Psalm 100
A psalm. For giving grateful praise.
1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
What do you think it means for the “all the earth” to shout for joy to the Lord?
Reflect
From R.C. Sproul, Ligonier Ministries
Remarkably, the psalm opens with a call for all the earth to “make a joyful noise to the LORD (v. 1). Because the Old Testament is so concerned with the history of God’s relationship to ancient Israel, it can be easy for us to assume that the ancient Israelites had no real concern for the salvation of the nations around them. Without a doubt, the prophets do condemn Israel for being a poor witness to the Gentiles, for not fulfilling her call to be a servant and light to the nations (Isa. 42:18-25). Nevertheless, there were always people in the old covenant community who sought to bring the worship of the one true God to the nations.
This is confirmed in Psalm 100:3, which states, “Know that the LORD, he is God!” In our English translations of the Old Testament, the Hebrew name Yahweh, which is the special covenant name of Israel’s covenant Lord, is typically rendered using small caps: “LORD.” To paraphrase, then, verse 3 is a call to the nations to understand that the Lord of Israel alone is God, that the Lord of Israel is not ruler over just that nation but is the only true God, the Creator of all. The Lord who has revealed the Scriptures treasured by the ancient Israelites is the only God. All people belong to Him by right, and those who will trust and believe in Him will belong to Him as His treasured possession. They and they alone will be His children (Deut. 7:6; John 1:11-13).
To read the rest of this reflection, go to https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/rejoicing-unto-lord/
Respond
We can sometimes think of worship as only singing. But what does it mean worship God with your whole life? How could doing so help “bring the worship of the one true God to the nations”?
