同声赞美神
诗篇九十六篇
1你们要向耶和华唱新歌！全地都要向耶和华歌唱！
2要向耶和华歌唱，称颂他的名！天天传扬他的救恩！
3在列邦中述说他的荣耀！在万民中述说他的奇事！
4因耶和华为大，当受极大的赞美；他在万神之上，当受敬畏。
5外邦的神都属虚无；惟独耶和华创造诸天。
6有尊荣和威严在他面前；有能力与华美在他圣所。
7民中的万族啊，你们要将荣耀、能力归给耶和华，都归给耶和华！
8要将耶和华的名所当得的荣耀归给他，拿供物来进入他的院宇。
9当以圣洁的（的：或译为）妆饰敬拜耶和华；全地要在他面前战抖！
10人在列邦中要说：耶和华作王！世界就坚定，不得动摇；他要按公正审判众民。
11愿天欢喜，愿地快乐！愿海和其中所充满的澎湃！
12愿田和其中所有的都欢乐！那时，林中的树木都要在耶和华面前欢呼。
13因为他来了，他来要审判全地。他要按公义审判世界，按他的信实审判万民。
信息分享
诗人在诗中呼吁所有人去颂赞神。他希望人人都认识神的作为和为人所设立的救恩。他尤其盼望那些未曾认识神的人，能知晓神的大能。请看第3至5节及第10节。他深信只有他的神是独一的真神和全地的创造者。
你有没有发现，诗人在这篇诗中没有提出任何一项祈求。诗人一定是认为，他在这篇颂赞诗中，不该再向神祈求甚么。你曾否试过像诗人一样，全心全意地向神发出颂赞，不向神求取任何东西？这并非易事，因为我们习惯不断向神求这求那；除了祈求之外，似乎不再懂得向神说些甚么。
这篇诗是怎样结尾的？诗人提到基督的来临。他的来临，将会为世界带来重大的改变！诗中提及两方面的改变。其一，是自然界的万物都会改变(12节)。当万物最终承认基督是王之后，这个一度被罪污染的世界将会焕然一新。甚至是荒芜的旷野，也会变得像玫瑰一般的灿烂。
其次，诗人指出，当基督再来的时候，便要正式开始审判；审判包括：
审判世界：这要按照世人如何对待基督，来作为审判的依据。
审判神的子民：保罗告诉我们，我们各人都要站在神的审判台前，为自己如何服侍基督向神交账。
到了将来，我们都必须接受审判；至于今天，我们的责任就是要去颂赞和服侍神。我们究竟有没有善用有限的时间，做好今天的本份，并为将来作好准备呢？
DON'T YOU FEEL LIKE PRAISING GOD?
Psalm 96
1 Oh, sing to the LORD a new song!
Sing to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Sing to the LORD, bless His name;
Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.
3 Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonders among all peoples.
4 For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised;
He is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
But the LORD made the heavens.
6 Honor and majesty are before Him;
Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.
7 Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples,
Give to the LORD glory and strength.
8 Give to the LORD the glory due His name;
Bring an offering, and come into His courts.
9 Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness!
Tremble before Him, all the earth.
10 Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns;
The world also is firmly established,
It shall not be moved;
He shall judge the peoples righteously.”
11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
Let the sea roar, and all its fullness;
12 Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it.
Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice
13 before the LORD.
For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth.
He shall judge the world with righteousness,
And the peoples with His truth.
Message
The writer is calling on everyone everywhere to do just that. He wants everyone to know what God had done for him. He particularly wants those who don't worship God to hear what God can do. Look at verses 3 - 5 and verse 10. He believes that his God is the only true God and is the creator of all the earth.
Did you notice too that there is not one request in this Psalm? The writer does not suggest that we ask God for anything in this Psalm of praise. Have you ever prayed like that? Have you ever said, 'I am going to praise God in my prayers this time and not ask him for anything? It's hard, isn't it? We are so used to asking, asking, asking, that we find it difficult to do anything else.
How does the Psalm end? With a reference to the coming of Christ. What a change his coming will bring! Here two aspects are mentioned. One is the final change that there will be in the world of nature (v. 12). When Christ is finally recognised as king, the world around which has been marred by sin and by man will be wonderfully changed. Even the wilderness will blossom like a rose.
Secondly, the Psalm speaks about judgment when Christ returns. There are two judgments mentioned:
1. The judgment of all the world. This will be on the basis of what they have done with Christ himself, who is the righteousness of God.
2. The judgment of God's own people. Paul tells us we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ to be judged for the things we have done for Christ.
Those two judgments are yet in the future. Today is our day for both praise and service. Are we making full use of the time that we have?