Psalm 98: The Lord is the Great Deliverer

Introduction

Scripture

Psalm 98 ESV

A Psalm. 1 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. 2 The Lord has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. 3 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. 4 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises! 5 Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody! 6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord! 7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it! 8 Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together 9 before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.

If you have your Bible with you, I would implore you to open it to Psalm 98. It is vitally important for you to see it because God reveals His glory in His Word producing God-centered worship in us.

Place in Psalms

Introduction - Psalms 1-2

Book 1 - Psalms 3-41

Book 2 - Psalms 42-72

Book 3 - Psalms 73-89

Book 4 - Psalms 90-106

Psalm 93-100 - Celebrating Yahweh’s Kingship

Book 5 - Psalms 107-145

Grand Doxology - Psalm 146-150

Purpose of Book

Yahweh is the King and He rules over all therefore strive for faithful obedience to His teachings waiting for the Messianic King

Main Point

Worship the faithful Lord as we eagerly anticipate His greatest act of deliverance at the final judgment

Outline

Psalm 98:1-3 - The Lord Delivers

Psalm 98:4-6 - Praise the Lord

Psalm 98:7-9 - The Lord will Judge

Psalm 98:1-3 - The Lord Delivers

Psalm 98:1–3 ESV

1 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. 2 The Lord has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. 3 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.

1a Oh sing to the Lord a new song for he has done marvelous things!

Oh sing to the Lord a new song

The psalmist is COMMANDING the congregation to celebrate the Lord’s victory, but the details of the victory are not specified

The reason for the ambiguity is because the Lord has saved them multiple times

The Exodus

Exodus 15:2–3 ESV

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. 3 The Lord is a man of war; the Lord is his name.

Sennacherib

2 Kings 19:19 ESV

19 So now, O Lord our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Lord, are God alone.”

2 Kings 19:35–36 ESV

35 And that night the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. 36 Then Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went home and lived at Nineveh.

Return from captivity

Ezra 1:1–2 ESV

1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: 2 “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

Ezra 2:1 ESV

1 Now these were the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of those exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried captive to Babylonia. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town.

A new song describes the reality of His people experiencing the salvation of God afresh leading to passionate worship

For he has done marvelous things

Supernaturally saving His people

Only He can save in the way the psalmist describes

1b His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.

Metaphorical language revealing His power as the Divine Warrior

Deliverance could have only been done by Yahweh Himself

Salvation here does not refer to saving grace from sin, but military victory

2 The Lord has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.

The deliverance of Israel by God was not meant simply for Israel

God saving Israel was meant to be observed by all the nations

Righteousness is putting right what is wrong - God would right the wrong done to Israel revealing His righteousness to the nations

3a He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel.

The driving force for God’s salvation for Israel is His love and faithfulness

Remembered means to act on the covenant promises He made to His people

Love and faithfulness are one idea revealing God’s faithful covenant love towards His own

3b All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Christ Connection - God has miraculously delivered you!

James Boice

Psalms 73–106 An Appeal to Israel

The single greatest problem you and I have is our sin, not a lack of self-esteem or accomplishment or anything else. Sin both separates and destroys. It separates us from God, who is the source of all good, and it destroys relationships. In the end it will bring us to that final place of all separation, hell.

Ephesians 2:1–9 ESV

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Revelation 5:9–10 ESV

9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”

Remember as the Israelites remember

1 Corinthians 11:23–26 ESV

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Psalm 98:4-6 - Praise the Lord

Psalm 98:4–6 ESV

4 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises! 5 Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody! 6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!

4 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!

Make a joyful noise - command

Call for a festal jubilation as Yahweh is depicted as the One coming for salvation and judgment

All the earth

God delivering Israel is meant for the sake of all the people and all of the people are commanded to worship the Lord as the true King

Break forth - command

Sing praises - command

5 Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody!

Sing praises - command

6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!

Make a joyful noise - command

Why does the author call the entire earth to joyous praise of God? Because He is the all-sufficient Savior

The praise of the congregation was so loud and enthusiastic that it could be heard from a great distance away

Christ Connection - Worship Jesus as the true and only King of kings and Lord of lords

Revelation 17:14 ESV

14 They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.”

Psalms 73–106 An Appeal to the World

John Wesley exhorted the early Methodists: “Sing lustily, and with good courage. Beware of singing as if you were half dead or asleep; but lift up your voice with strength.”

Half-hearted worship reveals a heart who has no share in the Kingdom of God

The shout of worship is in response to the Lord saving you and bringing you into the New Covenant!

Psalm 98:7-9 - The Lord will Judge

Psalm 98:7–9 ESV

7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it! 8 Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together 9 before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.

Psalm 96:11–13 ESV

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.

7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it!

8 Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together 9a before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth.

Genesis 3:17–18 ESV

17 And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; 18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.

Romans 8:19–21 ESV

19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

9b He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.

Righteousness

The highest standard of rightness

Understood by Abraham regarding Sodom and Gomorrah

Genesis 18:22–25 ESV

22 So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. 23 Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?”

Matthew 16:27 ESV

27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.

Why is a new song necessary? Future judgment riding creation of evil, corruption, and sin

Christ Connection - Jesus is the great Judge who will execute justice at the end

John 5:19–29 ESV

19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. 21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. 22 For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. 25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

Matthew 25:31–32 ESV

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

Psalm 98 will Become a Reality at the End

Revelation 19:11–21 ESV

11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. 17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, “Come, gather for the great supper of God, 18 to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great.” 19 And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. 20 And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. 21 And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.

Revelation 22:3–5 ESV

3 No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

Main Point

Worship the faithful Lord as we eagerly anticipate His greatest act of deliverance at the final judgment

How Should We Live in Light of Psalm 98?

All creation sits under the weight of sin, but we long for the fulfilment of Psalm 98 where Christ, the One True Righteous King, wars against His enemies freeing us from sin, evil, and corruption so worship the One who has eternally delivered you from the bondage and weight of sin