A Psalm of Joy and Wonder by Rev. Benjamin Glaser
Isaac Watts felt as if the Lord’s songbook was insufficient to teach young and old about the work of Jesus Christ, that they needed to be “updated” to get with the times. He is reported to have complained to his father on many occasions that the psalms were dull and lacked life, and it showed in how people sang them. In his estimation this was because they didn’t clearly enough proclaim Christ. To remedy this he set about writing new hymns and, again in his mind, updating the word of God to fit with the more full revelation of the New Testament.
Watts’ understanding of the psalms was, of course, hogwash, if not something even less pleasant.
This time of year likely his most well known composition is Joy to the World, a meditation on Psalm 98. It is mesmerizing to consider how daft Watts must have been not to see the fullness of Jesus Christ expressed in this portion of Holy Scripture. For centuries these series of psalms (96-98) were understood as speaking to the establishment of the kingdom of Jesus Christ.
Our purpose today will be not just to give a hearty, positive call for psalm-singing in the month of December, but to spend a moment devotionally considering how the psalms teach us of Christ, His Incarnation, and despite Watts' and others objections, why they are sufficient especially in the winter season to give words to our thanksgiving for Christ and His long-prophesied and longed for birth.
As we go through this psalm notice what David says, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, about what to expect about this Messiah. The opening stanza of the metered translation from the Hebrew in the 1650 Scottish Psalter has it this way:
The psalm tells us that the believer is to rejoice in the Messiah, the right hand of God, who has done what? Won the victory which has enabled the creature to sing this song with a new heart and a new understanding. By His holy arm the Savior has taken away the weight of sin and replaced it with the yoke of His glory. Matthew Henry defines this wonderfully in his commentary when he says, “Converts sing a new song, very different from what they had sung; they change their wonder and change their joy, and therefore change their note. If the grace of God put a new heart into our breasts, it will therewith put a new song into our mouths.” It is impossible for Christian men and women to proclaim God without true joy. Seeing more and more the incomprehensible act of the God-man taking on flesh grows within us nothing but a heart of jubilation and praise.
As we go through this psalm notice what David says, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, about what to expect about this Messiah. The opening stanza of the metered translation from the Hebrew in the 1650 Scottish Psalter has it this way:
1 O sing a new song to the LORD,
for wonders he hath done:
His right hand and his holy arm
him victory hath won.
The psalm tells us that the believer is to rejoice in the Messiah, the right hand of God, who has done what? Won the victory which has enabled the creature to sing this song with a new heart and a new understanding. By His holy arm the Savior has taken away the weight of sin and replaced it with the yoke of His glory. Matthew Henry defines this wonderfully in his commentary when he says, “Converts sing a new song, very different from what they had sung; they change their wonder and change their joy, and therefore change their note. If the grace of God put a new heart into our breasts, it will therewith put a new song into our mouths.” It is impossible for Christian men and women to proclaim God without true joy. Seeing more and more the incomprehensible act of the God-man taking on flesh grows within us nothing but a heart of jubilation and praise.
Our Bible Song book in the ARP has a similarly wonderful, and clear, word to speak on this as well.
Selection #203 in our Bible Songs says in its opening verse, “Sing a new song to Jehovah, For the wonders He has wrought; His right hand and arm most holy, Victory to Him have bro’t” This leaves the believer rejoicing in the wonders of God, His grace, His mercy. Considering the overwhelming goodness of His work. They who have had the veil removed and with new eyes and new ears now see and hear the nature of the work of Christ in a way they never have before leads to learning more about Christ and His labors in what comes next in the Psalm:
2 The LORD God his salvation
hath caused to be known;
His justice in the heathen’s sight
he openly hath shown.
3 He mindful of his grace and truth
to Isr’el’s house hath been;
And the salvation of our God
all ends of th’ earth have seen.
This knowledge of the second person of the Holy Trinity’s redeeming work has ramifications past the individual blessings of new life in Him. In it unbelievers are silenced and there is no hill or vale where His glory is not shown through it. No one can look at what Christ has accomplished at the cross at Calvary and doubt His power. Quite literally all the mouths of the world are stopped when the Lord’s authority is declared to the nations. They are to see His sacrifice of Himself for the salvation of His covenant people and stand amazed by His grace. Its truth is not hidden, but freely declared to all.
The next three stanza’s tell of how to respond to this wonderful news of gospel truth:
4 Let all the earth unto the Lord
send forth a joyful noise;
Lift up your voice aloud to him,
sing praises, and rejoice.
5 With harp, with harp, and voice of psalms,
unto Jehovah sing:
6 With trumpets, cornets, gladly sound
before the Lord the King.
7 Let seas and all their fullness roar;
the world, and dwellers there;
8 Let floods clap hands, and let the hills
together joy declare
You can see the crescendo of the joy and wonder of David as his heart is enraptured in the beauty of Christ as he calls on not just Israel, but all men everywhere, even the creation itself, to sound out a joyful noise unto the LORD God for His merciful goodness. There is nothing under heaven so grand as this! All men everywhere are called to rejoice with the words of God Almighty on their lips, in life-giving delight. There is no possible way to know of the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and not be filled with every good emotion towards Jehovah for His eminent pleasure in giving this incredible gift. The Psalmist now closes with a gentle warning expressed with love that in the coming day of judgment, when Christ returns He will judge us with a righteous judgment, not for what we deserve, but for what He has done for us in His grace:
9 Before the Lord; because he comes,
to judge the earth comes he:
He’ll judge the world with righteousness,
his folk with equity.
I think part of the reason the Psalms are an afterthought in most Christian worship as the days approach the 25th of December is that we can forget that David was a believer to. He knew what it meant to be forgiven by the shed blood of the one who would be born in Bethlehem and, maybe more than most, his heart was full of thanksgiving for everything the LORD had done for him. Truly heavy is the head that wears the crown, but even heavier is that head which has not the heart of Christ dwelling within him.
David knew that his true hope and comfort was in His God, who had by the gift and grant of faith provided all that he needed to see the glory that came in His wonderful counselor and prince of peace.
So as you sing the words of the Psalms this December, do so with joy and wonder at the great things that Jesus Christ has done for you. Know that you are singing words that Jesus Himself sang, words that He was comforted by, and words which speak so eloquently of His work for His people.
In closing, please enjoy this rendition of Psalm 98, selection 98A from the RPCNA Book of Psalms for Worship and remember: God has given to us a treasury of blessing in His songbook. Sing!