“Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth” (Psalm 96:1)

Psalm 96

I f you scream and yell for your favorite football team, they call you a great fan. If you shout one “hallelujah” in a church, they call you a crazy fanatic. Amazing, isn’t it?

There have been an estimated 97 million songs recorded since record-keeping began. The Beatles recorded 305 of those 97 million; Elvis, “the king of rock and roll,” recorded 768 of them. But the King of Kings has been the subject of tens of thousands, by far the most prolific song inspirer ever. The most-recorded single of all time is “Amazing Grace,” written in 1779 by John Newton, a spiritually reborn slave trader. With an estimated 37 million Christian church buildings on earth, the number of hymns and worship songs being sung every service of every day must be uncountable.

Arising from all these statistics is the fact that there are about two new songs recorded every minute. But for a person who loves Jesus, a new song should come out of his or her lips every day. His attributes, His goodness, His grace, and His wisdom are far beyond our ability to fathom.

To get “stuck in a rut” or bored or complacent or disinterested over Jesus is a tribute to a dying or nonexistent faith. To write and sing “a new song” from a heart of love, awe, and gratitude is the mark of a person who is in love with the object of every song ever written that eternally mattered..

• Psalm 96:2-3 – “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.”
  • What brings “a new song” to your heart each day?
  • Is Jesus the subject of your favorite musical meditation? Why or why not?
• Psalm 96:4-6 – “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.”
  • How can you keep God the song you sing every day?
  • What negative choices do you make that take God out of your “top hits” each day?
• Psalm 96:7-8 – “Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory of His name; bring an offering and come into His courts.”
  • The term ascribe comes from the Greek word apodido, which means to “regard a quality as belongs to” or “attribute something to a particular person.” The synonyms are: assign, accredit, or impute. What are the attributes of God that you ascribe to Him when you sing to Him “a new song” each day?
• Psalm 96:9 – “Worship the Lord in holy attire; tremble before Him, all the earth.”
  How does a believer worship God in “holy attire”?
  • What does it mean to “tremble before Him” as you worship?
  • What does an attitude of awe and reverence do to your worship?
  • To what extent does the mix of rap, country, and rock music in your smartphone contradict the call of Psalm 96?
  • Why does it matter?
• Psalm 96:12-13 – “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.”
  • How should “the coming of the Lord” affect the music of your heart?

John 13:15 – ​“For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.”

From today’s scripture, how does ​THE​ Shepherd inspire ​you​ to shepherd ​your​ flock?

“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” (Psalm 96:4-6).

A​doration, ​C​onfession, ​T​hanksgiving, ​S​upplication