3 For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

4 In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also.

5 The sea is his, and he made it : and his hands formed the dry land.

6 O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.

7 For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice,

WRITER: Unknown.

The words, "saying in David” (Heb. iv. 7), may be simply a general way of speaking of the Book of Psalms.

OCCASION: Unknown.
CHARACTER: Practical.
PRINCIPAL USE: For praise.

1-5. Exhortation to worship, and why? Because of His greatness. Notice how joyous and glad we should be. Vers. 4, 5, to be remembered in travelling or reading books of travel. "The rock of our salvation" God. How lovely!

6, 7. A renewed exhortation, and

Psalm 96.

I O SING unto the LORD a new song sing unto the Lord, all the earth.

2 Sing unto the LORD,

8 Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:

9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work.

10 Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:

II Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.

why? Because he is " our God." Not only good and great (ver. 3) as he is to all, but the God of Israel. See I Tim. iv. 10.

8-11. The warning. There seems to be no other alternative between glad and willing service and deadly hardening of the heart against God. What an important illustration is the example of Israel made both here ("as in the provocation") and in the Hebrews. Make much of that illustration. Cannot be excessive in our regard to it.

If

we do not love God, it is because we do not believe in Him. Mark (in Heb. iii. 7), "as the Holy Ghost saith." A claim to inspiration for the whole Book of Psalms.

bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day.

3 Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people.

4 For the LORD is great,

glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts.

9 O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.

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.

II Let the heavens rejoice,

4, 5. The Lord is a God, but all the gods of the nations are idols.

6. "Honour, majesty, strength, beauty." Think of these things, and from our point of view—i.e., practically. Beauty in His sancRememtuary as in Ps. 1. 2.

ber it was only a tent (1 Chron. xvi. I, and 2 Sam. vii. 2) which shows that David, while he thought nothing too good for the sanctuary in the way of outward splendour ("exceeding magnifical," i Chron. xxii. 5) yet knew that the real glory and beauty was a spiritual and a moral one. So Haggai ii. 9.

7-9. A call to worship. "Kindreds of the people"=families of Israel. "Beauty of holiness": God's sanctuary. Observe, the

=

whole earth to "fear before Him." This, a noteworthy feature in the psalm.

10. A call to make God known

among the heathen. Say (as it were) "the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Very like what St. Paul said at Athens (Acts xvii. 31). Judge the people." Compare I Pet. iv. 17.

66

11-13. Let all rejoice, because God will set everything to rights. Observe, even inanimate things

and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof.

12 Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice

may rejoice in that hope. "Judge by that man" (Acts xvii. 31). What

QUOTED IN NEW TESTAMENT. Ver. 7, in Heb. i. 6.

Psalm 97.

I THE LORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof.

2 Clouds and darkness are round about him righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.

3 A fire goeth before him,

WRITER: Unknown. OCCASION: Unknown. CHARACTER: Doctrinal.

I, 2. This is the keynote of the psalm: "The Lord reigneth." Let all who want comfort take comfort in that. Cannot see it (for "clouds" "darkness"); but must, and and may believe it. All is done, or permitted by Him: and all He does is right, or for the purpose of setting right ("judgment"). "Habitation means here establishment, or foundation.

3-6. These verses seem to declare how irresistible, in spite of appearances, the will or rule of God is; and how He sometimes manifests

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.

a world of difference that makes! Compare John v. 27.

and burneth up his enemies round about.

4 His lightnings enlightened the world: the earth saw, and trembled.

5 The hills melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.

6 The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory.

7 Confounded be all they

the power of it. There may be an allusion to the manifestation of God on Mount Sinai, perhaps to some other manifestation of His power. See "judgments" (ver. 8).

6. May not this verse mean-(1) the heavens declare that God is a righteous God; and (2) the people (Israel) saw His "glory" in their religion (Ps. lxiii. 2)? Two manifestations: natural and revealed. Confounded 7-9. The contrast. be idolaters: happy is Israel. There seems to be a reference to some "judgment" (ver. 2) that had just been carried out by God, like many of His interferences in behalf of Israel.

7. "Worship Him all ye gods,"

that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship him, all ye gods.

8 Zion heard, and was glad; and the daughters of Judah rejoiced because of thy judgments, O LORD.

9 For thou, LORD, art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods.

10 Ye that love the LORD,

or "ye angels," as it is in the Septuagint Version (and is so quoted in Heb. i. 6). The heathen, even in the best form of idolatry, worship the creature only. See I Cor. x. 20. The quotation in Heb. i. 6 declares what we should not otherwise have known, that these words refer to Christ. God in Christ throughout the Bible.

10-12. The character and privileges of those who are the true Israel: a practical application of the sub