August 8 — Psalm 99

“The LORD is king; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake! The LORD is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the peoples. Let them praise your great and awesome name. Holy is he! Mighty King, lover of justice, you have established equity; you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob. Extol the LORD our God; worship at his footstool. Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel also was among those who called on his name. They cried to the LORD, and he answered them. He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud; they kept his decrees, and the statutes that he gave them. O LORD our God, you answered them; you were a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their wrongdoings. Extol the LORD our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the LORD our God is holy.”

The LORD is king; let the peoples tremble!

This does not sound like a Psalm of comfort — if the people are to tremble because of G-d’s reign. We just studied Psalm 98 where it was determined to have inspired Isaac Watt in writing the wonderful hymn “Joy to the World” — a celebration of the Kingship of Jesus. Now, we are told to tremble at the sight of such a king.

We know that there are many reasons to tremble — just watching people try to navigate this pandemic has produced many scenes where people seem to be visibly trembling. However, does trembling always represent fear?

While the guilty person might tremble at the thought of judgment, the righteous tremble at the sight of G-d’s holiness. One is the fear of being punished — the other is reverence for the mercy and grace all people need — for we all are sinners and fall short of the glory, the majesty, and the magnificence of the King of Kings.

I have mentioned this before, but it bears repeating, in Luther’s explanation of the Ten Commandments, he begins each one with these words: “We should fear and love G-d…” There is room for both in our lives — a reverence of G-d that defines our faith, and a love that is defined by that reverence.

Let us pray:

Holy God, you are exalted over all the nations and just in all your ways. Strengthen us to worship you with our deeds and to proclaim your greatness with our lips, for the glory of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Amen.

August 7 — Psalm 98

“O sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things. His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him victory. The LORD has made known his victory; he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations. He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God. Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises. Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody. With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD. Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who live in it. Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills sing together for joy at the presence of the LORD, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.”

Psalm 98 is the Old Testament text for Isaac Watts’s Christmas hymn, “Joy to the World!” Watts writes of heaven and earth rejoicing at the coming of the King. An interlude that depends more on Watts’ interpretation than the psalm text, stanza three speaks of Christ’s blessings extending victoriously over the realm of sin.

The joy in this Psalm is so palpable, and obvious, that there is no surprise it has sparked such a hymn as “Joy to the World”.

The hymn celebrates the birth of Jesus as the coming of the LORD to rule the world with truth and grace. It uses the language and themes of the psalm in order to say that the birth of the savior is an event of the kind and significance proclaimed in the psalm. The psalm announces the coming of the Savior — Emmanuel, G-d with us as king of the world — and along with Psalm 96, these Psalms are considered companions.

The hymn “Joy to the World!” catches and repeats the joy of humankind — and interprets Christmas as the decisive event in the reign of G-d, the savior whose presence changes history for all people.

Let us pray:

Lord God, we sing to you a new song, for your victory is ever new. In the resurrection of Christ you have given us a glimpse of your future, and in your victory over death you have shown us how we shall overcome the last enemy. As the seas roar and the hills sing together, we too will praise you for your great triumph, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and forever.

Amen.