Bible Commentaries

An Invitation to All Men to Serve the True God.

A psalm of praise, properly placed here to close this wonderful series of praise anthems, the summons here being to give thanksgiving to God, the Creator, Preserver, and Benefactor of men.

v. 1. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, with the voice of exultant singing, all ye lands, Psa 98:4.

v. 2. Serve the Lord with gladness, not in the fear and terror of the Law, but with the joy flowing from true faith; come before His presence with singing, with shouts of homage to the mighty and merciful Ruler.

v. 3. Know ye that the Lord, He is God, that is the basis of a proper understanding of the divinity, that Jehovah alone is the true God; it is He that hath made us, by His almighty, creative power, and not we ourselves, everything that we are and have is a gift of His goodness and grace, and we may well think of the entire explanation of the First and the Second Article of the Creed at this point; we are His people, the believers, the true spiritual Israel, and the sheep of His pasture, in the care of the great Good Shepherd.

v. 4. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise, all men being invited to join the congregation of the Lord which has its place of worship in His temple, wherever His Word is preached; be thankful unto Him, for all the richness of His spiritual blessings, and bless His name, declaring the works performed by His wonderful attributes.

v. 5. For the Lord is good, Psa 25:8; Psa 34:8; His mercy, the liberality of His divine favor, on the basis of the redemption, is everlasting; and His truth, the faithfulness of His promises and of His love, endureth to all generations, from one generation to the next, as long as the world will stand, every new generation of believers learning and proclaiming this wonderful song of praise in honor of Jehovah the Messiah, as it will be sung also throughout eternity.