Commonplace –
“O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth. Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people” (Psalm 96: 1-3).
In his notes, Matthew Henry encourages us to the following:
“In singing this psalm we ought to have our hearts filled with great and high thoughts of the glory of God and the grace of the gospel, and with an entire satisfaction in Christ’s sovereign dominion and in the expectation of the judgment to come” (Henry 493).
Henry’s words are wise counsel. If we are satisfied in Christ’s sovereign dominion, we should not fear. Often my eyes are drawn away from God to the matter of the moment. I’m convicted when I return to his Word, and my peace returns. I never had to lose it in the first place; I chose to avert my gaze. Eyes on Him are eyes off the world. Lord, may my entire satisfaction be in you.
The psalmist calls us to “sing unto the Lord a new song”. Matthew Henry notes,
“A new song is a song for new favours, for those compassions which are new every morning. A new song is a New Testament song, a song of praise for the new covenant and the precious privileges of that covenant. A new song is a song that shall be ever new, and shall never wax old nor vanish away; it is an everlasting song, that shall never be antiquated or out of date” (Henry 493).
What a perfect psalm for this season leading up to the Passover. Passover was the old song, and Christ is the new song.
Works Cited
Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 96.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.
Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.
© 2025 Angela Hormberg
We'd love to hear from you!