February 13th

Psalm 98

Joy to the World

If the psalms had been written by a single author, you might think he or she was bipolar. The highs are very high, and the lows are very low. Some psalms are full of bitterness and despair, complaining about God's silence. Why has he abandoned us? Why is faith so bitter? Other psalms are nearly manic in their joy. This week's Psalm 98 is a case in point.

As the Bible so often does, Psalm 98 offers a counter-intuitive alternative to conventional wisdom: however low the cultural trends and opinion polls sink, do not yield to the spirit of despair. Instead, choose the most radical of all personal options today — the subversive act of genuine joy.

The sicknesses of our world tempt us with fear and insecurity, but the psalmist encourages us to resist those voices. He invites each person, every nation, and "all the ends of the earth" to experience the joy of being known and loved by Israel's God.

While this psalm is a near double of Psalm 96, there are differences.  Psalm 96 focuses on God’s glory with a rich description of that glory.  Psalm 98 focuses on the natural human response to God’s greatness and deeds.  Despite the disasters of sin and the terrors of history, the Lord alone is King, and God will make things right. 

Vs. 1-2 – Invitation to sing a new song

Joy to the world, the Lord is come
Let Earth receive her King
Let every heart prepare Him room
And Heaven and nature sing
And Heaven and nature sing
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing

Vs. 3-6 – Let all the nations sing

He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness
And wonders of His love (and wonders of His love)
And wonders of His love (and wonders of His love)
And wonders, wonders of His love

An invitation to universal praise.  And note how full instrumentation is added to the human voice (v.5-6).

Vs. 7-9 – Let all creation sing

Joy to the Earth, the Savior reigns
Let all their songs employ
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy

All of the cosmos is enlisted to sing the ‘new song’:

⁷ Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
   the world and those who live in it.
⁸ Let the rivers clap their hands;
   let the hills sing together for joy
⁹ at the presence of the Lord, for he is coming
   to establish justice on the earth.
God will establish justice in the world with righteousness,
       God will establish justice among all people fairly.

Appropriately this psalm is often used on Christmas Day for it affirms the conviction that the birth of Christ is the new and marvellous work that God is doing in the world. 

It is also used at Easter, a reminder that the incarnation, crucifixion, and the resurrection together proclaim the good news that God loves the world and that they show a God of Divine sovereignty who rules not as sheer force as sheer love! 

* When have you been not merely happy but joyful, and why?
* What are some common substitutes for joy?
* How might you cultivate joy?
* Is it possible to be joyful even in times of difficulty and sadness?             

* Sing Joy to the World, Isaac Watts great hymn based on this psalm.