Behold Your God! Recovering The Majesty Of God -- By: Mark R. Stevenson

Journal: Emmaus Journal
Volume: EMJ 17:2 (Winter 2008)
Article: Behold Your God! Recovering The Majesty Of God
Author: Mark R. Stevenson


Behold Your God! Recovering The Majesty Of God1

A Meditation On Psalm 96

Mark R. Stevenson

Mark Stevenson is a faculty member at Emmaus Bible College and Book Review Editor of The Emmaus Journal.

Oh sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth! 2Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. 3Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! 4For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. 5For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens. 6Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. 7Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength! 8Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts! 9Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth! 10Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.” 11Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; 12let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy 13before the LORD, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness (Ps. 96, ESV).

The Greatness Of God

Psalm 96 celebrates the greatness of God. It’s a psalm that calls on God’s people to sing and to worship and to proclaim the greatness of God in salvation and

judgment. In fact, it calls all peoples, all nations, all creation to recognize God’s majesty and sovereignty and greatness, and thus to worship him as the only true God.

All of this celebratory activity of singing and praising and declaring flows out of a foundational truth stated in verse 4: “For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods.”

God is great. He is majestic. Verse 6 announces, “Splendor and majesty are before him.” There is no one like him. And because of the greatness and uniqueness of his person, because of the marvelous na...

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