The Global Summons Text: Psalm 96:7-10
Introduction: Worship is Warfare
We live in an age that treats worship as a matter of personal taste, a private preference, something akin to choosing your favorite flavor of ice cream. But the Bible knows nothing of this shrunken, domesticated religion. Biblical worship is not a quiet, internal affair; it is a public declaration of allegiance. It is a summons to the entire world, to every tribe and every nation, to acknowledge the one true King. And because there are rival kings and rival allegiances, this summons is inherently an act of war.
Psalm 96 is a missionary psalm. It is an evangelistic broadside. It does not invite the nations to "consider" Yahweh as one option among many in the spiritual marketplace. It commands them to lay down their arms, abandon their worthless idols, and bring tribute to the rightful Sovereign of the universe. This is not a suggestion; it is a demand. The language is the language of lordship, of fealty, of a conquered people bringing tribute to their new king.
Our secular, pluralistic society finds this kind of talk offensive, even scandalous. The modern mind wants a god who stays in his lane, a god who can be safely compartmentalized into the "religion" box. But the God of Psalm 96 refuses to be boxed in. He made the heavens. He is coming to judge the earth. He reigns. This is not a private opinion; it is a public fact. And this fact has implications for every square inch of creation, for every family, every court, and every king. The psalm before us is a call for all the families of the earth to get right with this reality, to joyfully submit to their Maker and King before He comes to judge them in righteousness.
Therefore, when we gather to worship, we are not retreating from the world. We are engaging in the central act of spiritual warfare. We are declaring to the principalities and powers, to the gods of the nations, that their time is up. We are announcing that Yahweh reigns, and we are calling on all the earth to join us in this glad submission. This passage breaks down for us what this global surrender looks like.
The Text
Ascribe to Yahweh, O families of the peoples, Ascribe to Yahweh glory and strength.
Ascribe to Yahweh the glory of His name; Lift up an offering and come into His courts.
Worship Yahweh in the splendor of holiness; Tremble before Him, all the earth.
Say among the nations, "Yahweh reigns; Indeed, the world is established, it will not be shaken; He will render justice to the peoples with equity."
(Psalm 96:7-10 LSB)
The Universal Obligation (v. 7)
We begin with the summons itself, directed to all the kindreds of the earth.
"Ascribe to Yahweh, O families of the peoples, Ascribe to Yahweh glory and strength." (Psalm 96:7)
The word "ascribe" means to give, to attribute, to recognize what is already there. We are not being asked to generate glory and give it to God as though He were running a deficit. God is not insecure. He is not short on glory. We ascribe glory to Him for our sakes, not His. We give Him glory so that we might be rightly oriented to reality. When we fail to give God glory, we are not robbing Him of anything essential to His being; we are robbing ourselves of sanity.
Notice who is being addressed: "O families of the peoples." This is not just a call to Israel. This is a global mandate. The gospel has always been for the nations. From the promise to Abraham that in him all the families of the earth would be blessed, to the Great Commission to disciple all nations, God's intention has always been catholic, which is to say, universal. This demolishes any notion of a tribal deity, a local god who is only concerned with one ethnic group. Yahweh is the God of all the clans, all the kindreds, all the peoples.
And what are they to ascribe? "Glory and strength." This is a direct assault on the idols. The gods of the nations are nothing, mere idols, the work of men's hands (v. 5). They have no glory of their own and certainly no strength. They are liabilities, not assets. But Yahweh made the heavens. All strength and all glory originate with Him and belong to Him. To give glory to an idol is therefore the height of foolishness; it is to thank the sculpture for the work of the sculptor. The nations are being called to abandon their delusions and acknowledge the true source of all power and majesty.
The Proper Approach (v. 8)
The psalm then specifies how this ascription of glory is to be expressed. It is not a vague feeling; it is a concrete action.
"Ascribe to Yahweh the glory of His name; Lift up an offering and come into His courts." (Psalm 96:8 LSB)
Again, we are to "ascribe to Yahweh the glory of His name." God's name represents His character, His reputation, His revealed nature. To give glory to His name is to praise Him for who He is, for what He has done, and for what He has promised. It is to confess that He is holy, just, merciful, and true.
But this verbal ascription must be accompanied by tangible worship. "Lift up an offering and come into His courts." Worship costs something. It is not just showing up. It involves bringing a tribute, a gift. In the Old Testament context, this was a literal sacrifice. For us, under the new covenant, we bring the offering of our resources, our tithes, and our gifts. A tight-fisted Christian is a contradiction in terms. Our giving is an act of worship, an acknowledgment that everything we have is from Him and belongs to Him. Stinginess does not glorify God.
Furthermore, this is a corporate act. We are to "come into His courts." This is a summons to the gathered assembly. While private devotion is essential, the primary expression of covenantal worship in Scripture is public and corporate. We come together, as the people of God, to offer our tribute to the King. This is why neglecting the gathering of the saints is such a serious matter. It is to refuse the King's summons to His own court.
The Required Demeanor (v. 9)
Verse 9 describes the internal and external posture required in God's presence. It is a mixture of awe and adoration.
"Worship Yahweh in the splendor of holiness; Tremble before Him, all the earth." (Psalm 96:9 LSB)
We are to worship "in the splendor of holiness." Some translations render this "the beauty of holiness." This is not about the aesthetics of the sanctuary, the quality of the architecture, or the fanciness of the robes. The splendor of holiness refers to the radiant moral purity of God Himself. We are to worship Him in a way that corresponds to His character. This means we come, not in our own righteousness, but clothed in the righteousness of Christ. It means we come with hearts that have been consecrated, set apart for Him.
This kind of worship is utterly foreign to the casual, flippant, man-centered approaches so common today. True worship is not about making us feel comfortable; it is about acknowledging God's terrifying, beautiful holiness. And the proper response to this holiness is to "tremble before Him." This is not the cowering fear of a slave before a tyrant, but the reverential awe of a creature before the Creator, a forgiven sinner before a holy Savior. It is a recognition of the infinite distance between His perfect purity and our sinfulness, and a profound gratitude that, in Christ, we are invited to draw near anyway.
And who is to tremble? "All the earth." This is the third time the universal scope has been emphasized. Every person on this planet, from the king in his palace to the peasant in his field, owes this trembling reverence to the God who made them.
The Global Proclamation (v. 10)
Finally, the psalm moves from the act of worship within the courts to the content of our proclamation to the world outside.
"Say among the nations, 'Yahweh reigns; Indeed, the world is established, it will not be shaken; He will render justice to the peoples with equity.'" (Psalm 96:10 LSB)
The worship of God's people is not meant to be a secret. It is fuel for mission. What we do in here is the basis for what we say out there. And what is the message? It is a three-point sermon that must be preached to all nations.
First, "Yahweh reigns." This is the central declaration of the gospel. The Lord is King. This is not a future hope; it is a present reality. Since the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him. He is ruling and reigning now, putting all His enemies under His feet. Our task is to announce this fact to a rebellious world and call them to submit to His gracious rule.
Second, because He reigns, "the world is established, it will not be shaken." This is a promise of cosmic stability. Despite the apparent chaos we see in the headlines, the world is not spinning out of control. It is firmly in the hand of its sovereign King. History is not a random series of accidents; it is the unfolding of His decree. He is the one who establishes the world, and His purposes cannot be thwarted. This gives the church unshakable confidence in the midst of turmoil. Our King is on the throne, and His kingdom cannot be shaken.
Third, "He will render justice to the peoples with equity." The reign of God is not arbitrary; it is a reign of perfect justice. He will judge the world. This is both a terrifying warning to the wicked and a glorious comfort to the righteous. For the oppressed, the persecuted, and the downtrodden, the news that a perfectly just Judge is coming is the best news imaginable. For those who love their sin and defy their Maker, it is a summons to repent before the day of wrath arrives. His judgment will be with "equity," with perfect fairness and righteousness. There will be no backroom deals, no bribed witnesses, no miscarriages of justice. Every case will be tried perfectly, and every sentence will be true and right. This is the gospel we are to proclaim among the nations.
Conclusion: From Ascription to Proclamation
This psalm moves us from the throne room to the public square. The worship that begins with ascribing glory to God in His courts must flow out into a bold proclamation among the nations. We cannot keep this good news to ourselves.
We are commanded to tell the world that their Creator is their King. We are to tell them that despite the political instability and cultural insanity, the world is securely established by His decree. And we are to tell them that a day of perfect judgment is coming, when every wrong will be made right.
This is our mission. It is fueled by our worship. We gather each Lord's Day to ascribe to Yahweh the glory due His name. We come into His courts with our offerings. We worship Him in the splendor of holiness. We tremble before His majesty. And having been reminded of who our God is, we are then sent out, commissioned to say among the nations, "Yahweh reigns." May we be faithful both in the ascription and in the proclamation, for the glory of His name.