Tasting Grace

This psalm is exuberant in its call to praise. The psalmist calls people to clap and shout. Trumpets and shouting are said to accompany whatever gathering of praise is envisaged. The psalmist calls people five times to sing. The noise would have been quite something. The atmosphere would have been one of worship and excitement. Not a lot else would have been heard by anyone in the congregation.

At the heart of the praise, however, is something quite uncomfortable. The people called to worship are not simply those who are already committed to follow the one true God of Israel. All the nations of the earth are called to worship. Such inclusivity would go down well today. However, the reason they are called to join in seems odd—they should praise the God who has subdued all the nations and put them under the feet of his people. You can just about understand why the people of Judah would have been delighted. It is more difficult to see why the nations might wish to praise God for this!

The clue to seeing the grace in the psalm comes in verse 9. These subdued peoples are being gathered as the people of the God of Abraham, the covenant people. God has drawn them into the people whom he commits himself to bless eternally. Where do you see this happening around you? If you can see God drawing people to himself in this way, join the psalmist in praise for what he is doing. If not, commit to pray that God will draw more people to himself and ask God to use you to draw people to himself.

In what way is God King of all the earth when so many people ignore and disobey him?