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Psalm Ninety-six
Psalm 96
Chapter Contents
A call to all people to praise God. (1-9) God's
government and judgment. (10-13)
Commentary on Psalm 96:1-9
(Read Psalm 96:1-9)
When Christ finished his work on earth, and was received
into his glory in heaven, the church began to sing a new song unto him, and to
bless his name. His apostles and evangelists showed forth his salvation among
the heathen, his wonders among all people. All the earth is here summoned to
worship the Lord. We must worship him in the beauty of holiness, as God in
Christ, reconciling the world unto himself. Glorious things are said of him,
both as motives to praise and matter of praise.
Commentary on Psalm 96:10-13
(Read Psalm 96:10-13)
We are to hope and pray for that time, when Christ shall
reign in righteousness over all nations. He shall rule in the hearts of men, by
the power of truth, and the Spirit of righteousness. His coming draws nigh;
this King, this Judge standeth before the door, but he is not yet come. The
Lord will accept the praises of all who seek to promote the kingdom of Christ.
The sea can but roar, and how the trees of the wood can show that they rejoice
we know not; but He that searches the heart knows what is the mind of the
Spirit, and understands the words, the broken language of the weakest. Christ
will come to judge the earth, to execute just vengeance on his enemies, and to
fulfil his largest promises to his people. What then are we? Would that day be
welcome to us? If this be not our case, let us now begin to prepare to meet our
God, by seeking the pardon of our sins, and the renewal of our souls to
holiness.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on Psalms》
Psalm 96
Verse 1
[1] O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all
the earth.
O sing — Upon this new and great occasion, not the removal of
the ark, but the coming of the Messiah.
Verse 4
[4] For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is
to be feared above all gods.
Gods — The gods of the nations, as the next verse expounds
it.
Verse 6
[6] Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty
are in his sanctuary.
Before him — In his presence.
Verse 9
[9] O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear
before him, all the earth.
Beauty — Cloathed with all the gifts and graces, which are
necessary in God's worship.
Verse 10
[10] Say among the heathen that the LORD reigneth: the world
also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people
righteously.
Reigneth — God hath now set up his kingdom in the world.
Established — The nations of the world shall by
the means of it enjoy an established and lasting peace.
Verse 13
[13] 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.
Before — At the presence and approach of their Lord and Maker.
Cometh — To set up his throne among all the nations of the
earth.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on Psalms》
Exposition
Explanatory Notes and
Quaint Sayings
Hints to the Village
Preacher
SUBJECT. This Psalm is
evidently taken from that sacred song which was composed by David at the time
when "the ark of God was set in the midst of the tent which David had
prepared for it, and they offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings before
God." See the sixteenth chapter of the first book of the Chronicles. The
former part of that sacred song was probably omitted in this place because it
referred to Israel, and the design of the Holy Ghost in this psalm was to give
forth a song for the Gentiles, a triumphant hymn wherewith to celebrate the
conversion of the nations to Jehovah in gospel times. It follows fitly upon the
last Psalm, which describes the obstinacy of Israel, and the consequent taking
of the gospel from them that it might be preached among the nations who would
receive it, and in due time be fully won to Christ by its power. It thus makes
a pair with the Ninety-fifth Psalm. It is a grand MISSIONARY HYMN, and it is a
wonder that Jeers can read it and yet remain exclusive. If blindness in part
had not happened unto Israel, they might have seen long ago, and would now see,
that their God always had designs of love for all the families of men, and
never intended that his grace and his covenant should relate only to the seed
of Abraham after the flesh. We do not wonder that the large hearted David
rejoiced and danced before the ark, while he saw in vision all the earth
turning from idols to the one living and true God. Had Michal, Saul's daughter,
only been able to enter into his delight, she would not have reproached him,
and if the Jews at this day could only be enlarged in heart to feel sympathy
with all mankind, they also would sing for joy at the great prophecy that all
the earth shall be fitted with the glory of the Lord.
DIVISION. We will make
none, for the song is one and indivisible, a garment of praise without seam,
woven from the top throughout.
EXPOSITION
Verse
1. O sing unto the Lord a new song. New joys are filling the
hearts of men, for the glad tidings of blessing to all people are proclaimed,
therefore let them sing a new song. Angels inaugurated the new dispensation
with new songs, and shall not we take up the strain? The song is for Jehovah
alone, the hymns which chanted the praises of Jupiter and Neptune, Vishnoo and
Siva are hushed for ever; Bacchanalian shouts are silenced, lascivious sonnets
are no more. Unto the one only God all music is to be dedicated. Mourning is
over, and the time of singing of hearts has come. No dismal rites are
celebrated, no bloody sacrifices of human beings are presented, no cutting with
knives, and outcries of lamentation are presented by deluded votaries. Joy is
in the ascendant, and singing has become the universal expression of love, the
fitting voice of reverent adoration. Men are made new creatures, and their song
is new also. The names of Baalim are no more on their lips, the wanton music of
Ashtaroth ceaseth; the foolish ditty and the cruel war song are alike
forgotten; the song is holy, heavenly, pure, and pleasant. The psalmist speaks
as if he would lead the strain and be the chief musician, he invites, he
incites, he persuades to sacred worship, and cries with all his heart, "O
sing unto Jehovah a new song." Sing unto the Lord, all the earth.—National
jealousies are dead; a Jew invites the Gentiles to adore, and joins with them,
so that all the earth may lift up one common psalm as with one heart and voice
unto Jehovah, who hath visited it with his salvation. No corner of the world is
to be discordant, no race of heathen to be dumb. All the earth Jehovah made,
and all the earth must sing to him. As the sun shines on all lands, so are all
lands to delight in the light of the Sun of Righteousness. E Pluribus Unum,
out of many one song shall come forth. The multitudinous languages of the sons
of Adam, who were scattered at Babel, will blend in the same song when the
people are gathered at Zion. Nor men alone, but the earth itself is to praise
its Maker. Made subject to vanity for a while by a sad necessity, the creation
itself also is to be delivered from the bondage of corruption, and brought into
the glorious liberty of the children of God, so that sea and forest, field and
flood, are to be joyful before the Lord. Is this a dream? then let us dream
again. Blessed are the eyes which shall see the kingdom, and the ears which
shall hear its songs. Hasten thine advent, good Lord! Yea, send forth speedily
the rod of thy strength out of Zion, that the nations may bow before the Lord
and his Anointed.
Verse
2. Sing unto the Lord, bless his name. Thrice is the name of
the Lord repeated, and not without meaning. Is it not unto the Three One Lord
that the enlightened nations will sing? Unitarianism is the religion of units;
it is too cold to warm the world to worship; the sacred fire of adoration only
burns with vehement flame where the Trinity is believed in and beloved. In
other ways beside singing, the blessed Lord is to be blessed. His name, his
fame, his character, his revealed word and will are to be delighted in, and
remembered with perpetual thanksgiving. We may well bless him who so divinely
blesses us. At the very mention of his name it is meet to say, "Let him be
blessed for ever." Shew forth his salvation from day to day. The gospel is
the clearest revelation of himself, salvation, outshines creation and
providence; therefore let our praises overflow in that direction. Let us
proclaim the glad tidings, and do so continually, never ceasing the blissful
testimony. It is ever new, ever suitable, ever sure, ever perfect; therefore
let us show it forth continually until he come, both by words and deeds, by
songs and sermons, by sacred Baptism and by the Holy Supper, by books and by
speech, by Sabbath services and weekday worship. Each day brings us deeper
experience of our saving God, each day shows us anew how deeply men need his
salvation, each day reveals the power of the gospel, each day the Spirit
strives with the sons of men; therefore, never pausing, be it ours to tell out
the glorious message of free grace. Let those do this who know for themselves
what his salvation means; they can bear witness that there is salvation
in none other, and that in him salvation to the uttermost is to be found. Let
them show it forth till the echo flies around the spacious earth, and all the
armies of the sky unite to magnify the God who hath displayed his saving health
among all people.
Verse
3. Declare his glory among the heathen. His salvation is his glory,
the word of the gospel glorifies him; and this should be published far and
wide, till the remotest nations of the earth have known it. England has spent
much blood and treasure to keep up her own prestige among barbarians; when will
she be equally anxious to maintain the honour of her religion, the glory of her
Lord? It is to be feared that too often the name of the Lord Jesus has been
dishonoured among the heathen by the vices and cruelties of those who call
themselves Christians; may this fact excite true believers to greater diligence
in causing the gospel to be proclaimed as with a trumpet in all quarters of the
habitable globe. His wonders among all people. The gospel is a mass of wonders,
its history is full of wonders, and it is in itself far more marvellous than
miracles themselves. In the person of his Son the Lord has displayed wonders of
love, wisdom, grace, and power. All glory be unto his name; who can refuse to
tell out the story of redeeming grace and dying love? All the nations need to hear
of God's marvellous works; and a really living, self denying church would
solemnly resolve that right speedily they fill shall hear thereof. The tribes
which are dying out are not to be excluded from gospel teaching any more than
the great growing families which, like the fat kine of Pharaoh, are eating up
other races: Red Indians as well as Anglo Saxons are to hear of the wonders of
redeeming love. None are too degraded, none too cultured, none too savage, and
none too refined.
Verse
4. For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised. He is no
petty deity, presiding, as the heathen imagined their gods to do, over some one
nation, or one department of nature. Jehovah is great in power and dominion,
great in mind and act; nothing mean or narrow can be found in him or his acts,
in all things he is infinite. Praise should be proportionate to its object,
therefore let it be infinite when rendered unto the Lord. We cannot praise him
too much, too often, too zealously, too carefully, too joyfully. He deserves
that nothing in his worship should be little, but all the honour rendered unto
him should be given in largeness of heart, with the utmost zeal for his glory.
He is to be feared above all gods. Other gods have been worshipped at great
cost, and with much fervour, by their blinded rotaries, but Jehovah should be
adored with far greater reverence. Even if the graven images had been gods they
could not have borne comparison for an instant with the God of Israel, and
therefore his worship, should be far more zealous than any which has been
rendered to them. He is to be feared, for there is cause to fear. Dread of
other gods is mere superstition, awe of the Lord is pure religion. Holy fear is
the beginning of the graces, and yet it is the accompaniment of their highest
range. Fear of God is the blush upon the face of holiness enhancing its beauty.
Verse
5. For all the gods of the nations are idols. Mere images of
wood and stone, vanities, nothings. But the Lord made the heavens. The reality
of his Godhead is proved by his works, and foremost among these the psalmist
mentions that matchless piece of architecture which casts its arch over every
man's head, whose lamps are the light of all mankind, whose rains and dew fall
upon the fields of every people, and whence the Lord in voice of thunder is
heard speaking to every creature. The idol gods have no existence, but our God
is the author of all existences; they are mere earthly vanities, while he is
not only heavenly, but made the heavens. This is mentioned as an argument for
Jehovah's universal praise. Who can be worshipped but he? Since none can rival
him, let him be adored alone.
Verse
6. Honour and majesty are before him. Men can but mimic these
things; their pompous pageants are but the pretence of greatness. Honour and
majesty are with him and with him alone. In the presence of Jehovah real glory
and sovereignty abide, as constant attendants. Strength and beauty are in his
sanctuary. In him are combined all that is mighty and lovely, powerful and
resplendent. We have seen rugged strength devoid of beauty, we have also seen
elegance without strength; the union of the two is greatly to be admired. Do we
desire to see the "sublime and beautiful" at one glance? Then we must
look to the eternal throne. In the Chronicles we read strength and gladness;and
the two renderings do not disagree in sense, for in the highest degree in this
instance it is true that "a thing of beauty is a joy for ever." Not
in outward show or parade of costly robes does the glory of God consist; such
things are tricks of state with which the ignorant are dazzled; holiness,
justice, wisdom, grace, these are the splendours of Jehovah's courts, these the
jewels and the gold, the regalia, and the pomp of the courts of heaven.
Verse
7. The first six verses commenced with an exhortation to sing, three
times repeated, with the name of the Lord thrice mentioned; here we meet with
the expression, Give unto the Lord, used in the same triple manner. This is
after the manner of those poets whose flaming sonnets have best won the ear of,
the people, they reiterate choice words till they penetrate the soul and fire
the heart. The invocation of the sweet singer is still addressed to all
mankind, to whom he speaks as, Ye kindreds of the people. Divided into tribes
and families, we are called in our courses and order to appear before him and
ascribe to him all honour. "All worship be to God only, "is the motto
of one of our City companies, and it may well be the motto of all the families
upon earth. Family worship is peculiarly pleasing unto him who is the God of
all the families of Israel. Give unto the LORD glory and strength, that is to
say, recognise the glory and power of Jehovah, and ascribe them unto him in
your solemn hymns. Who is glorious but the Lord? Who is strong, save our God?
Ye great nations who count yourselves both famous and mighty, cease your
boastings! Ye monarchs, who are styled imperial and puissant, humble yourselves
in the dust before the only Potentate. Glory and strength are nowhere to be found,
save with the Lord, all others possess but the semblance thereof. Well did
Massilion declare, "God alone is great."
Verse
8. Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name. But who
can do that to the full? Can all the nations of the earth put together
discharge the mighty debt? All conceivable honour is due to our Creator,
Preserver, Benefactor, and Redeemer, and however much of zealous homage we may
offer to him, we cannot give him more than his due. If we cannot bring in the
full revenue which he justly claims, at least let us not fail from want of
honest endeavour. Bring an offering, and come into his courts. Come with an
unbloody sacrifice; atonement for sin having been made, it only remains to
bring thank offerings, and let not these be forgotten. To him who gives us all,
we ought gladly to give our grateful tithe. When assembling for public worship
we should make a point of bringing with us a contribution to his cause,
according to that ancient word, "None of you shall appear before me empty."
The time will come when from all ranks and nations the Lord will receive gifts
when they gather together for his worship. 0 long expected day begin!
Verse
9. 0 worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. This is the
only beauty which he cares for in our public services, and it is one for which
no other can compensate. Beauty of architecture and apparel he does not regard;
moral and spiritual beauty is that in which his soul delighteth. Worship must
not be rendered to God in a slovenly, sinful, superficial manner; we must be
reverent, sincere, earnest, and pure in heart both in our prayers and praises.
Purity is the white linen of the Lord's choristers, righteousness is the comely
garment of his priests, holiness is the royal apparel of his servants. Fear before
him, all the earth. "Tremble" is the word in the original, and it
expresses the profoundest awe, just as the word "worship" does, which
would be more accurately translated by "bow down." Even the bodily
frame would be moved to trembling and prostration if men were thoroughly
conscious of the power and glory of Jehovah. Men of the world ridiculed
"the Quakers" for trembling when under the power of the Holy Spirit;
had they been able to discern the majesty of the Eternal they would have quaked
also. There is a sacred trembling which is quite consistent with joy, the heart
may even quiver with an awful excess of delight. The sight of the King in his
beauty caused no alarm to John in Patmos, and yet it made him fall at his feet
as dead. Oh, to behold him and worship him with prostrate awe and sacred fear!
Verse
10. Say among the heathen that the LORD reigneth. This is the
gladdest news which can be carried to them,—the Lord Jehovah, in the person of
his Son has assumed the throne, and taken to himself his great power. Tell this
out among the heathen, and let the heathen themselves, being converted, repeat
the same rejoicing. The dominion of Jehovah Jesus is not irksome, his rule is
fraught with untold blessings, his yoke is easy, and his burden is light. The world
also shall be established that it shall not be moved. Society is safe where God
is king, no revolutions shall convulse his empire, no invasions shall disturb
his kingdom. A settled government is essential to national prosperity, the
reign of the god of truth and righteousness will promote this to the highest
degree. Sin has shaken the world, the reign of Jesus will set it fast again
upon sure foundations. He shall judge the people righteously. This is the best
method for establishing society on a secure basis, and this is the greatest
source of joy to oppressed nations. Iniquity makes the dynasties of tyrants
fall, equity causes the throne of Jesus to stand. He will impartially rule over
Jew and Gentile, prince and peasant, and this will bring happiness to those who
are now the victims of the despot's arbitrary will.
Verse
11. Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad. Above
and below let the joy be manifested. Let the angels who have stood in amaze at
the wickedness of men, now rejoice over their repentance and restoration to
favour, and let men themselves express their pleasure in seeing their true
prince set upon his throne. The book of creation has two covers, and on each of
these let the glory of the Lord be emblazoned in letters of joy. Let the sea
roar, and the fulness thereof Let it be no more a troubled sea, wailing over
shipwrecked mariners, and rehearsing the griefs of widows and orphans, but let
it adopt a cheerful note, and rejoice in the kingdom of the Lord. Let it
thunder out the name of the Lord when its tides are at its full, and let all
its teeming life express the utmost joy because the Lord reigneth even in the
depth of the sea. In common with the rest of the creation, the sea has groaned
and travailed until now; is not the time close at hand in which its hollow
murmur shall be exchanged for an outburst of joy? Will not every billow soon
flash forth the praises of him who once trod the sea?
"Waft,
waft, ye winds, his story!
And you ye waters, roll,
Till, like a sea of glory,
It spreads from pole to pole."
Verse
12. Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein. Let the
cultivated plains praise the Lord. Peace enables their owners to plough and sow
and reap, without fear of the rapine of invaders, and therefore in glad notes they
applaud him whose empire is peace. Both men, and creatures that graze the
plain, and the crops themselves are represented as swelling the praises of
Jehovah, and the figure is both bold and warranted, for the day shall come when
every inhabited rood of ground shall yield its song, and every farmstead shall
contain a church. Then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice. He does not
say, let them rejoice, but they shall do so. The faith of the psalmist turns
itself from the expression of desire to the fully assured prediction of the
event. Groves have in old times stood shuddering at the horrid orgies which
have been performed within their shade, the time shall come when they shall
sing for joy because of the holy worship, the sounds of which they shall hear.
The bush is the stronghold of savage men and robbers, but it shall be
sanctified to retirement and devotion. Perhaps the psalmist was thinking of the
birds; so Keble must have supposed, for he versifies the passage thus—
"Field
exults and meadow fair,
With each bud and blossom there,
In the lonely woodlands now
Chants aloud each rusting bough."
Verse
13. Before the LORD: for he cometh. Even now he is near, his
advent should, therefore, be the cause of immediate rejoicing: already are we
in his presence, let us worship him with delight. For he cometh to judge the
earth, to rule it with discretion; not to tax it, and control it by force, as
kings often do, but to preside as magistrates do whose business it is to see
justice carried out between man and man. All the world will be under the
jurisdiction of this great Judge, and before his bar all will be summoned to
appear. At this moment he is on the road, and the hour of his coming draweth
nigh. His great assize is proclaimed. Hear ye not the trumpets? His foot is on
the threshold. He shall judge the world with righteousness. His essential
rectitude will determine all causes and cases, there will be no bribery and
corruption there, neither can error or failure bc found in his decisions. And
the people with his truth, or rather "the nations in faithfulness."
Honesty, veracity, integrity, will rule upon his judgment seat. No nation shall
be favoured there, and none be made to suffer through prejudice. The black man
shall be tried by the same law as his white master, the aboriginal shall have
justice executed for him against his civilised exterminator, the crushed and
hunted Bushman shall have space to appeal against the Boer who slaughtered his
tribe, and the South Sea Islander shall gain attention to his piteous complaint
against the treacherous wretch who kidnapped him from his home. There shall be
true judgment given without fear or favour. In all this let the nations be
glad, and the universe rejoice. In closing, let us ourselves join in the song.
Since the whole universe is to be clothed with smiles, shall not we be glad? As
John Howe observes, "Shall we not partake in this common dutiful joy, and
fall into concert with the adoring loyal chorus? Will we cut ourselves off from
this happy obsequious throng? And what should put a pleasant face and aspect
upon the whole world, shall it only leave our faces covered with clouds, and a
mournful sadness?"
EXPLANATORY
NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
Whole
Psalm. What has been said of Psalm 67 may be fitly applied to the present
psalm. We need not hesitate to add that it is a millennial anthem. It accords
with the condition of the world when Christ shall sit enthroned in the willing
loyalty of our race. The nations join in an acclaim of praise to him as their
rightful Judge and King. There is a unanimity in the song, as if it ascended
from a world purged into a temple of holiness, and whose inhabitants were
indeed a royal priesthood, with one heart to make Jesus king, with one voice to
sound forth one peal of melody in praise of the name above every name. Fix the
eye for a moment on the precious vision of which we thus catch a glimpse. It
holds true to the deepest principles of our nature, that what we contemplate as
possible, much more what we anticipate as ceertain, lends us the very hope and
energy conducive to its realisation. On the contrary, despair paralyses effort.
Is it on this account that everywhere in prophecy, old and new, there floats
before us the ideal of a recovered and rejoicing world, at times transfigured into
a loftier scene, the new heavens and new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness?
So largely did this thought imbue the prophetic mind, that the language of Paul
warms into the animation of poetry, when even "the creature itself,
"according to his own vivid personification, like some noble bird,
drooping under the weight of its chain, with neck outstretched and eyeball
distended, is described as looking down into the vista of coming time for its
deliverance from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the
sons of God (Ro 8:19). He hastens to add, that "we are saved by
hope." It is true of the soul individually, we are saved by hope. It is
true of our race collectively, if ever a millennium is to dawn upon it, we are
saved by such a hope. Our earth may be in ruins meanwhile, blackness on the
sky, barrenness on the soil, because sin is everywhere; but a change is
promised. What we hope for, we labour for all the more that our hope is no
dream of fancy, but has its basis in the science and certainty of absolute
truth. "For as the earth hinges forth her bud, and as the garden causeth
the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause
righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations." (Isa
61:11) The tuning of the instrument is sometimes heard before the music comes.
The mother teaches her child to lisp a hymn before he comprehends its full
scope and meaning. And so here, in this holy psalm, the Jerusalem from above,
the mother of us all, trains us to the utterance of a song suitable to seasons
of millennial glory, when the Moloch of oppression, the Mammon of our avarice,
the Ashtaroth of fiery lust, every erring creed, every false religion, shall
have given place to the worship of the one true and living God—to the faith and
love of Christ. "Let the peoples praise thee, O God; let all the peoples
praise thee." W.H. Gould, in "The Mission Hymn of the Hebrew
Church: a Sermon." 1865.
Whole
Psalm. This psalm is entitled in the Septuagint, "A Hymn of
David; when the Temple was rebuilt after the Captivity, " and this
appears to be a true description of it; for the substance of it is found in 1Ch
16:23-33, where it is described as having been delivered by David into the hand
of Asaph and his brethren, to thank the Lord when the Ark was brought up to
Zion. David's Psalm here receives a new name, and is called a new song (sir
chadash), because new mercies of God were now to be celebrated; mercies
greater than David had ever received, even when he brought the Ark to Zion. They
who now sang the old song, which had thus become a new song, identified
themselves with David, and identified him with themselves. Chr. Wordsworth.
Whole
Psalm. Subject.—Call to praise, in view of Christ's second advent and
glorious reign.—To apply it.—Look forward to the glorious day of the
Lord's coming; and realize its approach that you may prepare for it. A. R.
C. Dallas.
Verse
1. O sing unto the LORD a new song, etc. "A new
song, " unknown to you before. Come, all ye nations of the wide earth, who,
up to this hour, have been giving your worship to dead gods that were no gods
at all; come and give your hearts to the true and only God in this new
song! Henry Cowles.
Verse
1. A new song. It must be "a new canticle, "a
beautiful canticle, and elegantly composed; also a canticle for fresh favours:
in like manner, a canticle befitting men who have been regenerated, in whom
avarice has been supplanted by charity; and finally, a canticle not like that
of Moses, or Deborah, or any of the old canticles that could not be sung
outside the land of promise, according to Ps 137:4; "How shall we sing the
LORD'S song in a strange land?" but a new canticle that may be sung all
over the world; and he, therefore, adds, Sing unto the LORD, all the earth,
not only Judea, but the whole world. Bellarmine.
Verse
1. New. The word is used to describe that which is
delightful, exquisite, precious, etc. Martin Geier.
Verse
1. New. New things are generally most approved, and
especially in songs; for Pindar praises old wine and new songs. John
Cocceius, 1603-1669.
Verse
1. A new song. Our old songs were those of pride, of
gluttony, of luxury, in hope of gain, prosperity, or harm to others; our "new
song" is of praise, reverence, and obedience, and love to God, in
newness of life, in the Spirit that quickeneth, no longer in the letter that
killeth, but keepeth that new commandment, that we love one another, not with
the narrow patriotism and fellow feeling of a small tribe, or a mere national
church, but with a citizenship which embraces all the whole earth. Neale
and Littledale.
Verse
1. Sing unto the LORD. We find it thrice said, sing unto
the Lord, that we may understand that we are to sing unto Him with mind,
and tongue, and deed. For all these things must be joined together, and the
life ought to correspond with the mouth and mind. As Abbot Absalom says, When
the speech does not jar with the life, there is sweet harmony. Le Blanc.
Verse
1. All the earth. It is a missionary hymn for all ages
of the church; and it becomes more and more appropriate to our times in
proportion as the heathen begin to respond to the call, "Sing unto the
Lord a new song, "and in proportion as we find in the melancholy condition
of the church at home occasion to look with a hopeful eye towards the heathen
world. E. W. Hengstenberg.
Verse
2. From day to day. Continually; always. It is a fit subject
for unceasing praise. Every man should praise God every day—on each returning
morning, and on every evening—for the assurance that there is a way of salvation
provided for him, and that he may be happy for ever. If we had right feelings,
this would be the first thought which would burst upon the mind each morning,
irradiating, as with sunbeams, all around us; and it would be the last thought
which would linger in the soul as we lie down at night, and close our eyes in
slumber making us grateful, calm, happy, as we sink to rest, for whether we
wake or not in this world, we may be for ever happy. Albert Barnes.
Verse
2. From day to day. Other news delights us only at first
hearing; but the good news of our redemption is sweet from day to day, ac si
in codera die redemptio fuisset opereta, saith Kimchi here, as if it were
done but today. Tam recens mihi nunc Christus est, saith Luther, ac
si hac hora fudisset sanguinem, Christ is now as fresh unto me as if he had
shed his blood but this very hour. John Trapp.
Verse
3. Declare. The corresponding word is a book;and the
participle is often rendered a scribe, a writer. Ps 45:1. The verb is rendered,
tell, show forth, declare. The variety of verbs used in Ps 96:1-3, proves that
we are to employ all proper means for making known the Saviour. One of these
methods is by writing. W. S. Plumer.
Verse
3. Declare his glory—what a glorious person the Messiah is;
the brightness of his Father's glory; having all the perfections of Deity in
him; how the glory of God appears in him, and in all that he has done; and
especially in the work of redemption, in which the glory of divine wisdom,
power, justice, truth, and faithfulness, love, grace, and mercy, is richly
displayed; say what glory he is advanced unto, having done his work, being
highly exalted, set at the right hand of God, and crowned with glory and
honour, and what a fulness of grace there is in him, for the supply of his
people; and what a glory is on him, which they shall behold to all eternity. John
Gill.
Verse
3. His glory shines from every ray of light that reaches us from a
thousand stars; it sparkles from the mountain tops that reflect the earliest
and retain the last rays of the rising and the setting sun; it spreads over the
expanse of the sea, and speaks in the murmur of its restless waves; it girdles
the earth with a zone of light, and flings over it an aureole of beauty. In the
varied forms of animal tribes; in the relations of our world to other worlds,
in the revolutions of planets, in the springing of flowers, in the fall of
waters, and in the flight of birds; in the sea, the rivers, and the air; in
heights and depths, in wonders and mysteries,—Christ wears the crown, sways the
sceptre, and receives from all a tribute to his sovereignty. We cannot augment
it; we cannot add one ray of light to the faintness of a distant star nor give
wings to an apterous insect, nor change a white hair into black. We can unfold,
but not create; we can adore, but not increase; we can recognise the footprints
of Deity, but not add to them. John Cumming in "From Patmos to
Paradise, "1873.
Verse
3. Declare his glory among the heathen, etc. It is a part of
the commission given to the ministers of the gospel, not only to teach their
congregations concerning Christ, but also to have a care that they who never
did hear of him, may know what he is, what he hath done and suffered, and what
good may be had by his mediation. Nothing so glorious to God, nothing so
wonderful in itself, as is the salvation of man by Christ; to behold God saving
his enemies by the incarnation, sufferings, and obedience of Christ the eternal
Son of God: Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people.
David Dickson.
Verse
3. Declare his glory. It is his glory which should be
proclaimed, not the learning, ability, and eloquence of the orator who
professes to speak for Him; it is his glory, the loving beauty, the
attractiveness of his gospel, the lavish promises to repentant sinners, the
blessedness of heaven, which should be the chief themes of discourse; not
threats, menaces, sermons on hell or torment to affright men, and at best make
them God's trembling slaves, not his loving friends. The preaching is to be unto
all people, in obscure country districts, amongst unpolished and illiterate
congregations, and not to be confined, as fashionable preachers like to confine
it, to the cultivated and critical audiences of the capital. Hugo, quoted by
Neale and Littledale.
Verse
3. His glory. What he had before called salvation, he
now names glory, and afterwards wonders. And since this
salvation, whereby the human race is redeemed from eternal death and damnation,
is glorious and full of wonders, it is therefore worthy of admiration and
praise. Mollerus.
Verse
3. His wonders. What a wonderful person he is, for he is God
manifest in the flesh; what wonderful love he has shown in his incarnation,
obedience, sufferings, and death; what amazing miracles he wrought, and what a
wonderful work he performed; the work of our redemption, the wonder of men and
angels; declare his wonderful resurrection from the dead, his ascension to
heaven, sitting at the right hand of God, and intercession for his people; the
wonderful effusion of his Spirit, and the conquests of his grace, and the
enlargement of his kingdom in the world; as also what wonders will be wrought
by him when he appears a second time; how the dead will be raised and all will
be judged. John Gill.
Verse
5. For all the gods of the nations are idols. Nothings,
nonentities, a favourite description of idols in Isaiah's later prophecies. See
eg Isa 41:24, and compare Le 19:4 26:1, 1Co 8:4-6 10:19. A less probable
etymology of the Hebrew word makes it a diminutive of (la) El, analogous to godlings
as an expression of contempt. J. A. Alexander.
Verse
5. The gods of the nations are idols. Their Elohim are elilim.
See 1Ch 16:26. The word elilim occurs in two places in the Psalms, here
and Ps 97:7. It is used most frequently by Isaiah, and properly signifies nothings,
as St. Paul says, "an idol is nothing." (1Co 8:4.) Chr.
Wordsworth.
Verse
5. The Lord made the heavens. Ps 96:5 is a notandum. What a
tribute to astronomy is it that the Lord is so often done homage to as having
made the heavens! Let the theology of nature be blended with the theology of
conscience—a full recognition of the strength and the glory which shine
palpably forth in the wonders of creation, with the spiritual offerings of holy
worship and holy service. Thomas Chalmers.
Oh,
if so much of beauty doth reveal
Itself in every vein of life and nature,
How beautiful must be the Source itself,
The Ever Bright One! Esaias Tegner, 1782-1847.
Verse
6. In his sanctuary. That is to say (1) his ark, tabernacle,
or temple, as many writers consider. Kimchi, as quoted by Muis, suggests that
where joy or beauty is mentioned as being in his temple, it is set in
opposition to the perpetual grief of the Philistines when the ark was in their
cities. They saw the Lord's strength, but not his beauty. (2) Others refer the
word sanctuary to the church of Christ, which, as Munster remarks, is adorned
with heavenly ornaments, and was typified by the magnificence of Solomon's
temple. Certainly it is in the church that the spiritual power and beauty of
the Lord are to be most clearly seen. (3) The passage may refer to heaven,
where the divine presence is more peculiarly manifest. C. H. S.
Verse
7. Ye kindreds of the people. There is a peculiar force, observes an
early commentator Cassiodorus, in this phrase, "kindreds of the
people, "much more than if we had the word "peoples"
alone; for in every nation there are at all times strangers, aliens, sojourners
abiding permanently or for a time, but not reckoned among the natives; while
the phrase here includes all such, and provides that none shall be shut out
because of his origin. Neale and Littledale.
Verse
7. Ye kindreds of the people. He calls upon them to come in
kindreds or families, in allusion to the Jewish custom of families coming by
themselves, on the several festival days to worship in Jerusalem; and the Holy
Ghost gives us here to understand that such custom was to serve as a model for
Christians, whose families should unite in coming to the church to give glory and
honour to God for all the wonderful things he accomplished in the redemption of
man; for it was not by our own industry, or by our merits, that we have come to
grace, and to be the adopted children of God, but through God's mercy, to whom,
therefore, is due all honour and glory. Bellarmine.
Verse
8. Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name. It is a
debt; and a debt, in equity, must be paid. The honour due to his name is to
acknowledge him to be holy, just, true, powerful: "The Lord, the faithful
God, ""good, merciful, long suffering, "etc. Defraud not his
name of the least honour. Adam Clarke.
Verse
8. Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name. Is all the
glory due unto God's name, and ought it, in strict justice, to have been
ascribed unto him by men, ever since man began to exist? How immeasurably great
then is the debt which our world has contracted, and under the burden of which
it now groans! During every day and every hour which has elapsed since the
apostasy of man, this debt has been increasing; for every day and every hour
all men ought to have given unto Jehovah the glory which is due to his name.
But no man has ever done this fully. And a vast proportion of our race have
never done it at all. Now the difference between the tribute which men ought to
have paid to God and that which they actually have paid constitutes the debt of
which we are speaking. How vast, then, how incalculable is it! Edward
Payson.
Verse
8. Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name. Every
glory will not serve the turn, but such glory as is proper and peculiar for
that God we serve. It is a stated rule in Scripture that, respects to God
must be proportioned to the nature of God. God is a spirit,
therefore will be worshipped in spirit and truth. God is a God of peace,
therefore lift up pure hands, without wrath and doubting. God is a holy
God, therefore will be sanctified. They which worship the sun, among
the heathens, they used a flying horse, as a thing most suitable to the swift
motion of the sun. Well, then, they that will glorify and honour God with a
glory due to his name, must sanctify him as well as honour him. Why? For
"God is glorious in holiness, "Ex 15:11. This is that which God
counteth to be his chief excellency, and the glory which he will manifest among
the sons of men. Thomas Minton.
Verse
8. Bring an offering. This is language taken from the temple
worship, and means that God is to be worshipped, in the manner which he has
prescribed, as a suitable expression of his majesty. The word here rendered "offering"—hxkm,
minkhah—is that which is commonly used to denote a bloodless offering, a
thank offering. Albert Barnes.
Verse
9. In the beauty of holiness, or, in the ornament of
holiness, alluding to the splendid robes of eastern worshippers. W. Wilson.
Verse
9. The beauty of holiness. Shall I call holiness an
attribute? Is it not rather the glorious combination of all his attributes into
one perfect whole? As all his attributes proceed from the absolute, so all
again converge and meet in holiness. As from the insufferable white light of
the Absolute they all seem to diverge and separate into prismatic hues, so they
all seem again to converge and meet and combine in the dazzling white radiance
of his holiness. This, therefore, is rather the intense whiteness, purity,
clearness, the infinite lustre and splendour of his perfect nature—like a gem
without flaw, without stain, and without colour. All of his attributes are
glorious, but in this we have a combination of all into a still more glorious
whole. It is for this reason that it is so frequently in Scripture associated
with the Divine beauty. The poetic nature of the psalmist is exalted to ecstasy
in contemplation of the "beauty of holiness, "the "beauty
of the Lord." Beauty is a combination of elements according to the
laws of harmony; the more beautiful the parts or elements, and the more perfect
the harmonious combination, the higher the beauty. How high and glorious,
therefore, must be the beauty of this attribute which is the perfect combination
of all his infinite perfections! You see, then, why this attribute is awful to
us. In the ideal man all the faculties and powers, mental, moral, and bodily,
work together in perfect harmony, making sweet music—the image of God is clear
and pure in the human heart. But, alas! how far are we from the ideal! In the
actual man the purity is stained, the beauty is defaced, the harmony is changed
into jarring discord, "like sweet bells jangled out of tune." How it
came so, we are not now inquiring. We all feel that it is so. Therefore is this
attribute so awful to us. It is the awfulness of absolute purity in the
presence of impurity; it is the awfulness of perfect beauty in the presence of
deformity; it is the awfulness of honour in the presence of dishonour and shame;
in one word, it is the awfulness of holiness in the presence of sinfulness.
How, then, shall we approach him before whom angels bow and archangels veil
their faces—him in whose sight the white radiance of heaven itself is stained
with impurity? Joseph Le Coute, in "Religion and Science, "1874.
Verse
9. The beauty of holiness. The religion of the gospel of
Christ is "the beauty of holiness, "as it concerns its Author,
its plan, its fruits. First, As it concerns its Author. Whatever we can
understand as meant by beauty or holiness, we see in the attributes of God,
whether we consider them in all their harmony, or contemplate any one of them
in particular... Secondly. As to its plan. Survey the gospel where we will, or
regard whatever we can that is revealed concerning it, we find it to be all "beauty";
and we cannot call it by a more appropriate name than "the beauty of
holiness." Thirdly, As to its fruits. There is a holy
separation, a beautiful character of holiness, a separation as to character,
feelings, and conduct; these are all the various fruits of grace; and so the
man becomes beautiful in holiness. Leigh Richmond, 1772-1827.
Verse
10. Say among the heathen that the LORD reigneth. This clause
reads in the old Latin version, "Tell it out among the heathen, that the
Lord reigneth from the tree." Justin Martyr accuses the Jews, that
they have erased the words "a ligno", apo xulou, which are wanting in
the original and in the Septuagint. Mrs. Charles renders the verse thus:
"The
truth that David learned to sing,
Its deep fulfilment here attains;
Tell all the earth the Lord is king!
Lo, from the cross, a King he reigns!"
--From "Christ in Song. Hymns of Immanuel, with Notes by P.
Schaff," 1870.
Verse
10. Say among the heathen that the LORD reigneth. It is not
enough to feel desire;we must "say among the heathen, the
Lord reigneth." There is a commandment given us of the Load to "go
into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature"—to tell them
what Christ hath taught us—to say to them, in fact, "The LORD
reigneth." . . . We go among the heathen, and say, "the Lord
reigneth"—point them to all the various objects in creation—to the
stars of heaven, to the beauties of vegetation, to the daily occurrences of providence,
to the body fearfully and wonderfully made, to its continual preservation and
supply. We may easily take our text from every thing by which we are
surrounded, and say, "The Lord reigneth." But we must not stop here.
It is well to have right views of God as the Creator; but it is only as we view
him as the God of Redemption, that we can praise him "in the beauty
of holiness." Leigh Richmond.
Verse
10. Say among the heathen that the LORD reigneth must be the
Christian's as it was the Israelite's motto. The earliest preaching of our
Saviour and his disciples was the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom.
It was because all power was given unto him in heaven and in earth,
that, after his resurrection from the dead, Jesus sent forth his apostles to go
and teach all nations. The substance of the apostles' subsequent preaching was,
confessedly, the kingdom of God. J. F. Thrupp.
Verse
10. Say among the heathen. Go, ye that are already become
proselytes unto him, and publish everywhere, in all countries, that the Lord Christ
is the sovereign of the world, who alone can make it happy: for he shall settle
those in peace that submit unto his government: and they shall not be so
disturbed as they were wont with wars and tumults: he shall administer equal
justice unto all: and neither suffer the good to be unrewarded, nor the evil to
escape unpunished. Symon Patrick.
Verse
10. The world also, etc. The natural world shall be
established; the standing of the world, and its stability, is owing to the
mediation of Christ. Sin had given it a shock, and still threatens it; but
Christ, as redeemer, upholds all things, and preserves the course of nature.
The world of mankind shall be established, shall be preserved, till all that
belong to the election of grace are called in, though a guilty, provoking world.
The Christian religion, as far as it is embraced, shall establish states and
kingdoms, and preserve good order among men. The church in the world shall be
established, that it cannot be moved, for it is built upon a rock, and the
gates of hell shall never prevail against it; it is a "kingdom that cannot
be shaken." Matthew Henry.
Verse
10. It shall not be moved. When we learn from the records of
geology, as they are inscribed upon the rocks, how numerous and thorough have
been the revolutions of the surface and the crust of the globe in past ages;
how often and how long the present dry land has been alternately above and
beneath the ocean; how frequently the crust of the globe has been fractured,
bent, and dislocated; now lifted upward, and now thrown downward, and now
folded by lateral pressure; how frequently melted matter has been forced
through its strata and through its fissures to the surface; in short, how every
particle of the accessible portions of the globe has undergone entire
metamorphoses; and especially when we recollect what strong evidence there is
that oceans of liquid matter exist beneath the solid crust, and that probably
the whole interior of the earth is in that condition, with expansive energy
sufficient to rend the globe into fragments; when we review all these facts, we
cannot but feel that the condition of the surface of the globe must be one of
great insecurity and liability to change. But it is not so. On the contrary,
the present state of the globe is one of permanent uniformity and entire
security, except those comparatively slight catastrophes which result from
earthquakes, volcanoes, and local deluges. Even the climate has experienced no
general change within historic times, and the profound mathematical researches
of Baron Fourier have demonstrated that, even though the internal parts of the
globe are in an incandescent state, beneath a crust thirty or forty miles, the
temperature of the surface has long since ceased to be affected by the melted
central mass; that it is not now more than one seventeenth of a degree higher
than it would be if the interior were ice; and that hundreds of thousands of
years will not see it lowered, from this cause, more than the seventeenth part
of a degree. And as to the apprehension that the entire crust of the globe may
be broken through, and fall into the melted matter beneath, just reflect what
solidity and strength there must be in a mass of hard rock from fifty to one
hundred miles in thickness, and your fears of such a catastrophe will probably
vanish. Now, such a uniformity of climate and security from general ruin are
essential to the comfort and existence of animal nature. But it must have
required infinite wisdom and benevolence so to arrange and balance the mighty
elements of change and ruin which exist in the earth, that they should hold one
another in check, and make the world a quiet, unchanged, and secure dwelling
place for so many thousands of years. Surely that wisdom must have been guided
by infinite benevolence. Edward Hitchcock, in "The Religion of Geology,
"1851.
Verse
11. Let the heavens rejoice. As the whole creation, both
animate and inanimate, has groaned beneath the weight of the curse, so shall
the whole creation partake of the great deliverance." The Speaker's
Commentary, "1873.
Verse
11. Let the sea roar.
Thou
paragon of elemental powers,
Mystery of waters—never slumbering sea!
Impassioned orator with lips sublime,
Whose waves are arguments which prove a God!
—Robert Montgomery, 1807-1855.
Verses
11-12. God will graciously accept the holy joys and praises of all the
hearty well wishers to the kingdom of Christ, be their capacity never so mean. The
sea can but roar, and how the trees of the wood can show that
they rejoice, I know not; but "he that searcheth the heart, knows
what is the mind of the Spirit, " and understands the language, the broken
language of the weakest. Matthew Henry.
Verses
11-13. These verses are full of comprehensive beauty and power. They
present the gathering together of everything under the confessed dominion of
the reigning Christ. Things in heaven, as well as things on earth, rejoice
together in the acknowledged blessing of the Lord of peace. The Psalm is
throughout a very sweet strain of millennial prophecy. Arthur Pridham.
Verses
11-13. Nothing can excel that noble exultation of universal nature in
the 96th Psalm, which has been so often commended, where the whole animate and
inanimate creation unite in the praises of their Maker. Poetry here seems to
assume the highest tone of triumph and exultation, and to revel, if I may so
express myself, in all the extravagance of joy. Robert Lowth.
Verses
11-13. Although there are some who by heaven understand angels;by
the earth, men;by the sea, troublesome spirits;by trees
and fields, the Gentiles who were to believe, yet this need not
be thought strange, because such prosopopaeias are frequent in
Scripture. Adam Clarke.
Verse
12. Let the fields be joyful, etc. Let the husbandmen, and the
shepherds, and all that dwell in the fields leap for joy; and the woodmen and
foresters shout for joy, to see the happy day approaching; when all the idols
that are worshipped there shall be thrown down together with their groves. Symon
Patrick.
Verse
12. Rejoice. The verb wgr expresses the vibratory motion,
either of a dancer's feet, or of a singer's lip. Samuel Horsley.
Verse
12. The trees of the wood.
His
praise, ye winds, that from four quarters blow,
Breathe soft or loud; and wave your tops, ye Pines,
With every plant, in sign of worship wave. John Milton.
Verses
12-13. He cometh, etc.
It
chanced upon the merry, merry Christmas eve,
I went sighing past the church across the moorland dreary—
"Oh! never sin and want and woe this earth will leave,
And the bells but mock the wailing round, they sing so cheery.
How
long O Lord! how long before thou come again?
Still in cellar, and in garret, and on moorland dreary
The orphans moan, and widows weep, and poor men toil in vain,
Till earth is sick of hope deferred, though Christmas bells be cheery."
Then
arose a joyous clamour from the wild fowl on the mere,
Beneath the stars, across the snow, like clear bells ringing.
And a voice within cried. "Listen! Christmas carols even here!
Though thou be dumb, yet over their work the stars and snows are singing.
Blind!
I live, I love, I reign: and all the nations through
With the thunder of my judgments even now are ringing;
Do thou fulfil thy work but as yon wild fowl do,
Thou wilt heed no less the wailing, yet hear through it angels singing."
—Charles Kingsley, 1858.
Verse
13. For he cometh, for he cometh. Because the thing was hard
to be believed, the Prophet asserts twice that God should come, that he should
be Judge and King, and Governor of all. Martinus Bucerus in Expos.
Ecclesiast.
Verse
13. He cometh. Not awby, "he shall come; "but
jpvl ab, "he cometh; "to show how near the time is. It is almost
daybreak, and the court is ready to sit: "The Judge standeth at the door,
"Jas 5:9. Thomas Watson.
Verse
13. To judge. Vatablus remarks that to judge is the
word used instead of to reign, judicare pro regere, because judges in
the early days of the Holy Land exercised the power both of kings and
magistrates. The Lord comes to be to all nations a wiser judge than Samuel, a
greater champion than Samson, a mightier deliverer than Gideon. C. H. S.
Verse
13. He cometh to judge the earth. That is, to put earth in
order, to be its Gideon and Samson, to be its ruler, to fulfil all that
the Book of Judges delineates of a judge's office. It is, as Hengstenberg says,
"a gracious judging, "not a time of mere adjudication of causes or
pronouncing sentences—it is a day of jubilee. It is the happiest day our world
has ever seen. Who would not long for it? Who is there that does not pray for
it? It is the day of the Judge's glory, as well as of our world's freedom—the
day when "the judgement of this world" (Joh 12:31 16:11),
which his cross began and made sure, is completed by the total suppression of
Satan's reign, and the removal of the curse. All this is anticipated here; and
so we entitle this Psalm, The glory due to him who cometh to judge the
earth. Andrew A. Bonar.
Verse
13. He cometh to judge the earth, etc. In this new song they
take up the words of Enoch, the seventh from Adam (Jude 1:14), who preached of
the Coming of the Lord to judge the world. Chr. Wordsworth.
HINTS TO THE
VILLAGE PREACHER
Verse
1. The novelties of grace.
1.
A new salvation.
2. Creates a new heart.
3. Suggests a new song.
4. Secures new testimonies, and these,
5. Produce new converts.
Verses
1-3.
1.
The end desired—to see the earth singing unto the Lord, and blessing his name.
2.
The means suggested—the showing forth his salvation from day to day; declaring
his glory, etc.
3.
The certainly of its accomplishment. The Lord hath said it. "O sing,
"etc. When he commands earth must obey. G. R.
Verses
1-3. The progress of zeal.
1.
The spring of expansive desire, Ps 96:1.
2. The streamlet of practical daily effort, Ps 96:2.
3. The broad river of foreign missions, Ps 96:3. C. D.
Verses
1-9. We are to honour God.
1.
With songs, Ps 96:1-2.
2. With sermons, Ps 96:3.
3. With religious services, Ps 96:7-9.
—Matthew Henry.
Verses
3 (first clause).
1.
Declare among the heathen the glory of God's perfections, that they may
acknowledge him as the true God.
2.
Declare the glory of his salvation, that they may accept him as their only
Redeemer.
3.
Declare the glory of his providence, that they may confide in him as their
faithful guardian.
4.
Declare the glory of his word, that they may prize it as their chief treasure.
3.
Declare the glory of his service, that they may choose it as their noblest
occupation.
4.
Declare the glory of his residence, that they may seek it as their best home. William
Jackson.
Verse
3.
1.
What the gospel is, "God's glory, ""his wonders."
2. What shall we do with it—declare it.
3. To whom. "Among the heathen, "all people.
Verse
3 (last clause). His wonders among the people.
1.
The wonders of his Being, to inspire them with awe.
2. The wonders of his creation, to fill them with amazement.
3. The wonders of his judgments, to restrain them with fear.
4. The wonders of his grace, to allure them with love. W. Jackson.
Verses
4-6. Missionary sermon.
1.
Contrast Jehovah of the Bible with gods of human device.
2. Decide between divine worship and idolatry.
3. Appeal for effort on behalf of idolaters. C. D.
Verse
6. Honour and majesty are before him.
1.
As emanations from him.
2. As excellencies ascribed to him.
3. As characteristics of what is done by him.
4. As marks of all that dwell near him. W. Jackson.
Verse
6 (latter clause).—What we may see in God's sanctuary (strength,
and beauty). What we may obtain there, Ps 90:17 (strength and beauty). C. D.
Verse
8. Jehovah possesses a nature and character peculiar to himself; he
sustains various offices and relations, and he has performed many works which
he alone could perform. On all these accounts something is due to him from his
creatures. And when we regard him with such affections, and yield him such
services, as his nature, character, offices, and works deserve, then we give
unto him the glory which is due to his name.
1.
Let us inquire what is due to Jehovah on account of his nature.
2.
What is due to Jehovah on account of the character he possesses.
3.
What is due to God on account of the relations and offices which he
sustains—that of a creator, preserver.
4.
What is due to Jehovah on account of the works which he has performed, in
nature, providence and redemption. E. Payson.
Verse
8. The object of worship. The nature of worship. The accompaniment
of worship (an offering). The place of worship. C. D..
Verse
9. (first clause). An examination of true and false worship.
1.
False worship, in the obscurity of ignorance, in the dulness of formalism, in
the offensiveness of indulged sin, in the hideousness of hypocrisy.
2.
True worship, in the beauty of holiness. C. D.
Verse
9. Holy fear an essential ingredient in true religion.
Verses
10-13. The reign of righteousness.
1.
The announcement of a righteous king and judge.
2. The joyful reception prepared for him.
3. His glorious coming. C. D.
Verses
11-12. The sympathy of nature with the work of grace; especially
dwelling upon its fuller display in the millennial period.
── C.H. Spurgeon《The Treasury of David》