Sing to the Lord a New Song: Psalm 96:1–3
“Sing a new song to the Lord;
let the whole earth sing to the Lord.
Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
proclaim his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his wondrous works among all peoples.”—Psalm 96:1–3 (CSB)
The book of Psalms is a collection of songs, poems, and prayers predominantly written by David. Throughout his writing, David takes his times of pain, strife, anger, and joy to God. However, the greatest theme found in Psalms is that of praise.
In 1 Chronicles 16, where the origin of the focal passage can be found, the act of musical worship to God around the ark of the covenant is made a priority by David. For this purpose, he composes a special song and assigns it to be sung by Asaph and his family.
Exposition
The command to worship God is nothing new. Since the beginning of time, creation was set in motion for His glory and to proclaim His glory. In Luke 19:40 Jesus explains that if the people were to be quiet, the rocks themselves would cry out.
Psalm 96:1–3 emphasizes this command and the importance of going further than personal worship to proclamation among all nations and peoples.
It is also important to note the use of sets of threes in this passage. When something in Scripture is said three times, the reader should pay attention as it is quite intentional. This is often the case when the author is placing special emphasis on something.
In this short passage, David commands the reader(s) to sing to the Lord three times and then adds three commands: bless His name, proclaim His salvation, and declare His wondrous works.
Application
On a personal note, the life of a Christian, you and I, must be founded in worship to God. It must be at the heart of everything we do, say, and think. Without the objective of worship and bringing God ultimate praise, anything we do is done in vain and conceit.
Psalm 96:1–3 goes deeper than a command. It puts on display the beauty in worshipping God. This includes how it starts but does not stay at the personal level. That is, our worship of Him should pour out into every aspect of our lives to such an extent that it is made evident to all the world. He is to be declared among all peoples and all nations.
But what about God should one declare? This may seem like an obvious or unnecessary question to some, but to others, or the students in your groups, it is valid.
Thankfully, Scripture gives us a clear answer: His salvation, His glory, and His wonderous works. Those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior have a personal relationship with God and have experienced His salvation, His glory, and His wonderous works. We do not have to overcomplicate it. Every Christian has been equipped with all that is needed to fulfill this task.
In our own lives, and to our students, we should emphasize the importance of spending daily time with God through prayer and reading His Word in order to know Him. By simply knowing God more, it is nearly impossible for our lives to not be completely saturated by all that He is, for us to see Him actively working around us, and for us to diffuse His glory into the lives of others. Additionally, we must pray (and teach others to pray) for where God would take us to share Him even further.
Psalm 96:1–3 teaches that God’s kingdom is for all nations. God is ultimately worthy of all adoration and He is so gracious to allow us the privilege of knowing Him. Let us obey Him as we share Him with our neighbors near and far.
Emily Dhakal lives in Louisiana where she serves in various ministries at First Baptist of Ponchatoula. She is also an ESL teacher and recently graduated from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary where she is earned a master of divinity in missions and a master of arts in discipleship. She loves passionately pursuing God and following wherever He leads.
