Worship is the response of the creation to the Creator. It is when God’s holiness overwhelms us to the point that all we can do is kneel in humility. Biblically speaking, worship is composed of two central elements: 1) praise to God for his holiness, and 2) encouragement for the people of God. Worship is both vertical (praise to God) and horizontal (encouragement for one another).
Psalm 96 expresses both of these elements of worship. The author honors God for his glory and then declares that glory to the assembly of God’s people. The psalmist is careful not to silence his worship. It is declared publicly (vv. 2-3). We are to praise God by singing of his marvelous acts of deliverance done on behalf of his people. When God delivers his people from times of trouble a “new song” is called for (v. 1). New acts of deliverance are cause for new songs of praise. The old doesn’t always apply in the new. The kind of singing described here is that of public declaration. This is no mere internal reflection on the glory of God (which is appropriate at times) but is rather an announcement in the midst of the assembly. God’s salvation is not to be kept secret but rather proclaimed for all to hear (vv. 2-3).
The author continues his praises emphasizing God’s worthiness of worship (v. 4). When God is compared to all others only he is worthy of worship (vv. 5-6). God’s splendor is such that no other god can compare. His holiness demands worship (v. 9). The fact that God’s holiness is completely and totally incomprehensible to us should drive us to worship. It is in worship that we recognize that God’s holiness exceeds our imaginations. He is totally beyond all that we can imagine.
Even the natural creation praises God (vv. 11-12). The visible creation is a testimony to the creative power of God. Jesus described this aspect of worship when he declared that even if humanity refused to worship God the stones would “cry out” (Luke 19:40). Jesus’ point is that all of nature is meant to glorify God; and it does!
So as we assemble together as the people of God let us not forget to sing the praises of our glorious God. But rest assured, even if we, in our stubbornness, fail to worship God, creation worships regardless. Let us take the opportunity, as the assembly of God’s people, to worship God for being our Creator.
