The Lord reigns; Indeed, the world is firmly established

Psalm 95-96 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

95 O come, let us sing for joy to the Lord,
Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.
² Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving,
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
³ For the Lord is a great God
And a great King above all gods,
⁴ In whose hand are the depths of the earth,
The peaks of the mountains are His also.
⁵ The sea is His, for it was He who made it,
And His hands formed the dry land.

⁶ 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.
Today, if you would hear His voice,
⁸ Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
As in the day of Massah in the wilderness,
⁹ “When your fathers tested Me,
They tried Me, though they had seen My work.
¹⁰ “For forty years I loathed that generation,
And said they are a people who err in their heart,
And they do not know My ways.
¹¹ “Therefore I swore in My anger,
Truly they shall not enter into My rest.”

A Call to Worship the Lord the Righteous Judge.

96 Sing to the Lord a new song;
Sing to the Lord, all the earth.
² Sing to the Lord, bless His name;
Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day.
³ Tell of His glory among the nations,
His wonderful deeds among all the peoples.
⁴ For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised;
He is to be feared above all gods.
⁵ For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
But the Lord made the heavens.
⁶ Splendor and majesty are before Him,
Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.

⁷ Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
^[ Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
⁸ Ascribe to the Lord the glory of His name;
Bring an offering and come into His courts.
⁹ Worship the Lord in holy attire;
Tremble before Him, all the earth.
¹⁰ Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns;
Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved;
He will judge the peoples with equity.”

¹¹ Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
Let the sea roar, and all it contains;
¹² Let the field exult, and all that is in it.
Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy
¹³ Before the Lord, for He is coming,
For He is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
And the peoples in His faithfulness.

How often do people grumble and complain that things don’t go well for them? How often do people strive, struggle and wander for years on end, not finding peace or contentment? People seek answers from the world, rather than from the one who created the world. The text today says:  Today, if you would hear His voice,  Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, As in the day of Massah in the wilderness, “When your fathers tested Me, They tried Me, though they had seen My work.  “For forty years I loathed that generation, And said they are a people who err in their heart, And they do not know My ways.  “Therefore I swore in My anger, Truly they shall not enter into My rest.”  The nation of Israel wandered in the wilderness for forty years because even though they saw the miraculous works of God, they refused to follow Him. In Numbers 14:20-24 it says:  I have pardoned them according to your word;  but indeed, as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord.  Surely all the men who have seen My glory and My signs which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have put Me to the test these ten times and have not listened to My voice,  shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who spurned Me see it. But My servant Caleb, because he has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land which he entered, and his descendants shall take possession of it.   We today have also seen the glory of God and His works. We have seen the work of Christ, the sacrifice for our sins and through His work we have been given a different spirit. Romans 1:18-23 says:  The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.  For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.  Having seen the glory of God in creation and seeing His love demonstrated in that while we were sinners Christ died for us, why would anyone choose to wander and strive against His will? Why would anyone test God? Why struggle and strive rather than entering the rest of God? In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus says: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”   God doesn’t leave anyone to wander through the wilderness, He allows us to choose if we will follow Him.  

Rather than struggling against God, the psalmist says:  O come, let us sing for joy to the Lord, Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God And a great King above all gods, In whose hand are the depths of the earth, The peaks of the mountains are His also. The sea is His, for it was He who made it, And His hands formed the dry land. Come, let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God…  Sing to the Lord a new song; Sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, bless His name; Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day. Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples. For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the Lord made the heavens.  Splendor and majesty are before Him, Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. 

Despite all the turmoil that the world currently knows, in the midst of a pandemic, although there is division and hatred throughout our society; The Lord reigns; Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved; He will judge the peoples with equity.” Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; Let the sea roar, and all it contains; Let the field exult, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy Before the Lord, for He is coming, For He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness And the peoples in His faithfulness.   Amen. Thank You heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ and precious Holy Spirit. Amen.