Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 6
Psalm 96 also highlights God as Creator and Judge (“the Lord made the heavens…for he cometh…to judge the earth”). How does the combination of God’s beauty (“strength and beauty are in his sanctuary”) and God’s coming judgment shape what our “new song” should sound like in tone and content?
Another way to ask: How should singing about God’s beauty and his coming judgment shape what our “new song” sounds like—its mood and its message?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
According to the speaker’s use of Psalm 96, the “new song” should be full of glory, majesty, and beauty because God is Creator, yet it should also carry seriousness and truth because He is coming to judge righteously. So the tone is joyful worship with reverent weight, and the content declares His salvation, reign, and righteousness.
- He reads: “the Lord made the heavens,” grounding worship in God as Creator rather than human taste.
- He emphasizes God’s beauty and majesty: “Honor and majesty are before him. Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.”
- He reads the judgment note clearly: “for he cometh…to judge the earth…He shall judge the world with righteousness and the people with truth.”
- He draws a main takeaway: our song should “bless his name,” “show forth his salvation,” and “declare his glory among the heathen.”
- He repeats “glory…due the Lord,” implying our “new song” is God-centered and weighty.
- He notes creation joins the worship (“heavens rejoice…seas roar…trees…rejoice”), giving the song a big, awe-filled scope.