Here is a psalm that must have an interesting history. Strange things are said about it.The heading in the LXX reads, “When the house was built after the captivity, a Song by [or to] David.” How can it have been written after the captivity and yet been written to or by David?!
Most of this psalm is quoted in 1 Chron 16. So, did the Chronicler borrow the psalm to fill out his account?Or did the compilers of the psalms borrow and adapt a song sung on that occasion to place in the Psalter?We will never know.
Although the history of the psalm must be interesting, we have no way to reconstruct it. Instead, we will do best to try to learn its lessons.The lesson here, as in many of the psalms, has to do with worship. Psalm 96 teaches us several things about worship.
In worship, some things are worthy of repetition. The call to worship begins “Sing, sing, sing” (1-2).Later we are called to Ascribe, ascribe, ascribe” (7-8).
There is such a thing as vain repetition (Matt 6:7), but there is also such a thing as healthy repetition. Certain things, said of or to certain individuals, can hardly be said too much.Most of us probably need to spend more time singing to the Lord and ascribing to him the glory due his name.
In worship, holiness is proper. “Worship the Lord in the splendour of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!”
We serve a holy God and must worship him in holiness.The NIV assumes that his holiness is the focus of this verse, and, in a sense, it must be.We must worship him alone, because he alone is truly God.We must also be different, separate from, others; for the God we worship is different from, separate from, all others.
Holiness is not just a moral concept. There must always be ceremonial markers to remind us of what is special. Postmodern anti-culture has torn down these ceremonial markers when it comes to the worship of God.Yet, every culture has retained ceremonial markers in approaching those we really honour. When the King gives his throne speech, everyone attends and everyone in attendance dresses up. No MP will plead a soccer match as an excuse for missing. No one will wear inappropriate clothing.
It should not bother us that different people have different ways of marking specialness. It should bother us very much when no specialness is marked with reference to worshipping God.
While holiness is not entirely moral in nature, it is moral in nature. We cannot worship God correctly while failing to maintain his moral standards. To worship him, we must do so in holiness.
In worship, proclamation is inevitable. “3Declare his glory among the nations, his marvellous works among all the peoples! 10Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!”
This is one of the reasons that worship ought often to be public. Private worship is good. Private worship certainly should be the practise of every Christian (Mt 6:6). But worship is supposed to lead to proclamation. To do that, it must be public.The world wants to pressure us into silence, but wherever God is truly worshipped, evangelism soon follows.
That which we can keep quiet about, is obviously of secondary importance to us. We talk about what really matters to us. As Jeremiah said, “If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,” there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot” (Jer 20:9).
Let us make it our goal to worship him in holiness — repeatedly and publicly.