Psalm 96 - Worship the Lord, All the Earth

This past week, Berkley’s family and I visited Utah for a family vacation. We stayed in Park City, explored different places, ate at several restaurants, talked, did some sightseeing, visited the Great Salt Lake—and one of my favorite days was when we went to a regular lake and got to paddleboard.

Paddleboarding isn’t something I do often, but every time I do, I wonder why I don’t do it more. There’s something incredibly calming about being out in the middle of a lake—just you, the board, and the stillness. Surrounded by trees and mountains, with water all around, you slow down. You’re trying to balance and paddle, but you can’t help but look up and around and take it all in.

In those moments, I always find myself saying, “Wow, God. You are amazing.” The same God who made all of this—the water, the mountains, the sky—loves me? That truth never gets old. It humbles me. And it stirs up worship.

It’s in those quiet moments that everything else seems to fade. The noise quiets. The stress eases. And I’m reminded again of why I’m alive: to glorify God. To worship Him. To sing to Him. To declare His power. To share the good news with the world.

Let me ask you— Have you ever stopped and asked: “Who am I? Why am I here?” What’s my purpose? What am I supposed to be doing with my life?

Psalm 96 is a call to the whole world to recognize and respond to the glory of God. It begins with a command to sing—not just Israel, but all the earth. It reminds us that worship is not optional for creation—it’s the purpose we were made for.

Then it calls us to ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name. Not because God is lacking anything, but because He is worthy. He is strong, glorious, holy, and set apart. The psalm reminds us that worship involves reverence—it should lead us to tremble.

Finally, it turns our eyes to the coming judgment. But unlike how we usually think of judgment, Psalm 96 says that creation itself rejoices at this. Why? Because God will judge in righteousness and faithfulness. He will make all things right.

This is a psalm of joy, reverence, and global invitation—and it gives us our purpose: to declare His glory to all the earth.

Let’s pray.

Sing to the Lord (v1-6)

Psalm 96:1–3 ESV

1 Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! 2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. 3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!

Of course, the worship pastor gets the psalm that talks about singing and worshiping God. But this is not just my job—this is our job. Worship is the purpose of all creation. The Westminster Shorter Catechism reminds us that “man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”

This call isn’t limited to worship leaders, musicians, or those who enjoy singing. It’s for all people and all creation. Psalm 96 calls all the earth to worship—not because God needs our praise, but because He is worthy of it.

Verses 1–3 highlight specific actions: Sing to the Lord. Bless His name. Tell of His salvation. Declare His glory. These are not casual suggestions. They are commands grounded in God's character. And they are daily, public, and global. Singing is one way we express our worship, and in the Bible, it’s a central way.

Even though we often associate worship with music, the true definition of worship goes much deeper. Worship is ultimately about sacrifice—laying our lives before God as a living offering (Romans 12:1). It’s about obedience, about surrendering our desires to our King. But that doesn’t mean music isn’t essential to worship—it is. Singing is part of living for God.

I’ll be honest: I sometimes swing to the other extreme. Because I don’t want to reduce worship to music, I can forget just how powerful singing is. But music has a unique power to sink truth into our hearts. Lyrics stick with us. Melodies replay in our minds. When the lyrics are filled with sound doctrine and gospel truth, singing becomes a form of spiritual formation.

When I was in high school, one of the best ways I knew a song was memorized was when I could speak the lyrics as if it were a poem. But without the melody, it got harder. I’d end up singing the tune just to remember the words. That’s the power of music—it helps truth take root. I’ll even make up goofy jingles sometimes, and before I know it, they’re stuck in my wife’s head (and she’s not always thrilled about that). But that’s the point—music stays with us. So when we sing songs saturated with the gospel, those truths stay with us too.

So church, David says: Sing to the Lord. If you love singing—sing to God. If you don’t feel like singing—sing to God. If you don’t think you have a good voice—sing to God. Why? Because worship is not about how you feel in the moment. It’s about who God is. And if worship means being a living sacrifice, then sometimes we have to offer praise even when we don’t feel like it.

That’s what verses 1–3 call us to do: Sing. Proclaim. Declare. And it’s not just for the believer—“all the earth” is commanded to praise. If you’re not living to glorify God, you’re not just missing your purpose—you’re rebelling against it. And that is sin against a holy and righteous Judge.

David then moves from our responsibility to God’s unmatched worth:

Psalm 96:4–6 ESV

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 worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens. 6 Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

This psalm has no author assigned to it, but many believe it was written by David, as a nearly identical version appears in 1 Chronicles 16:23–34—a psalm David sang when the ark of the covenant was brought into Jerusalem.

In 1 Chronicles 16, this marks the return of God’s presence among His people. The ark symbolized God's throne and His nearness, and David responds with singing, dancing, and public praise. Psalm 96, quoted in that moment, reflects the joy of God reigning—not just over Israel, but over all nations. The call to sing to the Lord, all the earth flows from this: God is not a local deity, but the King of all creation, worthy of global worship.

But the culture around David—much like ours—was filled with idol worship. The surrounding nations worshiped gods of fertility, war, weather, prosperity—whatever they believed could give them control or blessing. These “gods” were more like tools than objects of reverence.

Our culture today might not bow to statues, but we still worship false gods. We place our trust in money, comfort, fame, politics, productivity, or self-expression. We want to do what we want, when we want. We live in a culture of autonomy, where the highest good is doing what feels right for you.

But Psalm 96 pulls the curtain back: “All the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens.” In other words: everything we chase apart from God is worthless. There is only one Creator, only one who is truly great, and only one who deserves our worship.

And when you encounter Him—truly see Him—you begin to understand verse 6: “Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.”  The word splendor in verse 6 means more than just beauty—it’s the Hebrew word hōd, which refers to majestic glory. It describes the kind of greatness that surrounds a true King. David is saying that wherever God is, His presence radiates power, majesty, and beauty that sets Him apart from every other so-called god.

He is not like us. He is not merely useful—He is glorious. He is not manageable or even comprehendible, He is to be feared.

So what do we do in light of this?

We sing. We proclaim. We declare.

The glory of God.

Ascribe to His Glory (Verses 7-9)

Psalm 96:7–9 ESV

7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength! 8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts! 9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!

The Hebrew word for ascribe—yahab—means to give or assign. It doesn’t mean we’re giving God something He doesn’t have, but that we’re acknowledging what is already His: glory, strength, and honor. We are publicly crediting God with what He alone deserves.

In verse 7, when David says, “Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,” he is first speaking from within the context of Israel—the people of the promise. These are the descendants of Abraham, the chosen people through whom God would bring His blessing to the world. David himself came from that line, and Israel had been set apart to glorify God and reflect His holiness.

But here's where we need clarity: many within Judaism today believe this call to worship is only for Israel. once heard Ben Shapiro, a prominent Jewish commentator, explain in an interview that Judaism and Christianity differ significantly when it comes to evangelism. He said, “We don’t believe everyone has to be Jewish.” In other words, the Jewish faith sees itself as a national covenant, not a universal call.

But when we look at the Scriptures—especially the Old Testament—we see that this understanding misses something essential. Yes, Israel is chosen, but not as an end in itself but to be a light to the world.

We then move to verse 8, which stood out to me when reading.

Psalm 96:8 ESV

8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts!

The word "due" in this verse is key. It speaks to a debt—a debt we could never repay because it’s not something God can earn from us. You see, God is not lacking in glory but He is due it. It’s His nature. The very fact that He is our Creator, our Sustainer, our Redeemer makes Him owed worship and honor.

Isaiah 42:8 ESV

8 I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.

God is a jealous God. and rightfully so church. He created everything and deserves worship.

A humbling reminder Church is that God does not need us. He has blessed us with life and he because He is a gloriuos being, He is owed worship. He is owed glory!

The second part of the verse says, “bring an offering, and come into His courts.” Here, the offering symbolizes our response to God’s glory. In the Old Testament, offerings were a physical act of worship—a tangible way of acknowledging God's worth. For us today, our offering is no longer about sacrificing animals, but about offering our lives. We give ourselves as living sacrifices, worshiping God with every part of who we are—our time, our talents, and our treasures.

When we enter God's courts, we are invited into His holy presence. It’s not just a physical place but a spiritual act. To enter His courts is to recognize that we are in His presence, that we are surrounded by His glory, and that we come before Him in reverence and awe.

We then see verse 9, which I believe is the main point of what David is wanting to convey to all of us.

Psalm 96:9 ESV

9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!

David’s not just calling the faithful to worship—he’s calling the entire earth to bow in awe before a holy God. This is the main idea of the passage: worship God in His holiness, and tremble.

And here’s where the tone shifts.

David uses the word “tremble.” That’s not just poetic language—it’s weighty. Church, do you tremble before God? I’ve had moments where I’ve felt that weight, where I’ve been overwhelmed by His power and holiness. It’s frightening—and yet beautiful. Because this holy God is on our side. But let’s be honest: we need to recover that sense of fear and reverence. We’re far too quick to make worship about us—our preferences, our feelings, our comfort. But when we truly see God, we lower ourselves. We recognize: He is God, and I am not.

A.W. Tozer - “Left to ourselves, we tend immediately to reduce God to manageable terms. We want to get Him where we can use Him… But that is not the God of Abraham, and it is not the God of the Bible.”

Yes, we should use God for holy strength, peace, and joy but we don’t use God as a tool to get what we want and basically trying to make us god over God. He is not manageable, He is is the alpha and the omega and all the earth needs to worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness with reverence.

Praise God the Great Judge (Verses 10-13)

Psalm 96:10–13 ESV

10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never 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 that fills it; 12 let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy 13 before the Lord, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness.

There’s been a global emphasis running through this psalm—from the opening call to “sing to the Lord, all the earth” to this final section where even creation itself rejoices at God's coming. This isn’t just Israel’s psalm—it’s a cosmic anthem. The whole world is called to respond to God's reign and His righteous judgment.

In verse 10, we’re told to “say among the nations, ‘The Lord reigns!’” Whether people acknowledge Him or not, God reigns. He rules even over those who reject Him. This verse shifts our focus from personal worship to global proclamation. We’re not just worshippers—we're witnesses. And our message is clear: “The Lord reigns.”

As I mentioned earlier, many scholars connect this psalm with the event recorded in 1 Chronicles 16, when David brought the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem. The ark represented God’s throne—His presence and authority dwelling with His people. So when David declares that “the Lord reigns,” he’s celebrating not just a throne in heaven, but the nearness of the King. This isn’t abstract theology—it’s personal, it’s public, and it’s profoundly true: the King is here, and He reigns.

And that reign should both comfort and sober us. As verse 10 continues, “He will judge the peoples with equity. meaning His righteous judgment. And while the word “judgment” can feel heavy, the truth is—we all long for it.

On Monday, July 28, 2025, a deadly shooting took place in Midtown Manhattan at 345 Park Avenue, a building filled with people just going about their day. A man entered with an AR-15 and body armor, opening fire in the lobby. Four innocent people were killed, including a police officer and two employees. Then, the shooter took his own life. The NYPD and FBI quickly secured the building, but the damage was done—and a city was left reeling.

In the wake of that tragedy, people were grieving, angry, and asking the question: Where is justice? And deep down, that’s not just an emotional reaction—it’s a spiritual reflex. Something in us aches for wrongs to be made right. We want to know that violence like this won’t have the final word.

That ache points us straight to Psalm 96. The Lord reigns. And He will judge the world with equity. His justice isn’t like ours—flawed, delayed, or politically driven. His judgment is perfect, fair, righteous, and faithful. It’s exactly what the world longs for, even when it doesn’t know where to look.

But here’s where this turns inward: we all want justice—until the light shines on us.

Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 6:23 follows: “For the wages of sin is death.”

We cry out for God to make things right out there—but Scripture reminds us that we’re part of the problem. Sin is something we all do.

But notice David’s tone here. It’s not fear—it’s joy. David isn’t bitter about judgment—he’s hopeful. He’s lived through betrayal, violence, and injustice. He knows what it’s like to suffer under unrighteous rulers. So he rejoices that God will judge the world in righteousness.

Then, in verses 11 and 12, the perspective shifts again. It’s not just people who rejoice—it’s creation itself. The heavens, the sea, the fields, the trees—they all burst into celebration. Why? Because He comes. He comes to judge—not out of cruelty, but to restore, to renew, and to make all things right.

Psalm 96:12–13 ESV

12 Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy 13 before the Lord, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness.

He is the ruler over all things.

He will judge the world.

We must worship the Lord and tremble before Him.

Gospel Connection: Jesus is coming back again to Judge the world

Psalm 96 is unique in its global call to worship—and it points us to the reason why: because God will judge the world in righteousness. That’s what we just saw in the final verses. God's judgment is real, and it is coming.

Here’s the gospel in simple terms: God designed the world perfectly, in harmony with Himself. But because of our sin, we’ve all walked away from that design. Our brokenness separates us from Him, and those who have sinned—which is all of us—stand under judgment. No amount of good works can save us or fix our standing before a holy God.

But Jesus came—fully God and fully man—lived a perfect life, died for our sins, and rose again to restore those who believe in the gospel.

This was what David longed for and anticipated. He understood the holiness of God and the seriousness of sin.

But here’s what many in David’s day—and even Jesus’ own disciples—got wrong: they expected the Messiah to bring immediate political deliverance, especially from Rome. But Jesus didn’t come first to overthrow earthly kingdoms—He came to save us from sin. As John 3:17 says:

John 3:17 ESV

17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

So yes, Jesus didn’t come first to judge the world—but He will return. And when He does, He will judge the world in righteousness (Psalm 96:13). That means everyone must respond to Him.

You can reject Him and face His righteous judgment in hell… Or you can repent, believe the gospel, and worship Him now and face But either way, God will judge, and we all must decide whom we will serve.

Application: Declare His Glory and Worship Him

So what do we do with Psalm 96?

We respond. We declare His glory and worship Him with our whole lives—because He is worthy, because He reigns, and because He is coming again.

Here are three clear responses this psalm calls us to: we will work backwards

3. Fear God—for He Will Judge (vv.9–13)

“Tremble before Him, all the earth.” Worship is not just joy—it’s reverence. Yes, God is near and loving. But He is also holy and just. The day is coming when He will judge the earth. That reality should humble us, awaken us, and send us out with urgency.

So Church, worship God with your lips, your life, and your witness. Declare His glory. Call others to worship. Because the King has come—and He is coming again.

2. Share the Gospel and Make Disciples (vv.7–9)

“Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength… tell of His salvation.” This is a public declaration—not just in worship gatherings, but to the nations. Psalm 96 points forward to Matthew 28:19–20 where Jesus says:

Matthew 28:19–20 ESV

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Evangelism is not just a church program—it’s a lifestyle. It’s our mission. Declare His glory among the nations.

(Mario Rappa story).

1. Sing to God (vv.1–3)

Worship isn’t just for the musically inclined—it’s for all of creation. Singing to God is not optional; it’s commanded. Whether you feel like it or not, whether you're musically gifted or not, lift your voice in praise. He is worthy.