Introduction
Psalm 95: Today’s psalm invites listeners to come and praise the LORD. It may have been used when people entered the Temple to worship. The psalm proclaims the LORD’s kingship over other gods, the earth, the sea, and the people. It ends with a warning not to test and disobey God like Israel’s ancestors did in the wilderness after God had just rescued them from slavery in Egypt (see Exodus 17:1–7).
Today’s Key Verse: Psalm 95:1 GNT
Come, let us praise the LORD! Let us sing for joy to God, who protects us!
Read
1 Come, let us praise the LORD!
Let us sing for joy to God, who protects us!
2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and sing joyful songs of praise.
3 For the LORD is a mighty God,
a mighty king over all the gods.
4 He rules over the whole earth,
from the deepest caves to the highest hills.
5 He rules over the sea, which he made;
the land also, which he himself formed.
6 Come, let us bow down and worship him;
let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!
7 He is our God;
we are the people he cares for,
the flock for which he provides.
Listen today to what he says:
8 “Don’t be stubborn, as your ancestors were at Meribah,
as they were that day in the desert at Massah.
9 There they put me to the test and tried me,
although they had seen what I did for them.
10 For forty years I was disgusted with those people.
I said, ‘How disloyal they are!
They refuse to obey my commands.’
11 I was angry and made a solemn promise:
‘You will never enter the land
where I would have given you rest.’”
Reflect
Reread verses 5–6. What fact about God does the psalmist mention repeatedly? How might this explain God’s role as king and our duty to worship him? What image does the psalmist use for the people that suggests God’s special care for them (verse 7)? Reread verse 9. Why did Israel’s ancestors have no excuse for testing God? What was the consequence of their disobedience (verse 11)? How has God shown his faithfulness in your life? Are there areas where you need to show more trust?
Pray
Lord God, you are the wonderful creator; all things were formed by you. Yet you have chosen us in your love, tending us as your own flock. Help us remember your many blessings. Forgive us when we forget you and your wise commands. Let us praise you joyfully in all things. Amen.
Tomorrow’s Reading
Psalm 96: A song for the whole world to praise the LORD.
