Day 179, Psalms 98-104

Psalm 98
Make a Joyful Noise to the Lord

A PSALM.

*A call to celebrate with joy the righteous reign of the Lord. Its beginning and end echo Psalm 96 (see introductions to Psalm 93 and Psalm 95). The three stanzas progressively extend the call to ever wider circles: (1) the worshiping congregation at the temple; (2) all the peoples of the earth; (3) the whole creation. The first stanza recalls God’s revelation of his righteousness in the past; the last stanza speaks confidently of his coming rule “in righteousness;” the middle stanza is enclosed by the jubilant cry, “Shout for joy.”

Oh sing to the Lord a new song,
for he has done marvelous things!
His right hand and his holy arm
have worked salvation for him.
The Lord had made known his salvation;
he has revealed his righteousness in
the sight of the nations.
-98:1-2

Make a joyful noise to the Lord,
all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
-98:4

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 dwell in it!
Let the rivers clap their hands;
let the hills sing for joy together before the Lord,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with equity.
-98:6-9

Psalm 99
The Lord Our God is Holy

*A hymn celebrating the Lord as the great and holy King in Zion. In developing his theme, the poet makes striking use of the symbolic significance (completeness) of the number seven: Seven times he speak of the “Lord,” and seven times he refers to him by means of independent personal pronouns. (See introduction to Psalm 93).

Let them praise your great and awesome name!
Holy is he!
The King in his might loves justice.
You have established equity;
you have executed justice
and righteousness in Jacob.
Exalt the Lord our God;
worship at his footstool!
Holy is he!
-99:3-5

O Lord our God, you answered them;
you were a forgiving God to them,
but an avenger of their wrongdoings.
Exalt the Lord our God,
and worship at his holy mountain;
for the Lord our God is holy!
-99:8-9

Psalm 100
His Steadfast Love Endures Forever

A PSALM FOR GIVING THANKS.

*A call to praise the Lord. Whether or not it was composed for that purpose, the final editors of the Psalter here used it to close the series that begins with Psalm 93. It has special affinity with Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7; see also Psalm 117.

Make a joyful noise to the Lord,
all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts to praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
-Psalm 100

Psalm 101
I Will Walk with Integrity

A PSALM OF DAVID.

*A king’s pledge to reign righteously (see 2 Kings 23:3). If authored by David, it may have been composed for Solomon’s use at his coronation (see 1 Kings 2:2-4; see also 2 Samuel 23:1-7; and introduction to Psalm 72). Only Christ, the great son of David, has perfectly fulfilled these commitments. In the final arrangement of the Psalter this psalm, together with Psalm 110 (both relating to the king), frames the collection of ten psalms located between the preceding thematic group (Psalms 92-100; see introduction to Psalm 92) and that which follows.

I will sing of steadfast love and justice;
to you, O Lord, I will make music.
-101:1

A perverse heart shall be far from me;
I will know nothing of evil.
Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy.
Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart
I will not endure.
I will look with favor on the faithful in the land,
that they may dwell with me;
he who walks in the way that is blameless
shall minister to me.
No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house;
no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes.
Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land,
cutting off all the evildoers from the city of the Lord.
101:4-8

Psalm 102
Do Not Hide Your Face from Me

A PRAYER OF ONE AFFLICTED, WHEN HE IS FAINT AND POURS OUT HIS COMPLAINT BEFORE THE LORD.

*The prayer of an individual in a time of great distress. It is also one of the traditional penitential psalms (see introduction to Psalm 6).

Hear my prayer, O Lord;
let my cry come to you!
Do not hide your face from me
in the day of my distress!
Incline your ear to me;
answer me speedily in the day when I call!
-102:1-2

But you, O Lord, are enthroned forever;
you are remembered throughout all generations.
-102:12

Nations will fear the name of the Lord,
and all the kings of the earth will fear your glory.
-102:15

Of old you laid the foundation of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
They will perish, but you will remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
You will change them like a robe,
and they will pass away,
but you are the same,
and your years have no end.
-102:25-27

Psalm 103
Bless the Lord, O My Soul

OF DAVID.

*A hymn to God’s love and compassion toward his people. Calls to praise frame the body of the hymn and set its tone.

Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
The Lord works righteousness
and justice for all who are oppressed.
-103:1-6

The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always chide,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
-103:8-13

But the steadfast love of the Lord is
from everlasting to everlasting
on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to children’s children,
to those who keep his covenant
and remember to do his commandments.
The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,
and his kingdom rules over all.
Bless the Lord, O you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his word,
obeying the voice of his word!
Bless the Lord, all his hosts,
his ministers, who do his will!
Bless the Lord, all his works,
in all places of his dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
-103:17-22

Psalm 104
O Lord My God, You Are Very Great

*A hymn to the Creator. Obviously influenced by Genesis 1, the preexilic author has adapted that account to his different purpose and has subordinated its sequence somewhat to his own design.

Whereas Genesis 1 recounts creation as God’s first work at the beginning, the poet views the creation displayed before his eyes and sings the glory of its Maker and Sustainer.

Bless the Lord, O my soul!
O Lord my God, you are very great!
You are clothed with splendor and majesty,
covering yourself with light as with a garment,
stretching out the heavens like a tent.
He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters;
he makes the clouds his chariot;
he rides on the wings of the wind;
he makes his messengers winds,
his ministers a flaming fire.
He set the earth on its foundations,
so that it should never be moved.
-104:1-5

He made the moon to mark the seasons;
the sun knows its time for setting.
-104:19

O Lord, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom have you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
-104:24

These all look to you,
to give them their food in due season.
When you give it to them, they gather it up;
when you open your hand,
they are filled with good things.
When you hide your face,
they are dismayed;
when you take away their breath they die
and return to their dust.
When you send forth your Spirit,
they are created,
and you renew the face of the ground.
May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
may the Lord rejoice in his works.
-104:27-31

I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
May my meditation be pleasing to him,
for I rejoice in the Lord.
Let sinners be consumed from the earth,
and let the wicked be no more!
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
Praise the Lord!
-104:33-35