Psalm 98 rings like a bell at the heart of Scripture’s praise, calling God’s people and the whole world to sing because the Lord has done marvelous things and will do so again (Psalm 98:1; Psalm 98:9). It is a summons to fresh worship—“a new song”—because the Lord has made His salvation known and has revealed His righteousness in full view of the nations, a public mercy that invites public joy (Psalm 98:1–3). The psalm is not narrow in scope. It stretches from Israel’s history to the ends of the earth, and from the first deliverances to the final day when the King comes to judge in righteousness and equity (Psalm 98:3; Psalm 98:9).
This song also teaches believers how to look forward. From a view that honors the flow of Scripture across the ages, Psalm 98 points beyond itself to the return of Jesus Christ, when the Lord will be King over all the earth and the creation that groans will at last rejoice (Zechariah 14:9; Romans 8:19–21). Until that day, the Church sings by faith, joining Israel’s heritage of praise and announcing the gospel among the nations, confident that the One who came in humility will come again in glory (Luke 2:10–11; Revelation 11:15).
Words: 2522 / Time to read: 13 minutes / Audio Podcast: 30 Minutes
Historical and Cultural Background
Psalm 98 stands in a small set often called the Enthronement Psalms, a set of kingship songs that magnify the Lord’s rule over all (Psalms 93–100; Psalm 97:1). Israel did not invent praise out of thin air; they answered God’s self-revelation and saving acts. He brought them out of Egypt with a mighty hand, defeated their enemies, and planted them in the land, so their singing grew from memory and covenant love (Exodus 15:1–3; Deuteronomy 7:7–9). When David arranged worship, he appointed singers and players, training the nation to rejoice before the Lord with harps, lyres, cymbals, and trumpets, for God is worthy of skill and song (1 Chronicles 25:1–2; 1 Chronicles 16:4–6). Later, when Solomon dedicated the temple, the sound of unified praise rose so high that the glory of the Lord filled the house, a sign that God receives the worship offered in His name (2 Chronicles 5:13–14).
The instruments in Psalm 98 reflect that heritage and its holy exuberance. The harp and the sound of singing, the trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn, all serve the same end: to make music to the Lord, the King (Psalm 98:4–6). The pairing of “sanctuary” and “mighty heavens” that we find in related praise psalms keeps our view wide: God is present with His people and also greater than the universe, so praise belongs in gathered places and under open skies (Psalm 150:1; Jeremiah 23:23–24). This protects worship from shrinking God to a room and also from losing the gift of corporate song. He dwells with the lowly and contrite, and He delights to inhabit the praises of His people (Isaiah 57:15; Psalm 22:3).
The phrase “new song” matters. Scripture uses it when God’s mercies reach a fresh height and call for fresh thanks, as when He gives victory, delivers from the pit, or unveils wider blessing to the nations (Psalm 40:1–3; Psalm 96:1–3). In Psalm 98 it signals that God’s salvation has gone public, for “all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God,” a claim that looks back to past rescues and forward to the mission that will carry good news to every people (Psalm 98:3; Isaiah 49:6). Israel’s worship, then, was never meant to be provincial. Through them the Lord intended the world to know His name (Psalm 67:1–4).
Biblical Narrative
The first lines press us to sing because the Lord “has done marvelous things,” language that traces a line from creation to covenant to Christ (Psalm 98:1). By His word He made heaven and earth and all their host, and His works still declare His glory in the skies and in the daily provisions that keep life moving (Psalm 33:6; Psalm 19:1–4). He chose Abraham and promised a family that would bless the nations, then kept His word through centuries of weakness and wandering because He remembers His love and faithfulness to Israel (Genesis 12:1–3; Psalm 98:3). The exodus, the wilderness care, the gift of the land, and the raising up of David stand as “marvelous things,” not to glorify human might but to magnify the Lord whose right hand and holy arm worked salvation (Exodus 15:6; Psalm 98:1–2).
The psalm also reaches outward. “The Lord has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations.” That is more than a local headline; it is the script for mission and the hope of the world (Psalm 98:2). Isaiah promised a Servant who would be a light for the Gentiles so that salvation might reach the ends of the earth, and this calling carries directly into the good news of Jesus Christ (Isaiah 49:6; Luke 2:32). In the fullness of time, God’s righteousness was revealed apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bore witness to it, for God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, so that He might be just and the one who justifies all who have faith in Jesus (Romans 3:21–26). The cross and resurrection are therefore the greatest of the Lord’s marvelous deeds, and they demand a new song from every tribe and language and people and nation (Revelation 5:9–10; 1 Corinthians 15:3–4).
The middle of Psalm 98 opens the doors and invites everyone in: “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth,” then “make music to the Lord,” then “shout for joy before the Lord, the King” (Psalm 98:4–6). Kingship is the thread that ties the stanza together. The ram’s horn, the trumpet blasts, and the harps do not celebrate human victory but the reign of the Lord Himself, who deserves public honor (Psalm 98:6). In the New Testament this royal note sounds even louder. The seventh trumpet announces, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever,” a cry that brings Psalm 98’s music into the hope of Christ’s coming reign (Revelation 11:15). At the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord, which is the universal praise Psalm 98 anticipates (Philippians 2:10–11).
The closing lines extend the choir to creation itself: seas resound, rivers clap, and mountains sing, all because the Lord is coming to judge the earth and to set the world right (Psalm 98:7–9). This is more than poetry. Creation has suffered under the weight of human sin and longs to be set free, a longing that will be answered when the King reigns and righteousness and peace fill the earth (Romans 8:19–21; Isaiah 11:9). The Judge who comes is not arbitrary; He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity, so His arrival is not a threat to those who hope in Him but the best news imaginable (Psalm 98:9; Acts 17:31). Scripture looks ahead to this day with bold images: the Rider on the white horse, the sharp sword of His word, the nations subdued by a just scepter, and the earth made new under His rule (Revelation 19:11–16; Psalm 2:6–9; Revelation 21:1–4).
Theological Significance
Psalm 98 gathers doctrine into doxology. First, salvation is the work of God from start to finish. The psalm credits His right hand and holy arm, which keeps praise aimed at the Lord rather than at human performance (Psalm 98:1). The gospel makes the same point, for it is by grace we are saved through faith, not by works, so that no one may boast, and this grace has gone public in the death and resurrection of Christ (Ephesians 2:8–9; Romans 1:16–17). The psalm therefore trains us to sing with humility and confidence at once: humility, because God did it; confidence, because the God who did it will not fail.
Second, kingship belongs to the Lord alone. Psalm 98 calls Him “the King” and commands the earth to break into song, which tells us that worship is not entertainment but public honor to the rightful Ruler (Psalm 98:6). In the progress of revelation, this kingship is vested in Jesus the Messiah, who sits at God’s right hand until His enemies are made a footstool and who will one day rule the nations with a rod of iron (Psalm 110:1–2; Revelation 19:15). From a dispensational view that keeps Israel and the Church distinct while honoring their one Lord, the promises given to Israel still stand, and the reign of Christ will bring those promises to earth in a future, visible kingdom that gathers the nations into joyful obedience (Romans 11:25–29; Zechariah 14:9).
Third, judgment is good news because it is righteous. The last verse says He will judge in righteousness and equity, terms that remind us that God’s verdicts are fair, pure, and restoring, not crooked like human courts can be (Psalm 98:9; Psalm 97:2). In the gospel, judgment and mercy meet at the cross, where God remains just and yet justifies sinners who trust His Son, and in the future the same Jesus will judge the living and the dead with perfect equity (Romans 3:26; 2 Timothy 4:1). Psalm 98 therefore teaches us to love justice and to welcome the Judge, because His coming means the end of oppression and the dawn of peace (Isaiah 9:6–7; Psalm 72:1–4).
Fourth, creation’s praise is part of God’s plan. Rivers clap and mountains sing because the curse will lift and the world will be renewed, not discarded (Psalm 98:8; Isaiah 55:12). The Lord who made all things very good will bring the earth into the freedom of the glory of the children of God, and in that day worship will match the size of the world He redeems (Genesis 1:31; Romans 8:21). For now, the Spirit teaches the Church to sing “new song” praise in many languages and places as a preview of the global worship to come (Revelation 7:9–10; Psalm 96:1–3).
Spiritual Lessons and Application
Psalm 98 invites every believer into a life of praise that is rooted in revelation, shaped by memory, and propelled by hope. We sing a new song because God has done marvelous things, and we keep singing because His mercies are new every morning (Psalm 98:1; Lamentations 3:22–23). This means returning often to the Scriptures, which make His salvation known and teach our hearts the truth that fuels worship, for the word of Christ dwelling richly among us turns belief into song (Psalm 98:2; Colossians 3:16). As we read and remember, we also recount His deeds in our own lives, learning to say with the psalmist, “Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits,” because gratitude grows where remembrance is practiced (Psalm 103:2; Psalm 77:11–12).
The psalm also shapes the way we gather. Because the Lord is King, our services aim at His honor rather than at human applause, and because He commands joyful sound, we cultivate skill and unity for the sake of the name (Psalm 98:6; Psalm 33:3). Trumpets and ram’s horns are not required, but their principle remains: bring your best to God with gladness (Psalm 98:5–6). Some congregations sing ancient texts, others write new ones; some use organs, strings, guitars, or drums; all are called to sing with understanding and reverence so the church is built up in love (1 Corinthians 14:15; Ephesians 5:19). Private devotion matters too. The “new song” can rise while doing dishes or driving to work, because the earth is the Lord’s and praise fits every place (Psalm 24:1; Psalm 34:1).
Psalm 98 steadies hope. When the news runs dark or injustice seems entrenched, we remember that the Lord is coming to judge the earth and that His judgments are righteous and His rule is kind (Psalm 98:9; Psalm 89:14). This does not make us passive; it makes us patient and faithful, working good while we wait for the King who will set all things right (Galatians 6:9; James 5:7–8). We speak the gospel because God has revealed His righteousness to the nations and because He is not far from any one of us; He calls people from every tribe and language to trust His Son (Psalm 98:2; Acts 17:27–28). We also care for the world God made, not to save it by our hands but to honor the One who will renew it, living as people who know that rivers will clap and mountains will sing (Psalm 98:8; Romans 8:21).
Finally, the psalm enlarges our view of who is included. “All the earth” is invited to shout for joy, and “all the ends of the earth” have seen His salvation, which means the Church can expect and pursue a wide harvest (Psalm 98:3–4). The gifts and calling of God to Israel remain in place, and the nations are grafted in by grace, so our worship anticipates the day when Jew and Gentile together bless the Lord under the reign of Messiah (Romans 11:17–29; Revelation 7:9–10). Until then, we keep singing—old songs that have carried saints through the ages and new songs that fit fresh mercies—because the King who came is the King who is coming.
Conclusion
Psalm 98 teaches the Church to sing with eyes on the Lord’s works and eyes on the Lord’s return. The Lord has done marvelous things, He has made His salvation known, and He will come to judge the earth in righteousness and equity, so the proper response is joy—robust, thoughtful, public joy that fills sanctuaries and spills into streets (Psalm 98:1–3; Psalm 98:9). This is not the noise of empty optimism but the sound of faith, for the kingdom of the world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Messiah, and He will reign for ever and ever (Revelation 11:15). Let every heart rehearse that future by praising Him now.
So let the harp and the voice obey, and let the church that bears His name raise a new song. Let homes become small sanctuaries of thanks. Let weary saints find strength in the God who remembers His covenant. And let the whole earth learn the chorus. The King is worthy. The King is near. The King is coming.
“He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.” (Psalm 98:9)
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