afraid that you give your life to Jesus before you die so you do not burn in the fires of hell. Here [in Psalm 96] is a different view of God as judge and jury. We are not to cower in fear before the fierce and punishing God, but we are to bow down in celebration as we tell of God’s salvation with a new song each and every day. This psalm makes the future momentarily present now through word, gesture, practice. We are to prepare and come before God and celebrate God’s rule as judge of the world. We are to trust that God loves us and loves the world and believe that God’s justice will bring about a better world where righteousness and fairness are the ways of the kingdom. We are to pray for the judgment of God. This powerful psalm reminds us of the weighty message that should be the content of our praise.”

Estes adds that “when [the Lord] comes he will judge the world according to what is right, not by morally arbitrary dictates, because his righteous and faithful character is the standard for his rule. In the Lord might and right are perfectly wed, and that reality inspires praise by all his world.”

Psalm 96 reassures us that although the world is broken by the damaging effects of sin, the kingdom rule and reign of the Lord God will bring stability, equity, and righteousness, which satisfies the deepest longings of all humans. When all seems like doom and gloom, Psalm 96 reminds us that the Lord is indeed the hope for the world. The Lord God, the true King of the universe, will come to rule and reign in justice and will set everything that is wrong right at last.

For the remainder of today’s sermon, we are going to do what Psalm 96 calls us to do, to celebrate the enthronement of YHWH as king over all creation and king over the other gods. We are going to interactively worship the King of the universe for what God has done in the past, for what God is doing in the present, and for what God will do in the future. All of our readings are selections from the 8 Psalms of Praise we have looked at in this sermon series! At the beginning of each section, we will say one line together in unison.

UNISON: We worship you, Lord God, King of the universe, who created the world in the past!

PAST-1 – Psalm 8:1b,3 – “You have set your glory above the heavens … Your heavens [are] the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established”

PAST-2 – Psalm 33:6-9 – “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath of his mouth. He gathered the waters of the sea as in a bottle; he put the deeps in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.”

PAST-3 – Psalm 65:6-7 – “By your strength you established the mountains; you are girded with might. You silence the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples.”

PAST-4 – Psalm 96:5-6 – “For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Honor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.”

UNISON: We worship you, Lord God, King of the universe, who rules over the world in the present!

PRESENT-1 – Psalm 8:1a,9 – “O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”

PRESENT-2 – Psalm 19:1,7-9 – “The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork … The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.”

PRESENT-3 – Psalm 29:1-4 – “Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name; worship the Lord in holy splendor. The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over mighty waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.”

PRESENT-4 – Psalm 33:1-5 – “Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous. Praise befits the upright. Praise the Lord with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts. For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.”

PRESENT-5 – Psalm 68:3-4,19-20,32-35 – “Let the righteous be joyful; let them exult before God; let them be jubilant with joy. Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds — his name is the Lord— be exultant before him … Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. Our God is a God of salvation, and to God, the Lord, belongs escape from death … Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth; sing praises to the Lord, O rider in the heavens, the ancient heavens; listen, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice. Ascribe power to God, whose majesty is over Israel; and whose power is in the skies. Awesome is God in his sanctuary, the God of Israel; he gives power and strength to his people. Blessed be God!”

PRESENT-6 – Psalm 96:1-4,7-10a – “O sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be revered above all gods … Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts. Worship the Lord in holy splendor; tremble before him, all the earth. Say among the nations, ‘The Lord is king! The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved.’”

UNISON: We worship you, Lord God, King of the universe, who will come to judge the world in the future!

FUTURE-1 – Psalm 19:14 – “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”

FUTURE-2 – Psalm 29:10-11 – “The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king forever. May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!”

FUTURE-3 – Psalm 65:1-3 – “Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion; and to you shall vows be performed, O you who answer prayer! To you all flesh shall come. When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us, you forgive our transgressions.”

FUTURE-4 – Psalm 67:1-5,7 – “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known upon earth, your saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you … May God continue to bless us; let all the ends of the earth revere him.”

FUTURE-5 – Psalm 68:28 – “Summon your might, O God; show your strength, O God, as you have done for us before.”

FUTURE-6 – Psalm 96:10b-13 – “[The Lord] will judge the peoples with equity. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it. Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord; for he is coming, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with his truth.”