October 3, 2018 (Wednesday)
(From the Easy English Bible): LORD is a special name for God. Only his people use this name. His people agree (or covenant) to love him, work for him and obey him. So, LORD is the Covenant Name of God. But, in verses 1 and 3, “all the world” and “every nation” must sing to the LORD. A nation is a country with a government. This means that some people from every country have agreed to love, work for and obey him. “He has made us safe”, in verse 2, tells us about the date of the psalm. Bible students suggest three dates:
1) after David made his country safe, about 1000 B.C.
2) in the time of Isaiah, after Assyria failed to destroy Jerusalem, about 700 B.C.
3) after the exile, when the *Jews came home from Babylon, about 500 B.C.
New International Version (NIV)
I. Let Everyone Praise the LORD (1-3)
1 Sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing to the Lord, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
II. The LORD is worthy of praise (4-6)
4 For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
he is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the nations are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
6 Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and glory are in his sanctuary.
III. Let all nations acknowledge the LORD (7-9)
7 Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations,
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 his holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth.
IV. The LORD comes to establish His righteous rule on earth (10-13)
10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.”
The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.
11 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
12 Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.
13 Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes,
he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples in his faithfulness.
(I cannot think of this date without thinking of Wanda, who left us for a much better place in 2002. Today would have been our 65th Wedding Anniversary).