Commentary - Psalm 98:7-9

Bird's-eye view

This psalm is a call for a new song, a song celebrating the victory of God. It is structured in three movements, answering three fundamental questions about worship. First, why should we praise Jehovah? Because He has achieved a marvelous, public victory through His own strength (vv. 1-3). Second, how should we praise Him? With everything we have, joyfully and loudly, with strings and brass (vv. 4-6). And third, who should praise Him? This is where our text comes in. The answer is everyone and everything. The entire created order is summoned to join this magnificent cacophony of praise (vv. 7-9).

The climax of the psalm, and the reason for this universal chorus, is the advent of the King. He is coming to judge the earth. For the modern evangelical, the idea of judgment is often a grim and fearful thing. But here, it is the pinnacle of joy. The creation is not cowering in fear but erupting in applause because the Judge is coming to set all things right. This is not a courtroom drama where we are awaiting a fearsome verdict; this is the arrival of the liberator. The coming judgment will be sheer relief for the planet, a final untangling of every treachery, a healing of every wound, and the establishment of perfect, unassailable justice.

Outline

Context In Psalms

Psalm 98 is one of the royal psalms, celebrating the kingship of Yahweh. It shares strong thematic ties with Psalm 96, which also calls for a "new song" and anticipates the Lord's coming to judge the earth in righteousness. These psalms are thoroughly eschatological, but not in a way that encourages escapism. They look to a future consummation that has direct bearing on the present. The victory celebrated here is not just a past event, like the Exodus, but an ongoing and future reality that culminates in the final judgment.

The "new song" is a response to a new act of God's redemption. While it certainly looks back to God's faithfulness to Israel, it explodes the boundaries of that covenant to include "all the ends of the earth." The praise is therefore not limited to Israel, but extends to the Gentiles, and as our passage makes clear, to the physical creation itself. This is a picture of cosmic restoration, where the effects of the curse are being rolled back by the power of God's salvation, a salvation seen most clearly in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Verse by Verse Commentary

Psalm 98:7

Let the sea roar, as well as its fullness, The world and those who dwell in it.

The third stanza of the psalm answers the question of who is to be involved in this worship service. The answer is staggeringly comprehensive. It begins with the sea. The oceans are not silent observers; they are summoned to roar. This is not the roar of a chaotic, untamed force, as the sea often represents in ancient literature. This is the roar of acclamation, the sound of a thousand voices lifted in praise. And it is not just the water, but "its fullness" as well. Every creature in the depths, from the great whales to the smallest fish, is part of this choir. The psalmist is enlisting the entire ocean and all its inhabitants. Then, as though that were not enough, he widens the lens to include "the world and those who dwell in it." This is all-encompassing. Every nation, every tribe, every person is called to this worship. There are no conscientious objectors in this orchestra. The summons goes out to all, because the King is Lord of all.

Psalm 98:8

Let the rivers clap their hands, Let the mountains sing together for joy

The imagery becomes even more anthropomorphic and celebratory. The rivers, the great arteries of the land, are to "clap their hands." Think of the rhythmic crashing of waves on the shore, or the sound of a powerful current against the rocks. This is applause. This is a standing ovation for the Creator. The inanimate is given animate expression because, in a profound sense, creation is not dead matter. It is a theater of God's glory, and it responds to its Director. Not to be outdone, the mountains "sing together for joy." The hills, those ancient, immovable symbols of stability and grandeur, are to become a joyful choir. They refuse to be left out. This is a universe alive with praise. We are not talking about some sentimental nature-worship. This is the worship of the transcendent God by the world He made, a world groaning for redemption and rejoicing in the news that its Redeemer is coming.

Psalm 98:9

Before Yahweh, for He is coming to judge the earth; He will judge the world with righteousness And the peoples with equity.

Here is the reason for the cosmic eruption of praise. All this roaring, clapping, and singing is happening "before Yahweh." It is a command performance for the King. And why now? "For He is coming to judge the earth." For us, judgment is a threat. For the psalmist, it is a promise. It is the best news the world could ever hear. Why? Because the current management is corrupt. The world is filled with injustice, crookedness, and oppression. The coming of the Judge means that every crooked thing will be made straight. He is not coming to destroy the earth, but to restore it. Notice the instruments of His rule: righteousness and equity. He will judge the world not with arbitrary power, but with perfect righteousness. He will adjudicate the cases of the peoples not with prejudice, but with pristine equity. For the oppressed, for the widow, for the orphan, for the righteous man whose case has been ignored, this is jubilant joy. The true King is coming to hold court, and when He does, justice will finally, and forever, be done.

Application

The central application for us is to get our thinking about judgment straightened out. We live in an era where the church is often timid and apologetic about the doctrine of God's judgment. But for the whole of creation, the news that Jesus is coming back to judge is a cause for uproarious celebration. This is good news. It is the gospel.

This means two things for you. First, if you are in Christ, this judgment holds no terror. The Judge is the one who undertook for you on the cross. He took your condemnation so that you could take part in the applause when He returns. Your response should be to join the song now. Don't wait for the mountains to show you how. Your life should be a joyful noise, a testimony to the coming King who will set all things right.

Second, if you are not in Christ, you need to understand the nature of this coming judgment. The King is coming. You will have to face Him. You have one of two options. You can continue to run from Him, in which case His arrival will be your undoing. He will overtake you. Or, you can do what the gospel has been telling you to do all along: turn around. Convert. Face Him now, in repentance and faith. If you do, you will see the one who was pierced for you. You will see the Judge who offers to undertake your case. And on that great day, when the seas roar and the mountains sing, you will be singing right along with them.