Psalm 98 (97):3Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Just now, the Gospel was proclaimed, recounting the Lord's miraculous acts. A widow's only son was carried out in death; moved by compassion, the Lord paused their sorrow and said, Young man, I say unto you, Arise. Luke 7:12-14. Truly, marvelous are the works of the Lord. What marvels? Listen: His right hand and His holy arm brought healing. What does His holy arm refer to? It refers to our Lord Jesus Christ. As Isaiah proclaims, Who has believed our report, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? Isaiah 53:1. Thus, His holy arm and right hand represent Him. Our Lord Jesus Christ embodies the arm of God and the right hand of God, which is why it is said, He healed for Him. This does not merely imply, His right hand healed the world, but rather, He healed for Him, for many receive healing for their own sake rather than His. Consider how many seek bodily health and receive it from Him. They are indeed healed by Him, but not for His glory. How is it that they are healed by Him yet not for Him? Upon recovery, they may engage in promiscuous behavior; those who remained faithful while ill may turn to adultery once restored; those who caused no harm in their sickness may become predators of the innocent. They are healed, yet not for Him. Who, then, is healed for Him? The one who receives inner healing. Who experiences this inner healing? The one who places their trust in Him, knowing that after being inwardly renewed into a new creation, even their mortal flesh—having languished for a time—can ultimately be restored to perfect health. Therefore, let us seek healing for His sake. And to be healed for His sake, let us have faith in His right hand. The Lord has made His salvation known, as proclaimed in Psalm 96:2. This very right hand, this salvation, is our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom it is said, ‘And all flesh shall see the salvation of God’; Luke 3:6. Simeon, who cradled the child in his arms, declared, ‘Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation.’ Luke 2:28-30. The Lord has disclosed His salvation. To whom has He revealed it? Not to a select few, but to all. There are no whispers of, ‘Look, Christ is here or there’; Matthew 24:23. Those who claim, ‘Look, He is here or there’ refer to specific locales. To whom did the Lord reveal His salvation? Listen to the continuation: He has made His righteousness evident to the nations. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the right hand of God, the might of God, the salvation of God, and the truth of God.

He remembered His mercy toward Jacob and His faithfulness to the house of Israel, as stated in Psalm 96:3. What does it mean to remember mercy and truth? The Lord showed mercy in His promise; following His promise, truth emerged. Mercy preceded the promise, and truth fulfilled it. His faithfulness is directed toward the house of Israel. Who is Israel? Do not think only of the Jewish nation; listen: all the ends of the earth have witnessed the salvation of our God. It does not merely say the whole earth but all ends, as it is expressed from one end to the other. Let no one diminish this message; the unity of Christ is strong. The price He paid was high, acquiring all creation: all the ends of the earth.

As a response to that revelation, let all the earth cry out to the Lord, as declared in Psalm 96:4. You already understand the meaning of a joyful noise. Rejoice and proclaim with enthusiasm. If you cannot articulate your joy, let your shout convey it; joy should never be muted; let not your heart be silent about your God and His blessings. When you speak to yourself, you bring healing to your spirit; if His right hand has healed you for His sake, acknowledge Him for whom you are healed. Sing, rejoice, and create a new melody.

Sing to the Lord with a stringed instrument; on the harp and with the voice of melody, as Psalm 96:5 advises. Praise Him not solely with your voice but engage in action, so that your singing is accompanied by good works. Those who sing and act do so on the harp and in the spirit of worship. Next, let us consider the instruments mentioned: with the sound of trumpets and the blast of the horn, as expressed in Psalm 96:6. What are these trumpets and horns? The trumpets are refined through shaping; they are molded through trials. If you will be like trumpet instruments raised to glorify God, you must grow through tribulation: tribulation acts as the hammer, and growth is the result of that forging. Job exemplified this as a trumpet when he was struck by profound loss with the death of his children, yet he remained firm, declaring, The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. Job 1:21. How sweet was his sound! That trumpet is still in the hands of the Divine craftsman. We have heard how it has been fashioned; let us now listen to its tone. What shall we say? Should we only accept good from God's hand, and not also hardship? Blessed and uplifting is this sound! Who would not awaken from slumber upon hearing it? Who wouldn't be stirred to believe that God will rouse them to confront the devil with confidence, armed not with their own strength but with divine support? For it is He who shapes us; the hammer does not act on its own.

Look at the Apostle, too, who endured this same hammering: he refers to it as a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan sent to buffet me. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. Observe, he too is being shaped; listen to how he speaks of it: ‘For this reason, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.’ And He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. The Lord desires to perfect this trumpet; but it must undergo the hammering. In weakness, strength is manifested. Hear now how the refined trumpet sounds: When I am weak, then I am strong.

What does the sound of the trumpet signify? It signifies a call that transcends earthly desires; to rise above the flesh, it must be enduring and capable of declaring the truth. And where does this strength come from? It arises because it surpasses the flesh. Whoever aspires to be like a trumpet must triumph over worldly desires and lusts. Concentrate your affections on high aspirations, which means: rise above the flesh and avoid dwelling on earthly matters. They were not yet like trumpets when He addressed them: I could not speak to you as spiritual beings but as to worldly ones, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, nor indeed are you able now. For you are still worldly. Thus, they were not yet trumpets because they remained bound to the flesh. The trumpet both emerges from flesh yet rises above it; while it is created from the flesh, it transcends it. Therefore, if you are spiritual, having moved beyond a carnal existence, though you walk in the flesh, you do not engage in earthly warfare.

Brothers and sisters, do not scorn those yet untouched by God's grace; be aware that in doing so, you are indulging in fleshly attitudes. It is not a trumpet that pleases God's ears; mere boasting is fruitless in spiritual conflict. Let the sound of the trumpet rally your courage against the enemy; let not the trumpet of pride disturb the peace between brethren. Raise a joyful noise in the presence of the Lord, our King.

While you celebrate and delight in the sounds of the instruments and the joyful noise, what follows? Let the sea roar and all that fills it, as stated in Psalm 96:7. Brethren, when the Apostles, like trumpets and horns, preached the truth, the sea was disturbed, waves surged, and storms intensified, bringing persecution upon the Church. Where did this agitation occur? When joyful sounds resonated and psalms of thanksgiving were sung to God, His ears were delighted, and the sea's waves surged. Let the sea and all that dwells within it stir: let the world and all its inhabitants respond. Let the sea awaken in its persecution, as the rivers clap their hands, according to Psalm 96:8. The rivers, which symbolize those empowered by the Holy Spirit, rejoice in their works. Clapping hands signifies joyful actions. Let the floods of the Holy Spirit overflow, as He beckons, Come to Me, all who thirst; John 7:37-39. These rivers will celebrate, rejoicing in their deeds and praising God.

The hills will rejoice together before the Lord, for He has come to judge the earth, as declared in Psalm 96:9. The hills represent the mighty ones. The Lord comes to render judgment upon the earth, evoking joy among the righteous. Yet there are hills that, upon His arrival, will tremble. There are both noble hills and the hills of pride. Let the hills rejoice in unison before the Lord, for He comes to judge. In righteousness, He will administer justice throughout the earth and its inhabitants, as proclaimed in Psalm 96:10. The hills shall rejoice, for He will judge justly. When a judge arrives whose conscience cannot be fooled, even the innocent may feel apprehensive, fearing recognition of their virtue or the potential consequence of their wrongdoing. But when He who is all-knowing comes, let the hills rejoice without trepidation; they will find illumination rather than condemnation. They should rejoice that the Lord shall judge the world with equity; if the righteous hills rejoice, let the wicked tremble! But behold, He has not yet come. Why must they tremble? They should amend their ways and rejoice instead.

It is within your power to choose how you await Christ's return. This delay serves a purpose, so that when He comes, He will not have to bring condemnation to you. Understand that He has not yet arrived; His dwelling is in heaven while you reside on earth. Recognize this time of waiting, and do not waste your opportunity for wisdom. His coming is daunting for the hardened heart but gentle for the faithful soul. Therefore, consider what your heart holds; if you are hard-hearted, there is time for softening; if you are gentle and faithful, rejoice now in anticipation of His coming. For you are indeed a Christian. You affirm your faith, saying, ‘Your kingdom come.’ Matthew 6:10. You long for the coming of the One whose arrival you dread. Adjust your ways so that your prayers align with His will rather than against it.

We turn to Ezekiel: ‘And to these wheels that rolled, they said, “Gellgel”’ (see Ezekiel 10:13), which translates to ‘revelation, revelation.’ For ‘gel’ signifies ‘revelation,’ and ‘gelgel’ denotes ‘revelation, revelation.’ Thus, they heard these words because it is as if the wheel makes contact with the earth minimally, while all its motion is directed toward the heavens. Hence, it is stated elsewhere, ‘The sacred stones roll upon the earth’ (Zechariah 9:16). And what does Ezekiel reveal? ‘Where the spirit went, the wheels followed’ (Ezek. 1:12, 20). Let us pursue the Holy Spirit and aspire to be like the wheels. The text indicates that ‘they did not go backwards, but always forwards’ (see Ezekiel 1:12-). Reflect on these words. The prophet does not say ‘turning around,’ but rather emphasizes continuous forward movement. They were letting go of the past and striving toward loftier pursuits (cf. Phil. 3:13). ‘And were full of eyes’ (Ezek. 1:18). These wheels were saturated with the light of God. This is not the moment to elaborate on the wheels, cherubim, and creatures in Ezekiel."

Thus, I entrust Thee to the covenant of the people, signifying a fulfillment of the covenant with the Jews, while serving as light not merely for them, but extended to the nations; for the Gentiles, through faith, have become sharers in salvation, while the Jews have remained in the darkness of disbelief. In addition, the blessed David proclaimed, “I will repay His kindness to Jacob and His faithfulness to the house of Israel,” affirming that he has fulfilled the promises given to them. Yet all the ends of the earth have witnessed the salvation of our God; for the illumination of truth has shone not just for the Jews, but for all humanity.

Isychias explains that when referring to Jacob, he did not stop there but also included the house of Israel to unmistakably illustrate that the one who brings this prophecy to fruition is the same who named Jacob Israel; the struggle he had signifies the mystery of the incarnation, as the flesh is marked by conflict and entanglement. All the ends of the earth have witnessed the salvation of our God. The phrase ends of the earth signifies the peoples residing therein, who have experienced the salvation brought by Christ, revealed to them through the Apostles, as previously mentioned. Isychias remarks that the Lord came to the Jews as His own; however, as they closed their eyes, the salvation of God was instead revealed to the ends of the earth, to all nations, even though they had not encountered it before. Cyril notes that no one is excluded from the grace of salvation through Christ, as I previously mentioned; rather, the entirety of the earth was invited through faith. Athanasius declares that no place is omitted from the opportunity to partake in the kingdom of Christ. Eusebius observes that those who have transcended worldly concerns by turning away from material wisdom and aspiring to higher things, who are referred to here as the ends of the earth, have encountered salvation and its Source—the Divine Word, who represents salvation from God.

He also recalled the faithfulness of the house of Israel, affirming the blessing that Jacob had bestowed as an inheritance upon his offspring when he prophesied concerning the tribe of Judah, declaring, ‘The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs; the obedience of the nations is his’ (Gen. 49:10). The subsequent words of the Psalmist fully support this: ‘All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.’ Christ first came to the Jews, His own people, but as they refused to see (for they closed their eyes, Isaiah states, that they might not perceive, Isaiah 6:10), the ends of the earth, namely the Gentiles, witnessed the salvation of God, which had previously been hidden from them. The Lord also expressed amazement at what now surprises the prophet, stating, ‘For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind may see and those who see may become blind’ (John 9:39).

In essence, the Prophet illustrates that God did not look beyond Himself, as theologians affirm, but rather discovered the basis for salvation within His own goodness, which was outwardly bestowed, along with the singular favor He showed to Abraham and his descendants. The phrase "I will remember" pertains to human understanding; since God initiated the fulfillment of His promise after a considerable time, it appeared as though He had forgotten it. Over two millennia passed from the promise until the coming of Christ, during which time the faithful endured numerous adversities and faced many enemies and detractors. Thus, it is not surprising that they constantly mourned and grieved, feeling deprived of the hope of witnessing the realization of the promised salvation. The subsequent words, "All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God," signify more than a mere acknowledgment of God's goodness; they affirm that the act of salvation will resonate powerfully, proclaiming His glory to the farthest corners of the earth. They also imply that those who once spoke in ways contrary to God will now partake in His salvation. Therefore, the phrase "have seen" carries significant weight; it denotes a vibrant faith intertwined with understanding, a faith that inclines the will towards love and aspiration. Those who are satisfied with only a theoretical faith, without considering the Savior, cannot truly claim to have witnessed the salvation of God.

The hostility of the Gentiles towards God's people is, in truth, a direct affront to God Himself, justifying the portrayal of God as actively involved in their support. Some Greek manuscripts substitute with αυτον, emphasizing that this assistance is evident to all (v.2) and is bestowed in a generous manner (v.3). This call to thanksgiving is meant to be global (v.4) and executed with the highest dignity (vv.5-6). The metaphor of pipes signifies the creation of music - an expression of joy customary in royal greetings (2 Samuel 11:12). The notions of coming and going reflect a continuous flow of praise; even the elements of nature are compelled to participate (v.8), as the Righteous Judge of all the earth receives His due honor (v.9).

This aligns with the prophecy given by Ezekiel, who preached long after David: "and I will raise up to them a shepherd, My servant David" (Ezekiel 34:23). The new song serves as a hymn of gratitude for the Nativity and Resurrection of Christ, marvelously illustrating how He has redeemed humanity from sin through His precious blood. The "right hand" and "the muscle" represent the divine might of Christ, through which He triumphed over death and reigns. In His profound humanity, the divine strength of the holy Father enabled Him to rescue the sinful and lost servant through His sufferings.