Psalm 98 Part 2

This psalm is divided into 3 parts. In stanza 1 the gathered people of God are invited to sing a new song because the Lord “has done marvellous things.” Biblical religion is a historical religion. This means that God has been acting through major events in the lives of God’s people, like the exodus, the wandering in the wilderness and the conquest of Canaan.

The word translated “victory” in the NLT & NRSV comes up three times in this first section. The NASB twice translates the same Hebrew word ‘yeshuah,’ as salvation. which can have the sense of ‘rescue’, ‘salvation’ as well as ‘victory.’ But the word can also be used as the basis for a proper name. The OT name “Joshua” and the NT name “Jesus” are both derived from yeshuah; meaning Yahweh saves. The Gospel of Matthew says that the angel said to Mary, “You are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins”, and salvation, yeshuah, is what Christ is all about.

This section of the psalm also contains another of the great OT words providing a reason for praising God in the present. Here the lyricist celebrates God’s “lovingkindness” or chesed. This refers to God’s unmerited, unending, faithful love for His people.
Stanza 2 indicates who is called upon to praise the Lord for the Lord’s marvellous deeds. The psalmist thinks big. He calls for praises to go out from the entire earth!

The final stanza of the psalm again indicates who should join in praising the Lord. The circle of the writer’s imagination gets bigger and bigger. Here not only all the people on the planet are to praise God, but also the seas, and everything in it, the mountains and rivers, all are invited! Even the hills are alive with the sound of music, and applause for the coming of the Lord. Sounds like the crescendo of Revelation Rev5:11-14!
We are promised that a great day is coming, when the Lord will come to straighten everything out in our tired, war-torn, and troubled world. And all creatures, humans, hills, mountains and orchestras are invited to join in a mighty hallelujah!