Worship and Witness

KEY VERSE: “Sing to the LORD, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day.” —Psalm 96:2, New International Version

SELECTED SCRIPTURE: Psalm 96:1-13

THE NINETY-SIXTH PSALM is a prophecy concerning the Judgment Day of the Lord. This is made clear in the 13th verse, NIV, which says: “They will sing before the Lord [Jehovah], for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his truth.” The psalm speaks of the Heavenly Father’s—Jehovah’s—work of judgment, which it is; but as we know from other scriptures, this judgment work has been delegated to his Son, Jesus, as the ransom makes possible this Judgment Day.

This is a point that Jesus made clear when he said, “The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son! That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.”—John 5:22,23

The words of Jesus are corroborated by the Apostle Paul when he spoke before the men of Athens on Mars Hill—the Supreme Court of Athens. Paul was telling those assembled about the “Unknown God,” revealing him as Jehovah, the great Supreme Creator of the universe. As he spoke of his majestic accomplishments, he told them about a Judgment Day to come, saying, “He hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he bath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.” (Acts 17:31) Paul was clearly speaking of the appointment of Jesus for this judgment.

The traditional concept of the Judgment Day is that it is a time of terror, including the complete burning up of the earth. Instead, the Scriptures, through this psalm, show that there is great joy and rejoicing in song as this day arrives. It is the Millennial Day of God’s kingdom, when all the people of earth are able to worship God and to witness his glory properly for the first time. So the psalmist speaks the words of our Key Verse, and adds, “Let the earth be glad”!—vs. 11

This is the time when the prophecy is fulfilled: “The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” (Hab. 2:14) See also: Isaiah 11:9; 2:2-4; and Jeremiah 31:34. For the first time in man’s experience, judgment with justice and equity will prevail. Another verse reads: “Say among the nations, ‘The Lord reigns’. The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.”—vs. 10, NIV

The time will be past when ‘anything that can be shaken will have been shaken’, and a new era will dawn—one which will bring so much delight that all nature is pictured as being animated, and singing for joy. “Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them,” and, “Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy.” (vs. 12, NIV) How true it is that: “Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise” (vs. 4, NIV), and how completely and enthusiastically will all the families of earth respond, as this psalm tells us: “Ascribe to the Lord, O families of nations, 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 the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth.” (vss. 7-9, NIV) How eager the ‘families of nations’ will be to do what the psalm suggests!

| Home Page | Table of Contents |