"Sing to the Lord a New Song"
[Psalm 98]
Have you ever praised God when you were going through tough and difficult times? Have you experienced peace in your heart from God as a result of praising Him? Yesterday, after dinner with four deacons, we went to a coffee shop for dessert. I asked one deacon what he does when his heart is wounded, and he said that he sings. Then, right there in the coffee shop, he sang the first verse of hymn 543, "Toward the Heights." I didn't expect him to really sing in such a public place, but he did... haha! This morning, during our dawn prayer service, we read Psalm 68:35, and David the psalmist says:
"The God of Israel gives power and strength to His people. Bless God!"
God gives us strength and power, and when He calls us to praise Him, we experience the grace of receiving that strength and power.
Today, I want to reflect on Psalm 98:1-9 under the title "Sing to the Lord a New Song," and meditate on why we should praise God with a new song, who should praise Him, and how we should do so.
First, why should we praise God with a new song?
The reason is because of the marvelous works that God has done. Let us look at the first verse of today's passage from Psalm 98:
"Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things; His right hand and holy arm have worked salvation for Him."
The "marvelous things" here ultimately refer to "salvation." In other words, the reason we should sing a new song and praise the Lord is because of the salvation He has granted us. God has fulfilled His promised salvation for His chosen people, and for this reason, we must praise Him (Parker Yoon-Seon).
God has saved us "with His right hand and holy arm." This means that God saved us with His mighty right hand and through divine means (Parker Yoon-Seon).
Why did God send His only Son, Jesus Christ, to this world to die on the cross for people like us? Was it for our sake alone? In the first verse of this passage, the Bible tells us that God granted us salvation "for His own sake." In other words, God saved us to manifest His glory (Parker Yoon-Seon).
Therefore, the psalmist says:
"The Lord has made His salvation known and has revealed His righteousness to the nations." (v. 2)
By saving the people of Israel, God allowed "the ends of the earth to see the salvation of our God" (v. 3).
The reason God granted salvation to His people is because of His mercy and faithfulness toward them. As the psalmist says:
"He has remembered His love and faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God" (v. 3).
God's mercy and faithfulness toward Israel led Him to grant them salvation. And for this reason, the psalmist encourages us to praise God with a new song.
Secondly, who should praise the Lord with a new song?
It is "the whole earth." Let’s look at Psalm 98:4:
"Let the whole earth shout joyfully to the Lord; break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises."
The people of Israel, who have been saved through God’s great love and faithfulness, must praise the Lord. Not only the people of Israel but also we, ourselves, must praise God with a new song. We must praise God because of the grace of salvation that He has bestowed upon us. In the Old Testament, God chose the people of Israel in His love and promised them salvation. He faithfully fulfilled that promise, bringing about the history of salvation. In the New Testament, this history of salvation was realized for all nations, even to the ends of the earth (v. 3) (Parker Yoon-Seon). Therefore, all nations that enjoy the grace of salvation through God’s mercy and faithfulness must praise God with a new song.
The psalmist also says that not only all nations but all creation must praise God with a new song:
"Let the sea and everything in it roar, the world and those who dwell in it; let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy" (vv. 7-8).
These words urge us that "the sea and everything in it," "the world and those who dwell in it," as well as "the rivers" and "the mountains" should all praise God. The result of Christ’s redemptive work will be the renewal not just of God’s chosen people, but of all creation. Therefore, all of creation must praise God with a new song.
Let’s look at Romans 8:21:
"The creation itself will also be set free from the bondage of corruption into the glorious freedom of the children of God."
Just as we, the children of God, await freedom from corruption, creation itself also longs to be set free. Therefore, creation must joyfully praise God with hope and expectation.
Lastly, thirdly, how should we praise the Lord with a new song?
(1) We must praise the Lord with joy.
Let’s look at Psalm 98:4, 6, and 8:
"Let the whole earth shout joyfully to the Lord; break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises" (v. 4),
"With trumpets and the sound of the horn, shout joyfully before the King, the Lord!" (v. 6),
"Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy before the Lord" (v. 8).
When we praise the Lord with a new song alongside all of creation, we must do so with joy. The reason is that God has given us redemption in Jesus Christ. Especially, we have the joy of salvation, so we should praise God joyfully in that joy of salvation.
(2) We must praise the Lord with instruments.
Let’s look at verses 5-6 of Psalm 98:
"Praise the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the voice of singing."
"With trumpets and the sound of the horn, make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord."
As the psalmist advises, we should praise God with all instruments whenever we think of the grace of salvation He has given us.
Earlier this year, I participated in the funerals of the late Grandmother Jang Chang-Su and the late Pastor Kim Chang-Hyuk. At those services, we sang hymn 40, "The Greatness and Majesty of the Lord," a hymn they loved and often sang during their lifetimes. They praised the greatness of the Lord until their last breath. I also remember seeing them, moved to tears, express their deep gratitude for the grace of salvation God had bestowed upon them. I recall them reciting Psalm 23, beginning with: "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want" and ending with: "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Their final moments on this earth were truly a beautiful display of praise to the greatness and majesty of the Lord. I also desire to live a life praising the greatness of the Lord, just as they did, and to stand before Him one day.
After singing "The Greatness and Majesty of the Lord,"
Pastor James Kim
(Sharing in gratitude for the grace of salvation)