This psalm speaks of the mercy and salvation of the Lord, and as a result of His mercy and salvation, all people, all nature and all the nations are called upon to sing praises to Him. It’s possible that Mary, the mother of Jesus, had this psalm in mind, as she quotes the first part of this psalm in Luke 1:46-55, in relation to the Christ.
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 it was 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, but 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 calling upon everyone to sing a new song to the Lord, Psalm 98:1 / Psalms 33:3 / Psalm 40:3 / Psalm 96:1 / Psalm 144:9 / Psalm 149:1 / Isaiah 42:10 / Revelation 5:9 / Revelation 14:3. A new song usually signifies a renewal of commitment to the Lord, a new start in recognition of the marvellous things He had done, Psalm 98:1 / Psalm 77:14 / Psalm 86:10.
His right hand and His holy arm, Psalm 98:1, signify God’s strength and power His power is demonstrated through His mercy and deliverance of His people, Psalm 98:1 / Isaiah 52:10 / Isaiah 59:16 / Isaiah 63:5. His salvation is known and He revealed His righteousness to the nations, Psalm 98:2 / Isaiah 52:10.
God remembered His love and faithfulness to Israel, Psalm 98:3 / Luke 1:54-55 / Luke 1:72. Love and faithfulness speak of the establishment of His just order on earth, Isaiah 46:13 / Isaiah 51:5-6 / Isaiah 51:8.
God didn’t deliver Israel for Israel’s sake alone, He delivered them as a witness to other nations that He was working through Israel, Psalm 98:3. As a result, all the nations have seen the salvation God brought His people, Genesis 12:3.
The psalmist encourages all the earth to shout for joy to the Lord, Psalm 98:4 / Zechariah 9:9, because of all the marvellous things He has done. Because of what God has done, He should be praised, in every way He should be praised for His work among His people and the world, 2 Chronicles 29:25-30 / Ezra 3:10-13.
The earth is to ‘burst into jubilant song with music,’ Psalm 98:4 / Isaiah 52:9. This is clearly a song of joyful praise. They are to use the harp, Psalm 98:5 / 1 Samuel 10:5 / 1 Chronicles 16:5 / 2 Chronicles 5:12-13, trumpets, Psalm 98:6 / Numbers 10:2 / Numbers 10:8-10 / Numbers 31:6.
They are also to use the lamb’s horns, Psalm 98:6 / Leviticus 25:9-12 / 1 Kings 1:39 / Exodus 19:16 / Exodus 19:19 / Exodus 20:18 / Leviticus 25:9 / Joshua 6:4-6 / Joshua 6:8-9 / Joshua 6:13 / Joshua 6:16 / Joshua 6:20 / 1 Chronicles 15:28 / 2 Chronicles 15:14 / Hosea 5:8, in their praise before the Lord, the King, Psalm 98:6.
Also, notice the seas, and everything which lives within them, Psalm 98:7, the world and everything which lives within it, Psalm 98:7, should also praise God, Psalm 98:1. The rivers were to clap their hands and the mountains were to sing together with them, Psalm 98:8 / Isaiah 55:12. These are all obviously metaphors which speak of the entire creation coming together to offer praise to God.
The reason for all the praise is because God comes to judge the earth, Psalm 98:9, which will give the earth some relief from man’s sin, Romans 8:19-22. He isn’t just praised because of all the marvellous things He has done but also because of what He is about to do.
He will judge the world in righteousness, Psalm 98:9, that is, He will judge justly and right, He will also the peoples with equity, Psalm 98:9, that is, without respect of persons, 1 Peter 1:17. Because God judges, the righteous will get some rest from the wicked who opposed them, those who were denied justice, and they can rejoice because they stand within the grace of God.
The psalmist beautifully and poetically portrays all of God’s creation coming together to praise Him, Psalm 14:7-13. Although the seas, the rivers, mountains, and trees are all used as metaphors, they certainly take our imaginations to a wonderful place where everyone and everything just simply comes together to praise God for what He has done and what He will do.
These metaphors remind me of that great hymn, ‘Hallelujah, Praise Jehovah’, written by William J. Kirkpatrick. Apparently, this hymn was inspired by Psalm 148:1-14, and as we read the words to his hymn, we can see why it has become a very popular hymn within many congregations.