“For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.” Psalm 96:4-6
Devotional Thought For The Day
Again, the context for this praise of God is His salvation and His wonderful works of deliverance and protection of His people. All of this centers in the wondrous works of His only-begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. In these verses we see what Scripture declares in regard to the “reality” of “the gods” – they are all worthless idols. There is but One God, He Who made the heavens and the entire cosmos – including the precious earth and its wonders of life. There are forces of evil which pretend to be “gods” – Paul identifies all idolatry, all honoring of “gods” as directed toward and involving fellowship with demons. [1 Cor. 10:19,20] These can and do present themselves as “fearful” and requiring of our reverence and deference – seeking to woo and coerce people away from undivided devotion to and worship of God, the Only True and Living God. They are not to be feared at all, for God will not give His glory to any other, including the false gods and idols. [Is. 42:8] So we can see and understand what a pathetic and damnable perversion is involved in all polytheism, and also in all other “religions.”
The chief difference between God and all of the false “gods of the peoples” is His love, His free gift of salvation, His forgiveness, mercy, and clemency in the redemption and atonement He has provided for us in Christ Jesus. All other religions present “god” as a “bargainer,” as a god of law: do good and you will be saved and blessed; do evil and you will be damned and punished. However, under God’s law all human beings are doomed to damnation and punishment: “There is not a just man upon the earth that doeth good and sinneth not” [Eccl. 7:20]; “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” [Rom. 3:23]; “if we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us . . . if we say we have not sinned we are calling God a liar, and His Word is not in us” [1 John 1:8,10]; “if a man keeps the whole law and yet offends in just one point, he is guilty of all” [James 2:10].
But God, the only True and Living God, is full of grace, mercy, and compassion, and He is our Savior. He has provided us with salvation from our sin and guilt: “By grace you are saved through faith, and that is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” [Eph. 2:8,9] What we cannot do under His law [which condemns us all to hell] He Himself has done for us in the gift of His beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. This is why the psalmist rejoices in God’s salvation and calls upon all to speak of it from day to day – at all times; this is the basis of the psalmist’s conclusion that “great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised.” This is His splendor and majesty and glory – for which He is surely to be praised and glorified. So again, we see how despicable it is to have other “gods” or to give worship, reverence, or even deference to any other “god.”
In His sanctuary – that is, in His church. We have allowed false religion much too great an influence in our thinking, focusing far too much on “law” and “goodness” and “reforming” society [others] – and have spent far too little time considering the kindness and love of God, His real nature [“God is love.” 1 Jn. 4:8,16]. Even within the visible church the devil has successfully adjusted the focus – so that we do not spend our time in deep repentance and in the joy of God’s salvation, but rather in considering what we need to do to reform ourselves [small work] and others around us [our major task]. This is grotesque hypocrisy and delusion – and in many “churches” this delusion is theologically institutionalized so that there is no escape. The psalmist’s focus provides a dramatic contrast – God’s salvation is wondrous, His strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. May we all be blessed to find such “sanctuary,” God’s sanctuary. May God grant all of us the prayer of the apostle: “May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ.” [2 Thess. 3:5] This is what the psalmist seeks to do – to direct our hearts into the love of God, His salvation, and the steadfastness of Christ!
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, today and every day may I dwell upon the wonders of Your love and Your salvation. Help me to grow each day in understanding Your glorious love, that my heart and mind might be thoroughly captivated and formed by Your love. Then my praise and worship of You will be purified and proper, through genuine repentance and the joy of Your salvation. Then too I will be preserved from all temptations to idolatry, all distortions and diminishing of Your glory. Amen.