A study of David's call to sing unto the Lord in Psalm 95:1-7

1. MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE
PSALM 95:1–7

2. Introduction
Jesus offered one of the great invitations of the New
Testament when he said, “Come to me, all you who
are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”
(Matthew 11:28).

3. Introduction
The verb “come” appears three times in the verses of
our text.
The verbs in the Hebrew are different each time and
there are different purposes in the invitations.

4. Introduction
Most editions of the Bible group the 150 chapters of
the book of Psalms into five subdivisions: 1–41, 42–72,
73–89, 90–106, and 107–150.

5. Introduction
It is often noted that this five-book arrangement is a
reminder of the first five books of the Bible by
Moses—the Pentateuch.
Each of the first four books in Psalms concludes with a
brief doxology, and the fifth book utilizes all of Psalm
150 as a doxology.

6. Introduction
Psalm 95 makes is especially suited to the Messianic
era by the fact that this psalm is quoted in Hebrews
3:7–11, 15; 4:3, 5, 7.

7. PSALM 95:1–5
1. Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout
aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

8. PSALM 95:1–5
The use of the word come is an imperative.
The word here is usually translated “walk,” so the idea
is to walk so as to come and do something.

9. PSALM 95:1–5
The command to come is immediately followed by an
exhortation for an action: singing.
The words let us encourage everyone to participate in
a song of joy, not a psalm of grief or sorrow.

10. PSALM 95:1–5
An example is the song that was sung when the
Israelites crossed the Red Sea by a mighty miracle
(Exodus 15:1–18).
Another event was when women sang of the military
exploits of David and Saul (1 Samuel 18:7).
Breaking into a victory song is the natural thing to do
in such cases.

11. PSALM 95:1–5
The singing that is encouraged here is to be directed
toward the Lord, so as to recognize that human
accomplishments result from the Lord’s enabling.
The apostle Paul does just that when he says, “I can do
all this through him who gives me strength”
(Philippians 4:13).

12. PSALM 95:1–5
Pause2Talk
Which do you prefer to sing: joyous songs or more
solemn ones? When and why?

13. PSALM 95:1–5
The exhortation for loudness can be used for sounding
an alarm (Joel 2:1) or shouting during battle (Joshua
6:16).
Those are not times for timidity or uncertain sounds.

14. PSALM 95:1–5
Pause2Talk
How does your sense or experience of salvation
change as you grow older?

15. PSALM 95:1–5
2. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol
him with music and song.

16. PSALM 95:1–5
The word come is used again, but it is not the same
Hebrew word for come as was used in verse 1. The
word here has the idea of walking at the head of a
procession, or being in front (Psalm 68:25).

17. PSALM 95:1–5
3. For the LORD is the great God, the great King above
all gods. 4. In his hand are the depths of the earth,
and the mountain peaks belong to him.

18. PSALM 95:1–5
Many cultures of the psalmist’s day believe that the
outcome of a war is determined by the nation that has
the greater god. Israel often scored victories against
great odds, and Israel’s God was definitely greater
(Exodus 12:12).

19. PSALM 95:1–5
Israel was defeated at other times, but those
occasions were usually judgments by God when Israel
had gone after other gods.

20. PSALM 95:1–5
Other so-called gods are imagined as ruling different
areas—to be the god of the sea, of the mountains
(compare 1 Kings 20:23, 28), over a certain city or
nation (11:33), etc.

21. PSALM 95:1–5
The phrase the mountain peaks refers to the highest
places on earth, it is logical to conclude that the
depths of the earth refers to the lowest (compare Job
38:16).
These two opposites are thus all encompassing. God
rules everything.

22. PSALM 95:1–5
Pause2Talk
What experience with the grandeur of nature gives
you the greatest sense of God’s presence and power?

23. PSALM 95:1–5
5. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed
the dry land.

24. PSALM 95:1–5
Again the psalmist (David) contrasts two opposites.
This time the contrasts are the sea and the dry land.
Two things are stated about the sea: that it belongs to
the Lord and that he made it.

25. PSALM 95:1–5
The sea is said to be made, and the dry land is said to
be formed. New perspectives are therefore developed
in this poetic description of creation (compare Psalm
104:5–9).

26. PSALM 95:6, 7
6. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel
before the LORD our Maker;

27. PSALM 95:6, 7
The third invitation to ‘come’ is given.
The Hebrew word here involves opposites, for it may
mean “to come” or “to go”.

28. PSALM 95:6, 7
The use of three different words for come should
leave no doubt as to the psalmist’s intent: all this is a
decisive invitation to approach God so that we may
worship Him.

29. PSALM 95:6, 7
The biblical concept for genuine worship is that of
submission, the idea of giving honor to deity. The
invitation therefore is for bowing and kneeling—
postures of submission—before the Lord.

30. PSALM 95:6, 7
The verse under consideration is one of the Old
Testament examples of falling before God. Revelation
4:10; 19:4, 5 provide New Testament examples.
We keep in mind that true worship is primarily an
attitude of the heart.

31. PSALM 95:6, 7
When the heart is right before God, then it is
appropriate also to stand and praise him (Exodus
33:10; 2 Chronicles 20:19).

32. PSALM 95:6, 7
7a. … for he is our God and we are the people of his
pasture, the flock under his care.

33. PSALM 95:6, 7
Two reasons are again given for the exhortations to
worship.

34. PSALM 95:6, 7
Worship is a proclamation based on the fact that God
has fulfilled the promises that he made to the
patriarchs.

35. PSALM 95:6, 7
He promised many nations from their descendants
(Genesis 17:4), but only one of them is the special
covenant nation—the nation of Israel.
Through that nation the Messiah would come at just
the right time in history (Galatians 4:4).
Israel was therefore a nation with privileges.

36. PSALM 95:6, 7
At a later time, a prophet reminds the northern nation
of Israel of the fact that it was the nation that God had
specially chosen (Amos 3:2), so Israel was to be
punished because of its sins. There is peril in privilege.

37. PSALM 95:6, 7
The second reason for worship is similar to the first,
but it uses familiar imagery of agriculture to make the
point: we are the people of his pasture.

38. PSALM 95:6, 7
The Bible frequently uses the analogy of a shepherd
and his sheep to illustrate the special relationship
between God and his people (examples: Psalm 23;
74:1; 79:13; 80:1; 100:3; Isaiah 40:11; Ezekiel 34:12–
14; Hebrews 13:20).

39. PSALM 95:6, 7
Pause2Talk
How do you like being compared to a sheep in His
pasture?

40. PSALM 95:6, 7
It is a blessing to be in the care of the one who said, “I
am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down
his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). How appropriate
for Christians to join together to sing to him and to
worship him who is our shepherd!

41. PSALM 95:6, 7
Pause2Talk
What are some of your favorite hymns of worship?
Psalms?

42. Conclusion
Since a form of the word worship is used
approximately 80 times in the New Testament, then
surely the New Testament has explicit words of
instruction about worship for the assembled church.

43. Conclusion
The answer may surprise you: the New Testament
never explicitly describes the church as coming
together to worship or says that an assembly of
Christians is a “worship service.” (The closest
situations are in Acts 13:1, 3 and 1 Corinthians 11:17–
21; 14:23–25.)

44. Conclusion
Today’s lesson should lead us to conclude that worship
is at least reverence, including acts that demonstrate
reverence, directed toward God. What is of the utmost
importance is the heart of the individual.

45. Conclusion
This focus on the individual does not establish an
exemption from our assemblies. The one who
deliberately forsakes the assembly when he or she
could attend does not demonstrate a truly submissive
heart (compare Hebrews 10:25).

46. Conclusion
Hebrews 10:25
not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of
some, but encouraging one another, and all the more
as you see the Day approaching.