Psalms 95:1 - Meaning and Application

The psalmist here, as he often does, stirs up both himself and others to praise God. Praise is a duty that should rise from the most lively feelings, yet we often need to be urged to it because we are slow and cold in it. We should notice how God is to be praised.

We must praise him with holy joy and delight in him. The song of praise should be a joyful noise (Psalm 95:1, 2). Spiritual joy is the heart of thankful praise. In his grace, God wants us, when we honor him as the one who is infinitely perfect and blessed, to rejoice in him at the same time as our Father, our King, and our God in covenant with us.

We must also praise him with humble reverence and holy awe (Psalm 95:6): “Let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before him.” This fits those who know the great distance between God and us, how much we are exposed to his anger, and how much we need his mercy. Bodily acts by themselves profit little, but we should still glorify God with our bodies by showing outward reverence, seriousness, and humility in worship.

We must praise God with our voices. We should speak and sing his praises from hearts full of love, joy, and thankfulness: “Sing to the Lord; make a joyful noise to him, with psalms.” Those who are deeply moved by his greatness and goodness should be ready to confess it. They should also want to stir up the same devotion in others.

We must praise God together, in solemn gatherings. “Come, let us sing” means not others without me, and not me alone, but others with me. We should come together before his presence in the courts of his house, where his people meet him and expect him to show himself to them. Whenever we come into God’s presence, we should thank him for admitting us to such a privilege. And whenever we have thanks to give, we should come before him in the worship he has appointed.

We also need to see why God is to be praised, and what should fill our praise. We do not lack reasons to praise him, only hearts willing to do it. We should praise God because he is a great God, the sovereign Lord of all (Psalm 95:3). He is great, and therefore greatly worthy of praise. He is infinite, without limit, and has every perfection in himself.

He has great power. He is a great King above all gods, above all those who rule under him, and above all false gods and pretenders. He rules them all, uses them for his purposes, and holds them accountable. He can do what none of them can do, and he will bring them low and destroy them. He also has great possessions. The lower world is named here in particular. We think of people as great when they own large lands, yet those lands are only a small part of the whole universe. How much greater, then, is the God whose is the whole earth and all that fills it, not only because it lies under his feet and belongs to him, but because it is in his hand and under his direct rule (Psalm 95:4). Even the deep places of the earth, hidden from our sight, and the high hills, beyond our reach, are his.

This may also be understood in a spiritual sense. The lowest people, who are like the low places of the earth, are not beyond his care. The greatest, who are like the strength of the hills, are not beyond his control. Whatever strength is found in any creature comes from God and should be used for him (Psalm 95:5). The sea is his, and everything in it belongs to him, for the waves obey his word. It is his because he made it, gathered its waters, and set its shores. The dry land is his too, though it was given to human beings, because he still kept the ownership for himself. It is his because his hands formed it when his word made the land appear. Since he is the Creator of all, his claim to all is beyond dispute.

Since this is a gospel psalm, we may rightly understand these words as pointing to the Lord Jesus. He is a great God. “Mighty God” is one of his titles, and he is “God over all, blessed forever.” As Mediator, that is, the one who stands between God and us to bring us together, he is a great King above all gods. By him kings rule, and angels, rulers, and powers are under him. By him, as the eternal Word, all things were made (John 1:3), and it was fitting that the one who made all things should also restore and reconcile all things (Colossians 1:16, Colossians 1:20). All power in heaven and on earth has been given to him, and all things are placed in his hand. It is he who sets one foot on the sea and the other on the land, as the sovereign Lord of both (Revelation 10:2). Therefore, to him we must sing our praise, and before him we must worship and bow down.

We should also praise God because he is our God, not only the ruler over us as he is over all creation, but one who stands in a special relation to us (Psalm 95:7). He is our God, and so it is fitting that we praise him. If we do not, who will? What else did he make us for, except to be for him a people who show his name and praise?

He is our Creator, the author of our being. We must kneel before the Lord our Maker (Psalm 95:6). Idolaters kneel before gods they have made themselves, but we kneel before the God who made us and all the world. Because he made us, he is our rightful owner. We belong to him and not to ourselves.

He is also our Savior, the author of our blessedness. Here he is called the rock of our salvation (Psalm 95:1), not only the one who began this great work, but its very foundation, on whom it all rests. That rock is Christ, and so we must sing our praise to him, to him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.

Because of this, we owe him everything. We are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. This is true of all people in a general way, since he feeds and leads them by his providence, as a shepherd cares for sheep. So we should praise him not only because he made us, but because he preserves us and keeps our lives and ways in his hand. It is especially true of his church. Israel is called the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand, and so he rightly calls for their worship in a special way. The gospel church is his flock, and Christ is its great and good Shepherd. As Christians, we are led by his hand into green pastures, protected by him, and well provided for. We are fully devoted to his honor and service as his own special people, and therefore glory must be given to him in the churches throughout all generations (Ephesians 3:21).