Psalm Chapter 95

Psalm 95:1 O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.

Here is another reminder from the Psalmist that we are to rejoice and sing unto the Lord. This is a necessary part of our service to God. This is for our benefit. God inhabits our praises. It helps us to praise Him. It lifts our spirits and strengthens our resolve when we worship God in song and praise.

However, we should never just worship no matter how good that is and neglect the deep study of the scriptures. Without the word in our hearts, we may return to sin. Praise, worship, singing, rejoicing, studying the word, living the word, walking in the word, and sharing the gospel is all work together. Not one should be abandoned.

Psalm 95:2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.

Notice the words, joyful noise. Being thankful and worshipping God in joy is necessary for our benefit. How encouraging it is to see someone rejoice in the Lord. Our hope is in God and our rejoicing and walking in joy encourages others. If we have lost the joy of our salvation, let us renew ourselves to God so that we can feel the joy in our hearts again. If ever you feel down and out, sit down and sing a few good hymns or praise songs and see if you don't start feeling better.

Psalm 95:3 For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

There is really no other god but this may refer to the gods people think exist in idols or in the heavenly bodies like the stars and sun that ancient civilizations worshipped.

Psalm 95:4 In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also.
5 The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.

Every time we venture outside we should remember who gave us so many beautiful things to see. God sure wasn't boring. He used so much variety and color in His creation. The way He made the human body also is fascinating. Image the kidneys, heart and liver all performing a different but necessary function. To not believe in the greatness of God is to be totally ignorant.

Psalm 95:6 O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.

God is worthy of more worship than we could ever give in our lifetime.

Psalm 95:7 For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice,
8 Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:

When things got tough, the children of Israel began to murmur and complain forgetting the goodness of God. I remember many past election years in the United States that the media stressed the job losses and the economic situations so much that people began to complain and speak evil of the president. I personally was appalled by the unthankful words and murmuring I heard.

It reminded me of the stories I read in the Old Testament of how God did so much for Israel with mighty miracles, He fed them with bread from heaven, and He divided the Red Sea so that they could cross over and escape the pursuing armies of the Egyptians. When times got a little rough, they forgot all that God had done and began to complain. How many of us do that and how it must hurt God for us to forget how good He has been to us especially here in the United States?

Psalm 95:9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work.
10 Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:
11 Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.

Because of murmuring, complaining and unbelief that generation was denied the right to enter the promise land and the younger generation were the ones to enter into the land of Canaan.

This is similar to what causes a soul to be saved or lost for eternity. Unbelief is the sin that causes all other sins. When we forget God and forget His word, we begin to fear and start murmuring and complaining.

Unbelief can kill us spiritually. If we don't believe, God can't save us. In order to be saved and have eternal life we have to believe what God gave to us. If someone said they were going to give me something and I refused to believe it and didn't receive the gift, the gift would not profit me. This is how God's gift of salvation works.

First of all we need to believe the word of God. According to the law, there is a thing called sin. All of us that have reached the age of accountability have broken the law at one point or another. We are guilty of sin and the penalty of sin is death both physically and spiritually. Hell awaits every one because everyone has sinned. God did not desire to see us lost. He made us to live, not die.

When Adam and Eve disobeyed God and allowed sin to enter the human race, all of us were destined to Hell where Satan is going. We were lost. God sent His own Son to become flesh and be born of a woman. He came through the lineage of Israel and then Judah. This man was Jesus who is the Messiah.

Jesus did not break the law in any point and was sinless. He then was worthy to become the sinless, perfect sacrifice to pay the price for the sins of every human being. In order to receive this gift of salvation, we must believe this, renounce or repent of sin then receive Jesus as Lord of our lives. God then sends His Holy Spirit to abide with us continually to give us power over sin. Unbelief is the only thing that keeps some of us out of eternal life and keeps us from receiving God's gift of salvation. DC

Psalm 96

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