Psalm 96:2–3 (ESV) … “Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!”
Three times we are commanded to sing to the Lord, and this parallels the three times in verses 7–8 that the psalmist commands us to “give” (“ascribe,” nasb, niv) glory to Him. (For “a new song,” see 33:3.) A new experience of God’s blessing, a new truth discovered in the Word, a new beginning after a crisis, a new open door for service—all of these can make an old song new or give us a new song from the Lord.
This call to worship is not extended to Israel alone but also to the Gentile nations (see also vv. 3, 7, 9, 11, 13). One day when Jesus reigns on earth, all nations will come to Jerusalem to worship Him (Isa. 2:1–4). It will be a time when the glory of God will be revealed to all peoples (vv. 3, 7–8; Gen. 12:1–3; 22:18; Isa. 60:1–3). In the Greek translation of the Old Testament, “show forth” (v. 2; “proclaim,” nasb, niv) is the word used in the New Testament for “preaching the good news” and gives us the English word “evangelize.” The good news of the victory of Jesus Christ gives us something to sing about, for He is the only Savior and will save all who trust Him (John 14:6; John 4:22; Acts 4:12; Rom. 10:1–15).[1]
[1] Wiersbe, W. W. (2004). Be exultant (1st ed., pp. 30–31). Cook Communications Ministries.
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