Sing a New Song
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Key Verse: “Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.” Lesson Scriptures: Psalms 67:1-5; 96:1-9 |
BOTH THE SIXTY-SEVENTH and ninety-sixth Psalms call for praise to God because of the establishment of his kingdom of righteousness. This is a time longed for by all mankind. It is in fulfillment of the Lord’s Prayer as recited by his people for centuries, wherein they said, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matt. 6:10) Even those who are not of the Christian faith are unconsciously waiting for this blessed time as indicated by the Apostle Paul when he said, “The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed,” (Rom. 8:19, New International Version), for then God’s kingdom will come.
The fulfillment of the expectation of all the nations in the establishment of God’s kingdom will bring a new song to the lips of mankind, a song of praise to God. As Psalm 67 says, “O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth.” (vs. 4) The sentiments of our key verse then are repeated, ‘Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.’ Everyone (all the people) will want to praise God because his goodness will be manifest. “Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us. God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear [reverence] him.” (vss. 6,7) This will be a very joyful time as people learn the Truth, see the blessings come to them from God’s hand, and reverence him.
This same song of praise is the one mentioned in the ninety-sixth Psalm, “O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth.” (vs. 1) This new song is sung unto Jehovah. It is at the time of God’s kingdom that the nations will realize that he indeed is the great Supreme Creator of the universe. So the psalm continues, “Declare his glory among the heathen [nations], his wonders among all people. For the Lord is great.” (vss. 3,4) The people will learn then that what they were worshipping before were idols, made out of wood, stone, gold, silver, precious materials representative of the earth’s wealth. Materialism will give way to an appreciation of the Supreme Creator of all the universe, who “made the heavens.” (vs. 5) There will be a true appreciation for the honor, majesty, strength, beauty, and glory of the great Supreme Creator of the universe, Jehovah.—vss. 6-9
The glory of God is his goodness, which will be manifested in all the great works of that kingdom. The words of Jesus shall be fulfilled, “All that are in the graves … shall come forth.” (John 5:28,29) In addition to the resurrection of the dead, there will be the restoration of health in their bodies. Perfect human life will be accompanied by a perfect environment. The joy of the new song that mankind will sing to acknowledge God’s glory, his goodness, will flow throughout all of the earth. It is expressed so well in the closing verses of this psalm, “Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof. Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice Before the Lord: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.”—Ps. 96:11-13