“A PSALM ACKNOWLEDGING THE GREATNESS OF OUR GOD” PSALM 95:1-11
Pastor – Mount Moriah
Missionary Baptist Church
What a beautiful enthronement psalm we have before us. This psalm issues nothing but praise to our majestic and great God. Certainly, our great God should be adored and praised for Psalm 113:1-3 states: “Praise ye the LORD. Praise, O ye servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD. Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD’s name is to be praised.”
In verses 1-2, the psalmist invites the congregation to sing praises to our great Lord. The congregation is exhorted to praise the Lord, who is the rock of our salvation:
“O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation” (v. 1). God has delivered us and we should show Him homage by praising His holy name. He didn’t have to bestow His goodness toward us, but He did. And for this reason, we should praise God to the highest. We cannot praise Him enough; He is so deserving of all of our praise! Not only should the Lord be praised because He has provided deliverance for us, but in verses 3-5, He should be praised for His majestic sovereignty. The Lord created everything and He is above all “gods”. Our God is great and He is above all gods, for no one is His equal!
In verses 6-7, the psalmist exhorts the congregation to praise the Lord because He is the Shepherd of His people. He pleads in verse 6, “O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.” He is our guide and protector, and we should praise Him for His awesome provisions. Having spoken about the greatness of our God, the psalmist warns the nation to not be guilty of unbelief that forfeited their forebears in entering into the promised rest in the land. Although the Lord had been gracious unto the people of Israel in the wilderness, the people exhibited an attitude of rebellion and distrust against the Lord (vv. 8-11).
The exhortation reads, “Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted Me, proved Me, and saw My work” (vv. 8-9). Because of their unbelief, the older generation that left Egypt did not enter into the Promised Land.
As believers in this dispensation of grace, let us not harden our hearts to God’s word. We harden our hearts when we refuse to obey Him. Let us rest in the Lord and His promises unto us – for in doing so, we will experience the peace that only God can offer!
May God Bless!
