Can’t sing? Try shouting!

1 O sing to the Lord a new song,

For He has done marvelous and wonderful things;

His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him.

2 The Lord has made known His salvation;

He has [openly] revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations.

3 He has [graciously] remembered His lovingkindness and His faithfulness to the house of Israel;

All the ends of the earth have witnessed the salvation of our God. (Psa 98:1-3 Amp).

Here is the work of salvation prophesied by David 1,000 years before the appearance of Jesus.  A new song because God alone got the victory (or salvation as it could be translated) for helpless humanity.

When you look at these verses, you can’t help but marvel at the long foretold work of God who would assume human form to become sin and a curse so that He could pardon, justify, redeem, adopt and heal the ungodly (us). Here was to be the right hand of God, all the strength and power of God, placarded before the world on a cross.

David foreknew that God’s salvation would be openly revealed right at the start of a new day. That God’s righteousness would be freely declared for all to see.

It was the third hour (9:00 a.m.) when they crucified Him. (Mk 15:25 Amp).

Such insight into a stupendous event of the future that would impact the entire world, could only have been revealed by the Holy Spirit acting on David.

In this Psalm David goes to lengths naming the strings, brass, wind and percussion instruments of his day to praise and worship the King, our Saviour. To the loudness of men worshipping, David then adds all creation worshipping God with thunderous applause and melody.

I smile when I think of our praise sessions in the west, that we believe are appropriate and reverential. My girlfriend in Tanzania often gets warnings on her smartwatch during praise and worship, that the volume is so loud, she should avoid temporary damage to her eardrums.

David urges us to “shout joyfully to the LORD” (v4a). In my book shouting is worlds apart from singing, and evidently David agrees for he separates the 2:

Shout [in jubilation] and sing for joy and sing praises. (Psa. 98:4b).

So how we choose to sing or shout is irrelevant. What God desires is a heart so sold out to Him, that we sing aloud of His worth and majesty. Who but our great God could stretch out his hand to save us in such a way to maintain His own righteousness, holiness and justice?

Shout with joy before the King, the Lord.(Psa. 98:6b)

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