Joy to the World — Psalm 98

Introduction

Music is our way of trying to express the inexpressible. Sometimes we use music to express deep sadness, other times maddening confusion, and still other times indescribable joy. That’s why we often will have a song that’s our life song or our song as a couple or a special song with our kids. They become themes that help us to express what we think and feel.

I remember being in junior high, and my best friend really loved music and was one of the first guys I knew that had a discman. I ran in high circles. Well, you know that junior high is just a hard time in your life. You feel awkward and insecure and your classmates don’t usually do a lot to alleviate your concerns. But, I remember riding on the bus to a field trip with my best friend, and he handed me his headphones and told me he wanted me to listen to his life song. And, over and over, the band is just singing: “I’m a lossseeerrr.” Now, we weren’t exactly the popular kids in school, and I was as insecure as they come. But, I remember that just jolting me that he felt that way about himself. But, life and social media and the expectations of your family and the dreams that you have, they can help you identify with my friend, can’t they? Like if you were to just articulate how you feel with a song, that might be it.

God’s Word

The Good News is that the Bible sings a different song. The Psalms are the songbook of the Bible, and they help us to express the inexpressible. The music speaks when our words fail. And, it’s filled with songs that capture all of life’s complexities — love, sadness, grief, and joy. But, it also paints a picture of a New Song that is coming that displace all of the old songs — a song so great that everyone will know it, love it, and sing it. And, this psalm shares with us The Lyrics of the New Song: (Headline)

He’s “known” as “Lord.”

Psalm 98:1–3 “Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. The Lord has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.”

Exodus 15:2 “The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.”

Revelation 5:2 “And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?””

Revelation 5:12 “saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!””

True love doesn’t cool off. It deepens. It doesn’t always carry forward with it the excitement of new romance. But, it deepens in respect and trust and security and admiration. I remember the excitement when Megan and I first started dating and how much fun that was. It was really beautiful and exciting. I wouldn’t trade it. But, I love her far more deeply now. I admire her integrity. I trust her counsel. I don’t have to put my best foot forward with her. I can just be myself. That is, the beginning of love isn’t the height of the relationship. True love heightens as experience and knowledge increase. The more deeply I know her, the more deeply I love her.

That’s meant to be the picture of God and his people in the first verse of this song. The first verse is primarily aimed at his covenant relationship — his marriage — with Israel. And, his point is that they’ve gotten to know him in way that no other nation has — which should fuel passion and singing. And, they’re going to get to know him in even greater ways to come — which will fuel new passion and singing.

He starts with the familiar story of the Exodus. It really does form the tether between Israel and the LORD. You’ll notice at the end of verse 1 that it says: “His right hand and his holy arm have work salvation for him.” That’s the “marvelous things” “he has done.” That’s what He did in the “sight of nations.” That was the demonstration and proof of his “steadfast love.” And, what does it mean that “His right hand and holy arm” did the work of “salvation?” “Salvation” as Israel understood it was primarily in the context of victory over enemies. It was deliverance from their threats — threats often brought on by their sin. And, the “salvation” they experienced in the Exodus was especially remarkable because they experienced a great victory against a great army without having an army of their own. God did it with the strength of his “right hand” and his “holy arm.” He did it by his “marvelous works” because of his “steadfast love.” They weren’t saved by their own strength or their own battlefield tactics or because of their great leader. They were saved because God saved them apart from any works of their own.

And, do you remember how Israel responded when they got to the other side of the Red Sea? Do you remember how they responded when they experienced a salvation that they knew was by God’s power and kindness and love alone? They sang! Moses sang in Exodus 15:2 “The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.”

We have a “new song.”

Well, the point of the Psalm 98 there’s a time for a greater Exodus approaching, a greater salvation. It’s going to be an Exodus that’s going to reach “all the ends of the earth.” The Lord is going to be even better known by his people, and his people are going to know an even greater salvation than they’ve known. So, how should they respond? They should “sing a new song!”

The Bible is always reaching back and reaching forward at the same time. It has one eye on what God has done and another eye on what God will do. So, they sang of a song of God’s salvation from Egypt, and now they’re going to sing a new song of an even greater salvation. And, what’s the “New Song?” Revelation 5 tells us. Looking into heaven, there are myriads of myriads of heavenly beings singing: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” It’s about when God saved his people by no works of their own from sin and death. It’s about when God became more fully known because He walked among his people as one of his people. It’s about when God came that the “ends of the earth” might be reconciled to him.

We need an “old story.”

Y’all, this is the greatest story ever told!Heaven is astonished with awesome wonder, filled with impassioned singing because God became a man and died. Are we astonished? I’m afraid that we’ve grown so accustomed to the Good News that it feels like old news. Trevin Wax says: “The church faces her biggest challenge not when new errors start to win but when old truth no longer wows.” Churches are trying desperately to find ways to drum up some kind of interest in the Christmas story. I’ve seen everything from Dinosaurs to the Greatest Showman to about everything in between, hoping that they might someway, somehow backdoor the story of Jesus in a way that people mind find interest. But, it might also be because they aren’t sure the story is sufficent. It might also be because they think the story is too predictable and tired. But, those that know the Lord, those that are growing in their knowledge of the Lord, on their heart is the “New Song” of the heavenly places. Almighty God was born as an infant, died as a criminal, and was raised from the dead. Y’all, if you believe that, dinosaurs and the greatest showman just aren’t very impressive. The old story is good enough if you know God.. It’s the one we need to hear over and over. It’s the one that brings life and rest and hope and joy. Are you filled with wonder and awe at the salvation that God has wrought by his own hand? Are you astonished at his might works? Or, has the Good News begun to feel like old news?

He’s known as the Lord, and…

He’ll be “praised” as “king.”

Psalm 98:4–6 “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises! Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody! With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!”

There’s a progression that’s taking place throughout this psalm, and it’s how the knowledge of the Lord is spreading. God’s salvation is first revealed and experienced by Israel, but it’s going to all peoples in all places. The promise that through Abraham all nations would be blessed is being fulfilled. Before we’re finished it’s going to make it’s way to the rocks and oceans. So, you have Israel singing the “new song” and now “all the earth” have been invited to join them.

Praised as a “coronated” King.

And, there’s something significant that’s taking place. Verse 6 talks about trumpets and horns making a “joyful noise before the King.” These are the instruments that are used in the Scriptures for the coronating of a new king. And so, the picture is here that the king of Israel — namely God himself — is being coronated as the rightful king of all peoples in all places. Who was it that defeated the King/Pharaoh of Egypt? It was Israel’s king. Who was Israel’s king? The Lord. The Lord had shown himself to be the King of Kings, and the Psalm is envisioning him being seated upon his throne.

In fact, this Psalm is where “Joy to the World” originates. “Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Let earth receive her king!” And, that’s what’s happening here. The “making a joyful noise to the Lord” is accurately translated as “shout.” Many of you know that we had the opportunity to meet King Mswati in 2018, and it helped me to understand what was happening here. It’s a really intense environment, and everything is arranged just so. Then, they tell us the king is about to arrive, and we begin to hear a man walking and shouting. Being an American, I thought he was a protestor. But, he wasn’t a protestor. He was a praiser. He literally went before the King to proclaim the kings accomplishments and honors before the kings arrival so that everyone would be in proper awe.

Praised by a “global” choir.

So, the Psalm 98 vision is one in which “all the earth” becomes the praisers of the King, not out of compulsion, but out of sheer joy. The song of Moses, Miriam, and David, the song of the pregnant Mary and angels on the night of Jesus’ birth becomes the “new song” of the a choir that spans the whole earth. I love choirs. But, I especially love when the whole congregation forms the choir. That’s the millennia old roots of Christian worship, and that’s what I think should be our goal now. Because it points us forward to a greater choir coming. Can you imagine the whole earth as a choir praising the risen King? Imagine families in the savannas of Tanzania with beautiful smiles too big to measure. The sherpas of Nepal standing atop Everest with tears streaming down their faces. The indigenous peoples of the Oriente Rainforest in Ecuador on their knees in awe of glory. New York City finally still. Can you imagine it? Washington DC looking upward and feeling both small and loved. Can you imagine it? All of them joining with song of heaven sang on the first Christian by the angels: “Glory to God in the highest!”

It’s a global choir united in a melodic song, and it’s like we’ve been rehearsing for it all of our lives. Because we have been. Last week, I started feeling like maybe my sermons were a bit redundant. I know it may not always seem like it, but I try really hard to give you something fresh each week, a fresh way to see Jesus, a fresh way to apply the gospel. But, lately, I’ve worried that it’s become redundant. But, as I was meditating on Psalm 98, I realized that’s kind of the point. We gather here every week because every week, not because we need an innovative message with new ideas, but because we need to be reminded again that the work on the cross has been finished by our king, the stinger of death has been broken off, and rest is offered by him. That is, we gather here each week to rehearse the song of praise that we will enjoy forever. Like an Alma Mater that links together multiple generations with a common tune, we’ll all recognize it, know we’re meant to be together, and immediately start singing it. That’s the real purpose of Christmas and Advent. Not to teach us something new, but to help us rehearse something familiar so that it can reset our hearts again. This morning, will you join the angels and praise your king?

He’s known as Lord. He’ll be praise as King. And…

He’ll be “revered” as “judge.”

Psalm 98:7–9 “Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it! Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.”

Genesis 1:26–29 “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.”

One of the unique features of Psalm 98 is that there’s a progression that’s meant to be obvious. There are three verses to the Song, and in the Hebrew, each verse starts with a key word that shows how the New Song is taking over and spreading over the face of the earth. The first verse starts with “sing,” the second verse with “shout,” and the third verse with “resound.” And, each corresponds with a particular facet of God’s rule. Verse one is “Sing” to the “LORD.” Verse two is “shout” praises for the “king.” Verse 3 is “resound” the rulings of the Judge. So, there’s a progression from God’s people singing to all nations shouting to ultimately having the New Song reverberate across every piece of arid ground that exists on the earth.

God’s “vision” will be “realized.”

Genesis 1 is finally being fulfilled where the image bearers are so multiplied that the glory of God spreads over the face of the earth. What’s taking place is re-creation. God isn’t just making people new; God is making it all new. Paul tells us in Romans 8 that the whole creation is groaning with the groans of futility, the whole creation is in the pangs of childbirth. So, don’t miss how beautiful this is. Paul’s illustration of childbirth helps us see it. A mother in labor suffers and agonizes and groans and maybe even screams. It’s a long wait, and she’s not sure she’ll make it. But, when the baby comes and she hears that first cry and she holds him against her chest for the first time, she stops groaning, and she starts singing.

In Psalm 98, the earth stops groaning and starts singing. Psalm 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” But, Romans 1 says we struggle to see Him in it. The ground was cursed along with us in Genesis 3, after all. But, in the new Creation, you’ll see the glories of God clearly revealed everywhere you look. And, because of that, it will form the perfect environment for the new Zion — us — to thrive.

The news of the Judge resounding through the creation in Psalm 98 is not so much in the sense of him judging his enemies — though that’s certainly a piece of the picture. It’s more a picture of showing that God will ultimately win. His ways will win out. And, his people will win with him.

Your “song” will be “reversed.”

Right now, the world we live in seems to sing to us the song that my friend heard. Over and over, you hear: “You’re a loser. You’re a loser. Your life will never matter.” But, your song will be reversed. Your “New Song” says: “God wins, and you win with him.” So, that’s why we join in with the words that Isaac Watts wrote so many years ago: “Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Let earth receive her king.” “Amen, come Lord Jesus, come.”