Psalm 98 – A Song of Praise to the LORD for His Salvation and Judgement
Not only is the LORD returning in judgment (for this is how Psalm 98 ends) but He shall judge (9) “with equity.” The psalm is a short one. Here’s all 9 verses.
1 Oh, sing to the Lord a new song!
For He has done marvelous things;
His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.
2 The Lord has made known His salvation;
His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations.
3 He has remembered His mercy and His faithfulness to the house of Israel;
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
4 Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth;
Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises.
5 Sing to the Lord with the harp,
With the harp and the sound of a psalm,
6 With trumpets and the sound of a horn;
Shout joyfully before the Lord, the King.
7 Let the sea roar, and all its fullness,
The world and those who dwell in it;
8 Let the rivers clap their hands;
Let the hills be joyful together
9 before the Lord,
For He is coming to judge the earth.
With righteousness He shall judge the world,
And the peoples with equity.
It is that last word, equity (translated also as uprightness) that stands out for me today. Beloved, we have a righteous Judge, like no other, coming to judge the world with righteousness and the people with equity. This means that all will receive what’s owed them. The gospel of Jesus Christ tells us that the sinner is owed eternal death. But it is from such a death that the broken body and shed blood of Jesus Christ redeems us. His sacrifice means resurrection, ascension and glory for His people, but not before He returns in judgement, with equity. Let us pray.
Dear Lord and heavenly Father,
Glory be, to Your holy name. This psalm calls out Your return in judgement with equity. This psalm is fulfilled in Your Son, Jesus Christ who has been given this world to judge, and the Psalmist says, (9) “with equity.” May the Holy Spirit prepare us well for His return, as promised. In Christ, Amen.
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