Sing, for the righteous judge is coming
Psalm 96
1 O sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvellous works among all the peoples.
4 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be revered above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
6 Honour and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts.
9 Worship the Lord in holy splendour;
tremble before him, all the earth.
10 Say among the nations, ‘The Lord is king!
The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved.
He will judge the peoples with equity.’
11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
12 let the field exult, and everything in it.
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
13 before the Lord; for he is coming,
for he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with his truth.
If Psalm 148 rejoiced in God as creator, this psalm celebrates God as fair and honest judge. The one who made all things (Psalm 148, Genesis 1), is also the one who will judge all things with equity (Psalm 96, Revelation 20,21).
The great God is coming, the one who is revered above all other things. God is great, honour and majesty, strength and beauty are his characteristics, and so God is worthy of glory. This great God is the one before whom all the earth will tremble. Before this God all the power and honours that human beings have are nothing. This great God is coming.
The one who made the earth, who set the seasons and the rotation of the earth. This God is coming to judge the people of the earth with equity. Vs. 11 and 12 paint a fascinating picture – the cosmos, including the earth; the seas and everything in them; the fields and forests and everything in them - - are glad, rejoice, roar, exult, sing – because God is coming to judge the earth.
God will bring righteousness – that is, true justice – not a justice impacted by the loudest voice, not a justice swayed by those who have power, not a justice that caters to public opinion – no, this is a judge that rules with equity – with truth – with fairness towards all. Notice that creation itself awaits the coming of the judge with hope and expectation, and we are invited to join creation in that joyful expectation.
Often the thought of God as judge strikes fear into hearts – but in this psalm God coming as judge is looked forward to with great hope and excitement. With joy and expectation. This is the one who is coming, who will set all things right. And that is the source of the joy.
PRAYER:
We rejoice, Lord God of majesty and justice, that you are coming as the righteous and truthful judge. And with all creation we look forward to your arrival as judge of all things. Even so, come Lord Jesus, and renew all things. Amen.