In this psalm, the psalmist calls upon all the nations to recognise and praise the God of heaven with thanksgiving.
Although the headings aren’t inspired by God, they are important because they give us some understanding of the Psalm, and they help us to see why it was written. The headings usually tell us four things.
1. Who wrote them, probably wrote them, or possibly wrote them.
2. Information about the historical background to the Psalm. Why was it written?
3. They tell us of the tune the Psalm was written to.
4. How it was used.
The heading tells us this is a psalm for giving grateful praise. We don’t know who the author is; however, Jewish tradition accredits Psalms 90-100 to Moses. Other Psalms written by Moses are also found in Exodus 15 and Deuteronomy 32.
The psalmist begins by encouraging all the earth to shout for joy to the LORD, Psalm 100:1. By inviting all the earth to shout to the Lord, this tells us that God isn’t just the God of Israel, but He is the God of all the nations.
The earth is called upon to worship the LORD with gladness, Psalm 100:2. which consists of singing joyful songs before Him, Psalm 100:2. Worshipping God also involves a recognition of who God is, a recognition that He made us and we are His, Psalm 100:3.
It was Israel who were originally God’s people, Deuteronomy 7:6, the sheep of His pasture, Psalm 100:3 / Ezekiel 34:11-15, but in Christ, all Christians are His chosen people, 1 Peter 2:9, the sheep of His pasture, John 10:7-18.
The psalmist encourages the nations to enter His gates with thanksgiving, and in His courts with praise, Psalm 100:4. The gates speak of God’s strength, and as we enter His gates, we should be ready with an offering of thanksgiving, Leviticus 7:12-15.
As we enter His courts, we should be ready to give Him praise, because of all that He has done for us, Hebrews 13:15. Giving thanks and praising His Name should always go together, especially now that Christ has opened the gateway to heaven for us, Hebrews 10:19.
God is good, Psalm 100:5, and is full of goodness, Exodus 34:6 / Ezra 3:11. God is love, Psalm 100:5 / 1 John 4:8 / 1 John 4:16, and His love endures forever, Psalm 100:5 / Psalm 136.
God is faithful, Psalm 100:5 / Deuteronomy 7:9 / Hebrews 6:18, and His faithfulness continues through all generations, Psalm 100:5. God’s goodness, God’s love, and God’s faithfulness are the three main reasons why God and God alone is worthy of our worship, praise, and thanksgiving.
The psalmist reminded us that God is good, that is, goodness is a part of His essence. Goodness is who He is, Psalm 145:9, and our goodness comes from Him, Psalm 34:8 / Psalm 119:68.
In the opening chapter of Genesis, we read about His goodness. In fact, everything God created was good, Genesis 1:3 / Genesis 1:4 / Genesis 1:10 / Genesis 1:12 / Genesis 1:17-18 / Genesis 1:21 / Genesis 1:25 / Genesis 1:31 / Matthew 5:45.
Because God is good, surely, this tells us that He only wants good for us as His children. It’s God’s goodness that helps us recognise that everything God gives us and does for us is for our good, Romans 8:28 / James 1:17. God’s goodness can be relied upon, but His goodness endures forever, Psalm 52:1.