1 Chronicles 16:4–36

In the wilderness we do not read of songs of joy. They had sung the song of redemption on the banks of the Red Sea. Even that song soon died away on their lips. Then came the complaints, born of the hardships and dangers of their journey. But at last the ark found a resting place in the land, if only for a time, in Zion. Then David "appointed some of the Levites as ministers before the ark of the LORD, to invoke, to thank, and to praise the LORD, the God of Israel."

All is done according to the law. But the king directs; he takes the first place, not the priest. Now David appoints the singers in due order. It is a true and acceptable service to God, a service of song to Him — and why should they not sing? On the earlier occasion their hearts were glad, and that gladness may have spilled out in loud shouting that showed no understanding. It was not the ordered, reverent joy of those who worship God... Then it was the joy of the flesh pushing into holy things. God had to defend His own order and majesty, so He judged them all in the person of Uzzah.

A certain order, a certain initiative in the direction of the praise rested on the musicians. It is the same in the assembly. Only a small number are qualified for this work, and it matters just as much as everything else that relates to worship. David alone was the author of all that had to do with the future temple, even the musical part of the worship. No one had set up anything like it under the system of the tabernacle in the wilderness... Today praise is connected with Christ's heavenly glory, and so it has an entirely spiritual character.

At the present time believers are both priests and Levites. They act as priests when they are in the holiest, offering the sacrifice of praise to God through Christ. They act as priests too when they "do good" and "share what they have" (Heb. 13:15-16). When they are busy for the Lord in other kinds of service, they show more of the Levitical character.

The ark now sat "under curtains", in a tent David had spread for it. The tabernacle in the wilderness stood at Gibeon, with the bronze altar and the other vessels of the sanctuary. Burnt offerings went up there morning and evening. Here David sets up the men who would carry out these two services: at Gibeon, the offering of the sacrifices; at Jerusalem, praise before the ark.

Next comes this form of words: "His mercy endures for ever." It declares that despite all the faults, all the sins, and all the unfaithfulness of Israel, Jehovah's mercy has stood firm. This will be shown in full when the Lamb is on Mount Zion. He is the true ark of the covenant and the real David, and He is there even before He takes the character of Solomon. And so, ever since David, this has been sung.

What happened on that memorable day, when the ark came up to Jerusalem, was only the beginning of David's care for Jehovah and His ark. He "left before the ark of the covenant of the Lord Asaph and his brothers, to minister before the ark continually, as every day's work required" (1 Chr. 16:37). There was to be continual praise to God, with one of the chief musicians leading the praises.

While the ark moved from place to place, with no sure resting place for the Lord among His people, there was no service of praise. The song begins only when David brings the ark up to its resting place.

David appointed the Levites to this happy service. In earlier days they had carried the tabernacle, its vessels and its furniture, through the wilderness. Now the ark had rest and their carrying was over. How good it was for them to take up the service of praise to the Lord... We are still passing through the wilderness. But the true Ark, our Lord Jesus Christ, is in the scene of rest, and it is our privilege to join in the service of song that delights His heart and the heart of His God and Father.

David not only orders the Levites to carry the ark "as Moses had commanded according to the word of the LORD." He also appoints singers, musicians, and "doorkeepers for the ark," and their very names are listed. Among them all, the name of Obed-edom, repeated four times, shines above the others. He is doorkeeper for the tabernacle, singer, doorkeeper for the ark, and musician... God's grace had blessed his house and all that belonged to him, because the throne of God was present in his home. Obed-edom both saw that grace and received it, so he receives very special mention in this book of God's purposes in grace.

Now the singers are properly appointed. This is a true and acceptable service to God, a service of song to Him... The first time, there was gladness of heart which may have poured itself out in thoughtless, noisy shouting. It was not the calm and reverent joy of those who worship God... Then it was fleshly joy pushing into holy things, and God, to defend His own order and majesty, had to judge them all in the person of Uzzah.

At Gibeon the ritual given through Moses was to continue, but now with a service of song added... Before the Ark, Asaph and his brothers were to serve in their service of song. Everyone could then see two things. The Tabernacle set out how to approach God, which is, and must always be, by sacrifice — then by the daily and yearly sacrifices, and now by the one perfect sacrifice... Before the Ark, people saw and said every day what service suits those who are where the presence of God is known. That was, and must be, a service of song... At Jerusalem people saw what we now know to be the true character of Christian worship, for we are allowed to be in the presence of God.

They quarried minerals from the hills, took wood from the forests, and took strings from animals killed. They made these into cymbals, horns, trumpets, lutes and harps, as King David ordered... People called them the "musical instruments of God"... and this cannot be said too strongly — the music of praise was TO GOD, and not for the mere entertainment OF MEN!

The Psalms were written under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, so we may conclude that this way of celebrating the praises of God suited the way God was dealing with His people at that time. A call like "Praise Him with lute and harp" fits the Psalms perfectly. But in the New Testament it is "singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart."

Only the priests could blow the trumpets. It takes a priest to give the signal that gathers the assembly together (see Num. 10:1-10). It was their office and theirs only — not that of the Levites. The Levite cannot do it.

Numbers 10 speaks of the silver trumpets. They served for calling the assembly of the people together, and for setting the camps on the move, but they serve other purposes too. It was the testimony of God, given in public, with two chief ends in view: to gather the people, and to make them journey. And that is how it works in practice. The testimony of God gathers His people around Him, and makes them go forward. The testimony of God was the sign that He was stepping in, and at the same time it brought that about. The priests were in communion with their head, and so were close to God's thoughts. They sounded the trumpets when needed.

This was the last time sacrifices were offered before the Ark while it stood in the tent on Zion. So David arranged the service before it for the future. He kept Asaph and his brothers to minister there, with two priests to blow trumpets. He sent Zadok the priest and his brothers to the Tabernacle at Gibeon, to sacrifice there as the law required, and with them Heman and Jeduthun and the rest, to praise the Lord.

The day the ark was brought up to Jerusalem was only the start of David's care for the Lord and His ark. He left Asaph and his brothers before the ark, to minister there regularly, as each day required (1 Chr. 16:37). So there was to be continual praise to God, with one of the chief musicians leading the praises. Each day would bring its own special reasons for thanksgiving and praise to God.

In the wilderness we do not read of songs of joy. They had sung the song of redemption on the banks of the Red Sea, but even that soon died away on their lips. Complaints took its place, born of the hardships and dangers of their journey. But in the land the ark found a resting place on Zion, if only for a time. David then appointed some of the Levites to serve before the ark of the Lord, to call on Him, to thank Him and to praise the Lord, the God of Israel. Asaph and others were to play stringed instruments, Asaph himself was to sound the cymbals, while certain priests were to blow the trumpets.

The authority of the king was now the centre of Israel. The king pictures the Lord Jesus, for God has kept the place of chief honour for His Son, and David stands for this. So the priests moved into a secondary place, and the king came to the front... The ark was the throne of the Lord in Israel, and it was now tied closely to the king rather than to the priests. In time everything was arranged around this centre, but it was only a temporary state of things.

David was the "sweet psalmist of Israel." He knew how to praise Jehovah, and he had good reason. But he also established "the service of song in the house of the LORD after the ark rested there." … While the ark was moving from place to place, with no sure resting place for the Lord among His people, there was no service of praise. It is not until David brings up the ark to its resting place that the song begins.

In the wilderness we do not read of songs of joy; they had sung the song of redemption on the banks of the Red Sea, but even that soon died away on their lips, and was followed by the complaints that came from the hardships and dangers of their pilgrim journey.

It is the hymn of the beginning of the kingship. The setting up of the ark in Zion proclaims it: the ark is God's throne among His people, at last entering into its rest. This song is tied to the ark's return. … This psalm is called "the first" to celebrate the Lord. Here the subject is not, as in Samuel, victory over the wicked, the responsibility of the saints, and God's government toward them. The subject is God's faithfulness to His promises, accomplished at last by the ark's return to Zion, after Israel had forfeited every right to keep it among them.

Three Psalms, 105, 96, 106 … were selected by the king to give fitting expression for all on that occasion. They began with part of Psalm 105, verses 1-15. David tied that day's ceremony to the fulfilment of God's promise to the patriarchs, to give their descendants the land. Next they sang Psalm 96, for the ark's entrance into Jerusalem was a pledge of the coming day of glory, when God will show His supremacy over the nations and all will acknowledge it. … They closed that day with the first and last two verses of Psalm 106, which predict a situation, and a need, that they knew nothing of at the time; but we understand it, and the godly remnant of the future will enter into it fully.

The king appoints certain Levites to minister before the ark, Asaph to sound with cymbals. They are to thank and praise the Lord God of Israel. But David himself gives the song. God inspires him to give thanks to Him in a psalm that boasts in a covenant already made with their fathers. Its forward look also takes in the future wonderful actings of the mercy that endures for ever. This psalm suits the time, for the ark is not yet in its final resting place.

The conditions, circumstances, or acts of David, or of others of God's people, became the occasion for the Holy Spirit. He breathed through them words and revelations that suited the time or the circumstance, but that reached in their full meaning beyond it. God delivers David from Saul. The ark of God comes into the tent prepared for it. The Spirit uses those events as His occasion. In the range and compass of the inspiration, knowing as He does the end from the beginning, He takes in larger and still distant scenes.

What took place on that memorable day, when David brought the ark up to Jerusalem, was only the beginning of his care for the Lord and His ark. He "left Asaph and his brothers there before the ark of the covenant of the LORD to minister regularly before the ark as each day required." There was to be continual praise to God, with one of the chief musicians leading the praises, and this "as each day required." Day after day there would be special causes for thanksgiving and praise to God.

The song of 1 Chronicles 16 is completely different. It is the hymn of the beginning of the kingship, announced by the setting up of the ark in Zion. The ark is God's throne among His people, at last entering into its rest… This psalm is called "the first" to celebrate the Lord. Here the subject is not what it was in Samuel: victory over the wicked, the responsibility of the saints, and God's government over them. The subject here is God's faithfulness to His promises. That faithfulness was accomplished at last by the ark's return to Zion, after Israel had forfeited every right to keep it among them.

This is a magnificent psalm indeed (1 Chronicles 16:8-36), which this chapter alone records in a continuous form, made up of the first fifteen verses of Psalm 105, followed by the whole of Psalm 96, and concluded by the last two verses of Psalm 106. All this shows how fully David grasped the importance of the occasion and its far-reaching effects. They touched not only the little nation of Israel, the only nation there that day, but pointed on as a first instalment of that coming day of glory.

The psalm opens with a call to Israel to give thanks to the Lord; to call upon His name, and to make known His deeds among the peoples. So restored Israel are to be a praising people, a dependent people and a witnessing people.

1 Chronicles 16 is the hiding of self and the setting forth of the character and ways of God. In short, it is a song of praise; you only have to read it to be refreshed.

Psalm 105 celebrates the deeds of the Lord, His marvellous works, and the judgments of His mouth. God calls Israel to remember, not Moses and the conditional promises given to the people through him, but the covenant He made with Abraham. That covenant carried no conditions — an everlasting covenant to give the land to his seed. The psalm reminds Israel how God preserved those heirs of promise, as they went from nation to nation… The beginning of the psalm celebrates grace towards Israel, according to the promises made to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, when the judgments of God are in all the earth.

This psalm fits the circumstance of the ark being still in a tent. Yet it looks on to the time when the heavens will be glad and the earth will rejoice, and when men will say among the nations, "The LORD reigns." It has a prophetic character. It brings before the eye of faith what did not then appear. It opens with a burst of praise… It calls all the earth to sing to the Lord, for the blessings of Israel will spread from a centre over the whole earth.

David remembers his fall, and the lesson is learned; he now sets himself to act according to God's intention. So we see that the work of man no longer spoils the work of God. God is glorified, the people are joyful, the ark of the Lord has taken its place among them again, and the blessing is so great that the psalms they sing are the ones that will be sung in the millennium, when the Lord returns to Israel. In 1 Chronicles 16:8-22 they sing Psalm 105, and from verses 23 to 33 they sing Psalm 96.

The first 15 verses of Psalm 105 are an appeal to celebrate the Lord because of His covenant "which He made with Abraham, and of His oath to Isaac... To you I will give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance." This is a covenant of pure grace, God's faithfulness to His promises. The covenant of Sinai was different: it rested on the people's responsibility... We do not find a single word about Israel's oppression by the nations as a result of their disobedience. All is free grace in this passage.

The psalm opens with a call to Israel to give thanks to the Lord, to call upon His name, and to make known His deeds among the peoples. So restored Israel are to be a praising people, a dependent people and a witnessing people.

They are called to praise the Lord for what He has done and for what He is in the glory of His Person. He has done wondrous works, and His name sets forth what He is — He is holy.

The first thing to notice about this outburst of joy is this: Scripture never mentions singing except in connection with redemption. Angels are never even said to sing... It is only redeemed ones, therefore, who can sing, and from this we learn the true character of Christian song. It should express the joy of salvation — the notes of praise and gladness that the knowledge of redemption produces in the soul. "Is anyone cheerful?" says James, "Let him sing praise." (James 5:13.)

Singing is also advised (v. 2), for singing is the language of a redeemed people (Ex. 15); and it is only fitting to speak of His wondrous works when we have received the blessing of them.

We read in the Psalms, "Let us talk of all His wondrous works." That is a real privilege, and it is within the reach of all who know Him. Notice that it does not say, "Let us preach." If it did, we might feel the instruction was beyond us. But it says let us talk — talk about Him, as a child talks about his father, saying to his playmates, "I wish you knew my father, he is the best in all the world."

On the Lord's day morning, when we come together, what fills our hearts is the theme of His praise. We have the still more wonderful works of God in Christ and the new creation; and the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven bears His witness to these (Acts 2:11). Here Israel is pictured as occupied with the wonderful things God has done to deliver their nation.

The song of 1 Chronicles 16 is completely different from the song in 2 Samuel 22. It is the hymn of the beginning of the kingship. Setting the ark up in Zion proclaimed that kingship: the ark is God's throne among His people, and it has at last entered into its rest. This song is closely tied to the ark's return. We are told, "Then on that day David first delivered this psalm to give thanks to the LORD through Asaph and his brothers." It is called the first psalm given to celebrate the Lord. In Samuel the subject was victory over the wicked, the responsibility of the saints, and God's government toward them. Here the subject is God's faithfulness to His promises. The ark's return to Zion accomplished that faithfulness at last, after Israel had forfeited every right to keep it among them.

The first fifteen verses of Psalm 105 call us to celebrate the Lord because of His covenant. It is the covenant "which He made with Abraham, and of His oath to Isaac; and He confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, to Israel for an everlasting covenant, saying, To you I will give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance." This is a covenant of pure grace, God's faithfulness to His promises. The covenant of Sinai stands in contrast, for it rested on the people's responsibility… Here we do not find a single word about Israel's oppression by the nations because of their disobedience. All is free grace in this passage.

They are called to praise the Lord for what He has done and for what He is in the glory of His Person. He has done wondrous works, and His name sets forth what He is — He is holy.

They may well glory too in His holy name — not only in the power of that great name, but in the holiness of it. It will surely be true also that the hearts of those who honestly seek the Lord will greatly rejoice. In seeking the Lord, they will also seek His strength.

Grace brought them all to glory in the Lord — to boast in Him! They had nothing in themselves to boast in, and the heart needs something, or rather someone — a worthy object; therefore He is the One provided for this purpose. He who glories in men is not wise; and he who boasts in himself is a fool… The word boast may sound a little out of place at first, but it is the word the Spirit of Truth has used to build us up, and we do well to take hold of its force: "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."

In 1 Chronicles 15:2 David says, "None ought to carry the ark of the Lord but the Levites." He remembers his fall, and the lesson is learned; he now applies himself to act according to God's intention. So we see that the work of man no longer spoils the work of God. God is glorified, the people are joyful, and the ark of the Lord has again taken its place among them. The blessing is so great that the psalms they sing are the very psalms Israel will sing in the millennium, when the Lord will return to them… How different are the results in chapter 13! There David acts by himself without consulting the Lord, and he and all his people are plunged into affliction.

The song of 1 Chronicles 16 is completely different. It is the hymn that opens the kingship, announced by setting the ark in Zion. The ark is God's throne among His people, and at last it has entered its rest. This song is closely tied to the ark's return. On that day, we read, "David first appointed that thanksgiving be sung to the LORD by Asaph and his brothers." So this psalm is called "the first" song of praise to the Lord.

It is a call to Israel to stand again on their true ground, the ancient promises, and to seek the LORD. The ark of the covenant now rests among His believing ones, not because it is set up in the Temple, but because God is faithful.

The psalm opens with a call to Israel to give thanks to the Lord; to call upon His name, and to make known His deeds among the peoples. So restored Israel is to be a praising people, a dependent people and a witnessing people.

They are to call upon Him, or "seek the Lord," because they are weak and "strength" is with Him. This dependence must be constant: they must "seek his face continually" (compare John 15:5).

God's face shining on His people means that He is revealed in His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus. We see it in the transfiguration, when "his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light" (Matthew 17:2). And 2 Corinthians 4:6 confirms it: God "has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." Believers today enjoy this shining out of God's glory in the face of Jesus Christ.

Let us, then, follow these examples of Scripture. If we seek the Lord and His strength — Psalm 105:4 — we shall prove how He can enable feeble ones to stand against the storm. And then let us not forget to render to Him the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His holy name.

The magnificent psalm of 1 Chronicles 16 looks back and looks forward. It pours out present praise, and it draws praise to God from ALL the people. All of this is the precious result of what they went through and the lesson they learned at this threshing floor... God's choosing; God's preparation; God's due order; God's command according to His own word; the need for sanctification and for seeking the Lord.

The song of 1 Chronicles 16 is completely different. It is the hymn that opens the kingship, proclaimed when the ark was set up in Zion. The ark is God's throne among His people, at last entering its rest. This song is bound up with the ark's return. Here the subject is not what it was in Samuel. There it was victory over the wicked, the responsibility of the saints, and God's government of them. Here it is God's faithfulness to His promises. That faithfulness came about at last by the ark's return to Zion, after Israel had forfeited every right to keep it among them.

The blessing is so great that the psalms they sing are the psalms Israel will sing in the millennium, when the Lord returns to Israel. In 1 Chronicles 16:8-22 they sing Psalm 105 and from verses 23 to 33 they sing Psalm 96.

God commands Israel, His people and the assembly of His chosen ones, to remember these things. They are to remember because He is Jehovah their God, and His judgments are in all the earth. The call is not to remember Moses and the conditional promises given through him. It is to remember the covenant God made with Abraham with no conditions attached — an everlasting covenant to give the land to his seed. The psalm reminds Israel how God preserved those heirs of promise as they went from nation to nation.

The first section, in seven verses, calls for the celebration of Jehovah their God, as known in His glorious deeds. His Name is holy. Human weakness needs His power. The "judgments of His mouth" interpret His acts, and make them an illustration of His perfect ways.

Those in the millennium were not there when God did His marvellous works in freeing Israel from Egypt. Yet they are told to "remember His marvellous works." Of course they can do this just as we can remember all the events of the history of the Lord Jesus in His incarnation, His life of great goodness, His sufferings and sacrifice on Calvary, His resurrection and exaltation to God's right hand. We can remember because we have God's Word for all this. So "His wonders and the judgments of His mouth" can be remembered too.

The psalm opens with a call to Israel to give thanks to the Lord, to call upon His name, and to make known His deeds among the peoples. So restored Israel are to be a praising people, a dependent people and a witnessing people.

Israel saw His acts, and they were very wonderful. He had hurled plague after plague on their wicked oppressor. At last He forced their release by destroying the firstborn. He had divided the sea before them, while Pharaoh and his mighty army drove hard behind them. In the wilderness He had rained bread from heaven to meet their hunger... And when they saw these things they believed His word and sang His praise. But it had no lasting effect. They soon forgot His works, and Himself also.

In 1 Chronicles 15:2 David says, "No one is to carry the ark of the Lord but the Levites." He remembers his fall, and he has learned the lesson. He now sets himself to act according to God's intention. So we see that the work of man no longer spoils the work of God. God is glorified, the people are joyful, and the ark of the Lord has again taken its place among them. The blessing is so great that the psalms they sing are the psalms that will be sung in the millennium, when the Lord returns to Israel.

The song recorded here (vv. 8-36) brings together fragments of three psalms. Verses 8-22 match Psalm 105:1-15. Verses 23-33 match Psalm 96:1-12. Verses 34-36 match Psalm 106:1, 47-48.

The change is very striking. In the psalm (v. 6) "Israel," the national name of power, becomes "Abraham," the lone pilgrim of grace, calling, and election.

Isaiah recalled this national relationship in words the Lord spoke to the people through him: "But you, Israel, My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham My friend; you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, 'You are My servant'" (Isa. 41:8-9). So God made this chosen people His agents. They received and kept His holy words. They set out the worship of the One and Only God before the world. And they were the seat of the Lord's earthly government among the nations.

His people stand before this glorious God as the "seed of Abraham His servant" — the man whose own history marks him out as a servant by his obedience. They are also "the children of Jacob His chosen." Jacob's history is of another kind. It shows the struggle of a soul in the hand of God — a soul that knows Him, but knows Him too little. This is what makes God's dealings with that soul necessary, until at last an Israel comes out of a Jacob. These struggles and this discipline from God are plainly the pattern of the nation's history later on.

No doubt this refers directly to Israel and her blessing in the millennium. But even today all believers count as children of Abraham: "If you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise" (Gal. 3:29). Because we have faith, we count as Abraham's children. And because believing Israelites are unworthy of the least of God's mercies, they count as Jacob's children — chosen despite being totally undeserving.

This is a covenant of pure grace — God's faithfulness to His promises. It stands in contrast to the covenant of Sinai, which rested on the people's responsibility... We do not find a single word about Israel's oppression by the nations as a result of their disobedience. All is free grace in this passage... So this first part leaves out the whole history of the people under responsibility. It brings out grace instead, and the promises made long before the law.

In 1 Chronicles 15:2 David says that only the Levites may carry the ark of the Lord. He remembers his fall, and the lesson is learned. He now sets himself to act the way God intended. So we see that the work of man no longer spoils the work of God. God is glorified, the people are joyful, and the ark of the Lord has taken its place among them again. The blessing is so great that the psalms they sing are the ones that will be sung in the millennium, when the Lord returns to Israel. In 1 Chronicles 16:8-22 they sing Psalm 105, and from verses 23 to 33 they sing Psalm 96.

Israel, as His people and the gathering of His chosen ones, are told to remember these things, for He is Jehovah their God, and His judgments are in all the earth. Israel is called to remember, not Moses and the conditional promises given to the people through him, but the covenant God made with Abraham with no conditions attached — an everlasting covenant to give the land to his descendants... The opening of the psalm celebrates grace towards Israel, according to the promises made to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, at a time when the judgments of God are in all the earth. This rests on the presence of the ark and the setting up of the throne in Zion, and it comes first.

The first 15 verses of Psalm 105 are a call to celebrate the Lord because of His covenant — the covenant He made with Abraham, His oath to Isaac, which He confirmed to Jacob as a statute and to Israel as an everlasting covenant: He would give them the land of Canaan as their inheritance. This is a covenant of pure grace. It rests on God's faithfulness to His promises, unlike the covenant of Sinai, which rested on the people's responsibility... There is not one word here about Israel being oppressed by the nations because of their disobedience. All is free grace in this passage.

The "judgments of His mouth" explain His acts, and show them as examples of His perfect ways... They are also "the children of Jacob His chosen." Jacob's history is of a different kind. It shows the struggle of a soul in the hand of God — a soul that knows Him, but knows Him far too little. This makes God's dealings with him necessary, and by them a Jacob at last becomes an Israel. These struggles and this discipline from God are plainly a picture of the nation's history later on... and the victorious grace of God will not stop working toward them until He has made them, too, a true Israel. And this is "Jehovah our God," whose "judgments" are of the same kind, and they "are in all the earth."

The unconditional promises made to the fathers will then be fulfilled in grace, brought in, as we have seen, by judgment. Psalm 105 is prophetic of this... "He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth."... Looking back at the nation's past, we saw that these promises have never yet been fulfilled. The people took their inheritance under law, and lost it. They will be made good to them in sovereign grace, and, as verse 7 says, by judgment — which shows very clearly that they are still to come.

This is the hymn of the beginning of the kingship. Setting up the ark in Zion proclaimed it: God's throne among His people had entered at last into its rest... Here the subject is not what it was in the song in 2 Samuel — victory over the wicked, the responsibility of the saints, and God's government toward them. The subject is God's faithfulness to His promises, accomplished at last by the ark's return to Zion, after Israel had forfeited every right to keep it among them.

The first fifteen verses of Psalm 105 are an appeal to celebrate the Lord because of His covenant. It is the covenant "which He made with Abraham, and of His oath to Isaac; and He confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, to Israel for an everlasting covenant, saying, To you I will give the land of Canaan, the portion of your inheritance" (1 Chron. 16:16-18). This is a covenant of pure grace. It is God's faithfulness to His promises, in contrast to the covenant of Sinai, which rested on the people's responsibility.

This covenant is "the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations," and so it lasts through the ages. It is the covenant God made with Abraham. It was unconditional. It did not depend in the least on Israel's obedience. He affirmed the same covenant again to Isaac, and confirmed it to Jacob, despite Jacob's wandering away. It was an everlasting covenant, and so it depended only on the faithfulness of God.

He is always mindful of it. He has commanded it to a thousand generations — a round number, it seems, for as many as there may be (compare Deut. 7:9)... To Jacob, with all the frailty and sinfulness that the name implies, it still takes the form of a decree, the fixed expression of His absolute will. With Israel, in whom His transforming power has taken effect, it is an everlasting covenant.

These were the promises they were to remember. The dealings of deliverance in Egypt no longer appear here, nor their faults in the accompanying Psalm 106. God remembered Abraham in Egypt — now they were to remember him. Jehovah had remembered His covenant. His judgments were now in all the earth. It is a call to Israel to get onto their true ground of the ancient promises and seek Jehovah.

Israel held the land on conditions, and only for a time. That possession is not the fulfilment of the covenant with the fathers.

Looking back over the nation's history, we saw that these promises have never yet been fulfilled. The people took their inheritance under law, and lost it. God will make the promises good to them in sovereign grace.

The king chose three Psalms: 105, 96 and 106. All three come from the fourth book of Psalms, and none of them are credited to David. He picked them to give everyone fitting words for that occasion. They began with part of Psalm 105, verses 1-15. David linked that day's ceremony with God keeping His promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob: to give their descendants the land.

This is a covenant of pure grace. It rests on God's faithfulness to His promises, unlike the covenant of Sinai, which rested on the people's responsibility... Not one word here mentions Israel being oppressed by the nations because of their disobedience. All is free grace in this passage.

He made it with Abraham, and swore it to Isaac. He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree that cannot be changed, and to Israel as an everlasting covenant... To Jacob, with all the weakness and sin that the name implies, it still comes as a decree, the fixed expression of His absolute will. To Israel, the name in which His transforming power has done its work, it is an everlasting covenant.

Notice first that His purpose cannot change: change is impossible. The oath adds nothing to His Word; it only confirms it. But it shows the rich goodness of God's heart, and how willing He is to give the heirs of promise every encouraging assurance.

Finally, God gave the land to Abraham's descendants "for ever," or as it is put elsewhere, "for an everlasting possession." Israel's hold on Canaan was clearly nothing like that. But has the Lord forgotten His promise? Far from it. In the same prophecy where He speaks of holding the land on condition, and warns that Israel will be cast out if they disobey, He points forward to the time when the promise made to Abraham will receive its true fulfilment... So the conditional, temporary possession Israel enjoyed is not the fulfilment of the covenant with the fathers.

The first fifteen verses of Psalm 105 are an appeal to celebrate the Lord because of His covenant "which He made with Abraham, and of His oath to Isaac; and He confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, to Israel for an everlasting covenant, saying, To you will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance." This is a covenant of pure grace, and of God's faithfulness to His promises. It stands in contrast to the covenant of Sinai, which was based on the people's responsibility… We do not find a single word about Israel's oppression by the nations as a result of their disobedience. All is free grace in this passage.

He made it with Abraham; with an oath to Isaac, He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree that cannot be changed, and to Israel as an everlasting covenant. The double name here clearly points to the people as well as to the father of their twelve tribes, and, as always, it carries meaning. To Jacob, with all the weakness and sinfulness that the name implies, it still takes the form of a decree, the fixed expression of His absolute will. With Israel, in whom His transforming power has taken effect, it is an everlasting covenant. So He works in perfect sovereignty, and in keeping with the holiness of His own nature.

This unconditional covenant of God (unconditional because it is "in Christ"), first given to Abraham, had been confirmed 430 years before the Law was given. The confirmation was not to Abraham (because the dates do not match) but to Jacob, as Psalm 105:10 states plainly. God wants us to see that when He pledged His word, He acted with full deliberation and perfect knowledge of everything past, present and future. The time between the giving of the covenant and its confirmation was long enough to expose how unworthy those who received the promise were. Of course, God's Word is enough for faith: it stands for ever. But how compassionate He is that He would confirm the covenant for the assurance of His undeserving people.

In Galatians, the covenant is confirmed, not made. Genesis 46:1-4 records that confirmation. God appeared to Jacob at Beersheba and confirmed the covenant He had made with Abraham.

Finally, God gave the land to Abraham's offspring "for ever," or as it is put elsewhere, "for an everlasting possession." There is no doubt that Israel's possession of Canaan was not like that. But has the Lord forgotten His promise? Or are we to assume that the promise was not meant for Israel? Far from it. The Lord speaks in the same prophecy of holding the land on conditions, and He foretells that Israel will be cast out if they disobey. Yet in that same prophecy He points forward to the time when the promise made to Abraham will be truly fulfilled: "When they are in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, and I will not abhor them so as to destroy them utterly and break My covenant with them" (Lev. 26:44)… So the conditional and temporary possession Israel enjoyed is not the fulfilment of the covenant with the fathers.

This is a covenant of pure grace, God's faithfulness to His promises, in contrast to the covenant of Sinai, based on the people's responsibility. The passage cited ends with these words: "He allowed no one to oppress them; He rebuked kings on their account, saying, Touch not My anointed ones, do My prophets no harm." We do not find a single word about Israel's oppression by the nations as a result of their disobedience. All is free grace in this passage.

In verses 23-45 we find the deliverance from Egypt and the journey through the wilderness under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. Then comes the people's entry into Canaan, "that they might keep His statutes and observe His laws" — and we know where this rule of law led.

This is certainly not the covenant of Sinai, which demanded obedience from the people, and which they broke as soon as they came under it... It is the covenant God made with Abraham, which was unconditional, not in the least conditional on the obedience of Israel. He affirmed the same covenant again to Isaac, and confirmed it to Jacob, despite Jacob's wandering away. It was an everlasting covenant, so it rested only on the faithfulness of God.

To Jacob, with all the weakness and sinfulness that the name implies, it still takes the form of a decree, the fixed expression of His absolute will. To Israel, as one in whom His transforming power is at work, it is an everlasting covenant... This covenant makes the land secure to them. It was secure even when they lived there as strangers only, a few people whom others counted as nothing.

God promised the land to Israel at a time when, to natural eyes, it looked impossible to fulfil. The people who received the promise were few in number and strangers in the land. Yet they stayed under the constant care of the Lord. They went from one nation to another and from kingdom to kingdom, but anyone who wronged them came under the rebuke of God.

Scripture speaks of the land of promise again and again as the inheritance of Israel. God gave them this land flowing with milk and honey. So when Israel returns to take possession of the land in a future day, Scripture still calls it their inheritance. All this shows that they were, and will be, an earthly people. God blessed them on earth in relationship with Himself as Jehovah, and He will bless them on earth again when they own the Lord Jesus as their Messiah.

God will then fulfil in grace the unconditional promises made to the fathers, and, as we have seen, judgment will bring them in. Psalm 105 is a prophecy of this... We may remember that when we looked at the nation's past history, we saw that these promises have never yet been fulfilled. The people took their inheritance under law — and lost it. God will make them good to them in sovereign grace.

The conditions, circumstances, or acts of David, or of others of God's people, became the occasion for the Holy Spirit to breathe through them words and revelations. These suited the time or the circumstance, but their full meaning reached beyond it. God delivers David from Saul. The ark of God comes into the tent prepared for it. The Spirit uses those events as His occasion. His inspiration has such range that, knowing the end from the beginning, He takes in larger scenes that are still far off.

God made the promise of the land to Israel at a time when, to natural sight, it would look impossible to fulfil. The people who received the promise were few in number and strangers in the land. Still, they were under the constant care of the Lord. They went from one nation to another and from kingdom to kingdom. But no one wronged them without coming under the reproof of God.

They are in the place of strangers; that is clear ("at that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land"). They own nothing, "not so much as to put a foot upon." Everything rests on how much they value the promises (Heb. 11:9). They have just two things: the altar and the tent. They travel about and worship God, so they are strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

He was a pilgrim and stranger in Canaan; and this by divine design... But the God of glory gave Abraham no inheritance in it — not even a place to set his foot. He promised to give it to him as a possession, and to his descendants after him, at a time when he had no child. Abraham thus lived on promise and walked by faith, not by sight.

God protected the weak handful of His people, strangers in the land that was allotted to them as their inheritance. Apart from His protection they would have been destroyed again and again.

Abraham needed protection, and Abraham had it in God with the blessed name of the "Almighty." What a suitable name of relationship for him and his! His enemies were all near and around him, and word would leak out that his descendants were to take the land from the Amorites and the rest... The chosen people were few for a long time, but the truth would make itself felt as they increased and grew stronger.

All this, however, is to faith. We are not yet in actual possession of the inheritance, and so the apostle describes his readers as "strangers and pilgrims." This shows that our portion is not in this world. A "stranger" is someone who has no home in the place where he finds himself. A "pilgrim" is someone who knows where his home is, and is going to it.

Israel must remember, not Moses and the conditional promises given to the people through him, but the covenant God made with Abraham with no conditions attached — an everlasting covenant to give the land to his offspring. Israel must remember how God kept those heirs of the promise safe when they went from nation to nation.

God gave Israel the promise of the land at a time when, humanly speaking, it looked impossible to fulfil. The people who received the promise were few in number and strangers in the land. Still, they were under the constant care of the Lord. They went from one nation to another and from kingdom to kingdom, but no one wronged them without coming under the reproof of God.

This is a covenant of pure grace — God's faithfulness to His promises. It stands in contrast to the covenant of Sinai, which rested on the people's responsibility... Not one word here speaks of the nations oppressing Israel because they disobeyed. All is free grace in this passage.

It was not justice that God was displaying... it was divine care over one He had called out to walk before Him. "He rebuked kings on their account, saying, Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm." God cares for those He calls to walk before Him. Abimelech had taken a member of Abraham's family by force. God shows that He will not let anyone touch His people on earth without consequence — He would show Himself careful of those He thus owned.

Even when the sons of Israel were wanderers, going from one nation to another, the preserving mercy of God was with them. That mercy delivered them from any possibility of oppression, and even rebuked kings for their sake... God showed special care for them despite their own weakness and failure.

They own nothing at all, "not even a foot's length"; everything rests on their valuing the promises. They have just two things, the altar and the tent. Travelling about and worshipping God, they are strangers and pilgrims on the earth. Abram admits that this is what he is; he says openly that he is looking for a country, and so, we are told, "God is not ashamed to be called their God."

Now, He may let any or all men do them wrong. For the present He may rebuke neither kings, nor subjects, nor servants, when they scorn His anointed and do His servants all the harm they can. Another day He will render to each according to his works. But what does He feel now?

The song recorded here (verses 8-36) brings together fragments of three psalms. Verses 8-22 correspond to Psalm 105:1-15. Verses 23-33 correspond to Psalm 96:1-12. Verses 34-36 correspond to Psalm 106:1, 47-48.

This is a covenant of pure grace. It is God's faithfulness to His promises. The covenant of Sinai was different, because it rested on the people's responsibility. The passage quoted ends with these words: "He allowed no one to oppress them; he rebuked kings on their account, saying, 'Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm!'" We do not find a single word here about the nations oppressing Israel because of their disobedience. Everything here is free grace.

Even when the sons of Israel were wanderers, going from one nation to another, the preserving mercy of God was with them. It kept them from any possibility of oppression, and God even rebuked kings for their sake (v. 14). This is what happened with Abraham when he failed in the energy of faith and denied his true relationship to his wife (Gen. 12:17-20), and a second time as well (Gen. 20:2-3). Abraham was a prophet of God, and so were others of his sons. God showed special care for them despite their own weakness and failure.

In the case of Abraham and Abimelech, it was not justice that God was displaying; it was divine care over one He had called out to walk before Him. God cares for those He calls to walk before Him. Abimelech had taken a member of Abraham's family by tyrannical power, without cause. God shows that no one can touch His people on earth without consequence, and that He would show Himself careful of those He owned in this way. In this He made Himself known in connection with His people, and this was of the greatest importance.

Such is the way of God. He may have many a private controversy with His child over his practical ways. But the moment the enemy brings a case against him, the Lord always pleads His servant's cause.

It opens with a burst of praise — give thanks to the Lord, and so on. Then it looks back to the covenant with Abraham, made for a thousand generations, and that backward look is an essential part of Israel's worship. The covenant was made with Abraham, repeated with an oath to Isaac, and confirmed to Jacob as a statute and to Israel as an everlasting covenant. It was made when they were few in number and wanderers from one kingdom to another. But the covenant stood firm.

Now, He may let any or all men do them wrong. For the present He may rebuke neither kings, nor subjects, nor servants, when they scorn His anointed and do His servants all the harm they can. Another day He will repay each one according to his works.

The first 15 verses of Psalm 105 are an appeal to celebrate the Lord because of His covenant... This is a covenant of pure grace — God's faithfulness to His promises. The covenant given at Sinai was different: it rested on the people's own responsibility. The passage quoted ends with these words: "He allowed no one to oppress them. He reproved kings for their sakes, saying, Touch not My anointed ones, do My prophets no harm" (1 Chron. 16:21-22). We do not find a single word about Israel's oppression by the nations as a result of their disobedience. All is free grace in this passage.

Again, let us take the patriarchs, who are expressly called prophets. "He allowed no one to wrong them: yes, He reproved kings for their sakes." (Ps. 105:14-15) The same principle explains their claim to this title. They were the interpreters of God's mind in their day. They were "called out" because a new and terrible evil had come into the world, one we never read of before the days of Abraham — idol worship... Prophecy, or a prophet, always means that a new and growing evil is present. Because of that evil, God is pleased to unfold His mind about the future.

In the case of Abraham and Abimelech, this was divine care over one He had called out to walk before Him... God cares for those He calls to walk before Him. Gen. 20:3. Abimelech had used his royal power to seize a member of Abraham's household without cause. God shows that He will not let His people on earth be touched without consequence. He would show Himself careful of those He owned in this way. In this He made Himself known in connection with His people, and that was of the greatest importance.

In Abraham's case, he might lower himself in the eyes of Abimelech, king of Gerar, and Abimelech might have to rebuke him. Yet when God comes to deal with the case, He says to Abimelech, "Behold, you are a dead man," and of Abraham He says, "he is a prophet, so that he will pray for you."... This is God's way. He may have many a private dispute with His child about the way he lives. But the moment the enemy brings a case against him, the Lord always pleads His servant's cause. "Touch not My anointed ones, do My prophets no harm." "He who touches you touches the apple of My eye."

Now, He may let any or all men do them wrong. For the present He may reprove no one — not kings, not subjects, not common people — when they scorn His anointed and do His servants all the harm they can. Another day He will render to each according to his works. But what does He feel now?

It has a prophetic character. It brings to the eye of faith what did not then appear... The song looks back to the covenant with Abraham, made for a thousand generations. It was made with Abraham, repeated with an oath to Isaac, confirmed to Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant. It was made when they were only a few people, wandering from one kingdom to another. But the covenant stood firm.

It is the hymn of the beginning of the kingship. The setting up of the ark in Zion proclaimed it: the ark as God's throne among His people, at last entering into its rest. This song ties closely to the ark's return. "Then on that day," we are told, "David first appointed that thanksgiving be sung to the LORD by Asaph and his brothers." Here the subject is not, as in Samuel, victory over the wicked, the responsibility of the saints, and God's government of them. The subject is God's faithfulness to His promises. The ark's return to Zion accomplished that faithfulness at last, after Israel had forfeited every right to keep it among them.

It is a magnificent psalm, and this chapter alone records it in one continuous form. It is made up of the first fifteen verses of Psalm 105, then the whole of Psalm 96, and it closes with the last two verses of Psalm 106. All this shows how fully David entered into the importance of the occasion and its far-reaching effects. They reached beyond the little nation of Israel, the only nation present that day. The day was a foretaste of that coming day of glory. Then Jehovah, who so often in the history of this people called Himself the God of all the earth, will be acknowledged as such, supreme over all, with Zion as its centre.

This section leaves out details that belong to the theme of Christ's reign but not to the theme of David's reign. That omission is striking. So 1 Chronicles 16:23 omits the "new song" of Psalm 96:1. In the Word a new song always goes with a new scene, whether on earth or in the heavens. But this condition will only be fulfilled under Christ's reign.

No doubt "all the earth" pictures all Israel (the land), God's earthly people. They will gladly bless His name and publish His salvation "from day to day" through all the thousand years of peace (Psalm 96:1-2). But it is not to be limited to Israel, for they are told, "Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples!" (Psalm 96:3). So the blessing is to be shared by all the world. They are to be drawn first by the matchless glory of His person, together with the wonders of His works.

Here is a gospel before Christianity. It has been sounding out all through Christianity, whether men have heard it or not. It is only the echo of what we hear in Eden. There, before the gate of the first paradise shuts on the fallen and guilty pair, we hear that the seed of the woman will crush the serpent's head. That is a gospel which has been ringing through the ages since, and which may well be called the everlasting one. Only its form has changed, because now at last its promise will be fulfilled.

All shall be included in the closing joy. In Revelation 5 the redeemed, the angelic companies, and all creatures in heaven, on earth, under the earth, and in the seas join in it. In the same way, all here are summoned to the millennial song, so that there may be a full chorus of praise.

The song recorded here (vv. 8-36) is made up of pieces from three psalms. Verses 8-22 match Psalm 105:1-15. Verses 23-33 match Psalm 96:1-12. Verses 34-36 match Psalm 106:1, 47-48.

Verses 23-33 are almost the words of Psalm 96. It is a call to the nations to acknowledge Jehovah, whose glory should be declared among all nations. This psalm belongs to a series of psalms. In order, they relate everything that has to do with bringing the Firstborn back into the world — from the first cry of the people to the joy of all the nations.

But it is not to be confined to Israel, for they are told, "Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples!" (v. 3). So the blessing is to be shared by all the world. They are to be drawn primarily by the matchless glory of His person, attended by the wonders of His works.

This section stands out for leaving out details that belong to the theme of Christ's reign but not to the theme of David's reign. So 1 Chronicles 16:23 leaves out the "new song" of Psalm 96:1... Our verse 27 says, "Strength and joy are in His place." Verse 6 of the psalm says, "Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary." This was not yet the beauty of Christ's reign, though it was the joy of David's reign at its start. Also, at this time no one had yet built the sanctuary for the ark.

The omission of the judgment of the peoples in righteousness is remarkable. It is because the subject here is joy, and the grace of deliverance in the setting up of power, with the government of the earth that follows. It is also because the nations are called up to Jerusalem to present themselves there before Jehovah. This is the leading thought.

When David became king at Hebron, and even when he moved to Jerusalem, what kingdom outside the limits of God's grant to Abraham (Gen. 15:18) cared about it? When the Lord was born at Bethlehem, Rome carried on undisturbed. But when the Son of David shall return in power to reign, all the earth will learn how that concerns them... This Psalm, we would remind the reader, was sung at the entrance of the ark into Jerusalem (1 Chron. 16), and told out what that entrance foreshadowed.

The song recorded here (verses 8-36) is made up of pieces of three psalms. Verses 8-22 match Psalm 105:1-15; verses 23-33 match Psalm 96:1-12; and verses 34-36 match Psalm 106:1, 47-48.

This section stands out for leaving out details that belong to the theme of Christ's reign but not to the theme of David's reign. So 1 Chronicles 16:23 drops the "new song" of Psalm 96:1. In Scripture that phrase is always tied to a new scene, whether on earth or in heaven. But this condition will only be met under Christ's reign… Finally, the words of verse 33, "For He comes to judge the earth," replace the words of the psalm, "For He comes to judge the earth: He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples in His faithfulness." Such a fullness of government could not match David's reign.

This call goes out to the peoples and the nations, not to the Jews… Here the call is to all the earth. Yet though the call is to all the earth, Jerusalem is the centre, and the Jews are called on to carry the summons; the LORD is the subject of the song… He is to be feared above the gods, for He made the heavens. Every family of the peoples is called to come up and acknowledge this LORD the Creator, whose glory is in Israel, and to worship in His courts there in the beauty of holiness.

This long dispute with idolatry is now coming to an end. The sun rises and drives away the unclean things of the night: "the LORD is to be feared above all gods." And rightly so — for what are the others? "All the gods of the peoples are idols" — or, as the word means, "nothings" — "but the LORD made the heavens." This is the God who has now come down to an earthly sanctuary to show His heavenly glory on earth: "honour and glory are before Him; strength and beauty are in His sanctuary."

This fear of the Lord is not the slavish dread that marks the superstitious. No. It is a reverent trust joined with a hatred of evil. "The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil" (Proverbs 8:13). "The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever." Where this fear is kept, the presence of the Lord is real and a joy.

Then everyone will recognise that "Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised." It will be so impressive that many will at last be convinced that His greatness is unsearchable. Believers know this now, of course, but then the whole world will know it.

Verses 23-33 are almost the words of Psalm 96. It is a call to the nations to acknowledge Jehovah, whose glory should be declared among all nations.

These two parts show two things. First, Israel's joy before Jehovah fulfils the covenant made with the fathers, following after His mighty works. Second, the call goes out to the nations to come up to the place of His glory.

God has not hidden Himself for no reason. It is men who have turned away from Him. "For although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things" (Rom. 1:21-23). This dispute with idolatry is now coming to an end. The sun rises, and the unclean things of the night vanish: "Jehovah is to be feared above all gods." Truly — for what are they? "All the gods of the peoples are idols" — or, as the word means, "nothings" (compare 1 Cor. 8:4) — "but Jehovah made the heavens."

The challenge of idols is now completely silenced. God's greatness is infinite, high above all else. He deserves high praise, and the reverential fear that no idol can ever receive. All these so-called "gods" are idols (literally "nothings!"). "But the LORD made the heavens." If He made the heavens (all the starry hosts of heaven), He clearly made earth too. Earth is only one of the planets of the heavens.

Does this contradict what the apostle argued earlier, and what the prophets of old said, that an idol is nothing at all? Not at all. These things man invents have no existence, and their images neither see nor hear. But demons are very real. They take advantage of man's imagination or his fears, and claim the idol-sacrifices for themselves. So the emptiness of idols is no reason to share in meat sacrificed to them, for "what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God." The idols and their sacrifices may be completely powerless. But demons hiding behind them can and do shut the true God out of souls and seize the honour due to Him alone.

No one can exaggerate the greatness of His glory, and the glory due His name is infinite. So how can we give Him anything less and be content with it? Yet the kindness of God shows in the invitation to bring an offering and come into His courts. Of course He is worthy of far more adoration and worship than we, or all creation together, can ever give. But He still delights in whatever measure of honour we give Him, and we are blessed through it.

The song recorded here (vv. 8-36) is made up of parts of three psalms. Verses 8-22 match Psalm 105:1-15. Verses 23-33 match Psalm 96:1-12. Verses 34-36 match Psalm 106:1, 47-48.

"Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and beauty are in His sanctuary" (v. 6). Splendor and majesty are the glories that introduce His kingdom. Once it comes in, amazing strength appears in His sanctuary, joined with beauty. That is a fitting pair, and no merely human kingdom holds both together.

Our verse 27 says, "strength and joy are in His place." Verse 6 of the psalm says, "strength and beauty are in His sanctuary." This was not yet the beauty of Christ's reign, though it was the joy of David's reign at its start. Also, at this time no one had yet built the sanctuary for the ark. In the same way, verse 29 of our chapter says, "come before Him," and not "come into His courts" (Ps. 96:8). Again this matches the passing state of David's reign.

God laid the foundations of the first creation with shouts of joy (Job 38:7). That was heaven's pledge that God's purpose was to make His creatures happy. And this must be His purpose, for "God is love." … The foundations of another creation are laid here in the child of Bethlehem, and again all is gladness, in heaven and on earth. God is reappearing, and there must be joy, for sorrow cannot stay where He is. "Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and joy are in His place." No one may eat the bread of mourning in His sanctuary, for joy lives there as well as holiness.

The whole creation, in every region of it, will share in the power of that day. The daughter of Zion, the peoples of the earth with their kings, the beasts of the forests and the cattle of the hills, the floods and the woods, the hills, the valleys — each in its own way will taste and witness this universal joy. In that deep satisfaction the creation of God will then rest.

Man has taken the instrument of joy into his hand, but he plays it only for God's glory. And this is the perfect result of all things — the creature is happy and God is glorified. "Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and joy are in His place."

Though the summons is to all the earth, Jerusalem is the centre, and the Jews are called to be the instruments of the summons. All the families of the peoples are called to come up and own this Jehovah the Creator, whose glory is in Israel. They are to worship in His courts there, in the beauty of holiness. All the earth is to fear before Him.

They are to ascribe glory and strength to Jehovah as the only Source of these. They are to give Him the glory of His Name: the Ever-living, the Unchanging, who stays the same through all the changes of His creatures. And they are to give Him allegiance in the only way He can accept it, adorned with the beauty of the holiness He requires.

"Jehovah is to be feared above all gods." Truly — for what are they? "All the gods of the peoples are idols" — the word means "nothings" — "but Jehovah made the heavens." And this is the God who has now come down to an earthly sanctuary, to reveal His heavenly glory on earth.

The reader will notice that 1 Chronicles 16 is just the working out of the spirit breathed in the quotation above. It is the hiding of self and the setting out of the character and ways of God. In short, it is a song of praise, which you only have to read to be refreshed by it.

It is impossible to exaggerate the greatness of His glory. The glory due to His name is infinite. With this in view, how can we give Him anything less, and be content with it? ... Of course, He is worthy of far more adoration and worship than we, or all creation combined, can ever give. Yet He still delights in whatever measure of honour we give to Him, and we are blessed through this.

Fleshly desires and human arrangement can have no place in the movements of the ark. Its place and setting among the people of God must follow the "due order". The lesson was a severe one, and the stroke of God was serious. But once they had learned it, it produced the atmosphere of joy, substance and praise that 1 Chronicles 15 and 16 picture so fully.

Verses 23 to 33 are almost the words of Psalm 96. They are a call to the nations to acknowledge Jehovah, whose glory should be declared among all nations. ... The leaving out of the judgment of the peoples in righteousness is striking. It is because the subject here is joy, and the grace of deliverance in the setting up of power, with the government of the earth that follows. It is also because the nations are called up to Jerusalem to present themselves there before Jehovah. This is the leading thought.

It is a magnificent psalm, made up of the first fifteen verses of Psalm 105, followed by the whole of Psalm 96, and closing with the last two verses of Psalm 106. All this shows how fully David entered into the importance of the occasion and its far-reaching effects. They reached beyond the little nation of Israel, which alone was there that day. They were a foretaste of that coming day of glory, when the Lord, Who so often called Himself the God of all the earth, shall be owned as such.

In verse 29 our chapter says, "Come before Him," rather than "Come into His courts" (Ps. 96:8). This again fits the passing state of David's reign. At this time there was still no sanctuary for the ark.

They are to ascribe glory and strength to the Lord as the only Source of these. They are to give Him the glory of His Name — the Ever-living, the Unchanging, who remains the same amid all creature changes. And they are to give Him allegiance in the only way He can accept it: adorned with the beauty of the holiness He calls for.

All the families of the peoples are called to come up and own this Lord the Creator, whose glory is in Israel, and to worship in His courts there in the beauty of holiness. All the earth is to fear before Him. They are not only called to come up; the great declaration "the Lord reigns" is also to go out through the nations.

We know that worship is something we ought to bring. God deserves to be worshipped (see Deut. 26:10; 1 Chr. 16:29; Ps. 29:2; 95:6; 96:9). We should not "appear before the Lord empty" (Ex. 23:15; 34:20; Deut. 16:16). New Testament encouragements to worship include 1 Peter 2:5 and Hebrews 13:15.

It is impossible to exaggerate the greatness of His glory, and the glory due His name is infinite… Yet God's kindness shows in the invitation to bring an offering and come into His courts. Of course He is worthy of far more adoration and worship than we, or all creation together, can ever give. Yet He still delights in whatever measure of honour we give Him, and we are blessed through this.

In the past, holiness has been far from men's minds. If there is no understanding of God's holiness, there can be no true worship. Holiness involves the love of what is good and the hatred of evil, and it is beautiful only to those who recognise its character.

How wonderful that we can give to Him! We are nothing in ourselves, and unworthy too. Yet God's rich grace sets us with the mighty and enables us to offer to Him in the beauty of holiness — the beauty that is ours in Christ through His redeeming work at Calvary. So we can respond to His infinite grace by giving to Him again, saying, "Of Your own do we give You."

Man's handiwork, no matter how gifted, is not required in the worship of God. All must be according to the thought of God, who must be worshipped in "the beauty of holiness."

The song of 1 Chronicles 16 is completely different. It is the hymn of the beginning of the kingship, announced by setting the ark in Zion. The ark is God's throne among His people, at last entering into its rest… The subject here is not what it was in Samuel: victory over the wicked, the responsibility of the saints, and God's government of them. The subject is God's faithfulness to His promises. That faithfulness is at last carried out by the ark's return to Zion, after Israel had forfeited every right to keep it among them.

This section leaves out details that belong to the theme of Christ's reign but not to the theme of David's reign. So 1 Chronicles 16:23 leaves out the "new song" of Psalm 96:1, which in the Word is always connected with a new scene… In the same way, verse 29 of our chapter says, "Come before Him," rather than "Come into His courts" (Ps. 96:8). This again fits the passing state of David's reign. And verse 33 says only, "For He comes to judge the earth," where the psalm adds, "He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples in His faithfulness." Such a fullness of government could not match David's reign.

The omission of the judgment of the peoples in righteousness is remarkable. This is because the subject here is joy, and the grace of deliverance when power is established, with the government of the earth that follows. It is also because the nations are called up to Jerusalem to present themselves there before Jehovah. This is the leading thought.

God has not arbitrarily hidden Himself. It is men who have turned away from Him… This controversy with idolatry is now coming to an end. The sun rises, and the unclean things of the night are driven away: "Jehovah is to be feared above all gods." And rightly so. What are they? "All the gods of the peoples are idols" — or, as the word means, "nothings" (compare 1 Cor. 8:4) — "but Jehovah made the heavens." This is the One who has now come down to a sanctuary on earth, to reveal His heavenly glory here.

All the earth may well "tremble before Him" (v. 9)… the whole world is now firmly established. Before, it was "like the troubled sea when it cannot rest." Now at last the kingdom of the Lord Jesus is established, and "it shall never be moved." Before this wonderful result could happen, God must "shake the earth terribly" during the time of the Great Tribulation. It will seem the earth is completely moved out of its place. But when the proper time arrives, He will Himself bring quietness and settled peace, judging the peoples righteously.

For Jehovah reigns: He judges the peoples with equity; and that stable and righteous throne is the stability of the world.

So nature is called to rejoice in harmony. A song that began in heaven is taken up on earth. The sea too lifts up its waves in gladness, not rebellion. The field is to shout for joy, and the trees of the wood, for the curse of barrenness is lifted off. Jehovah has come, and He has come to judge the earth. Once again, the seal of its lasting blessing is this: evil is banished.

It is a magnificent psalm, and this chapter alone records it as one continuous song. It is made up of the first fifteen verses of Psalm 105, then the whole of Psalm 96, and it closes with the last two verses of Psalm 106. All this shows how fully David grasped the importance of the day and its far-reaching effects. Those effects went beyond the little nation of Israel, the only nation present that day. The day was a foretaste of that coming day of glory. Then Jehovah, who so often in this people's history called Himself the God of all the earth, will be owned as such in a universal supremacy, with Zion at its centre.

All the families of the peoples are called to come up and own this Jehovah the Creator, whose glory is in Israel. They are to worship in His courts there in the beauty of holiness. All the earth is to fear before Him. They are not only called to come up. The great declaration "Jehovah reigns" — the LORD is King — is to go through the nations. The world itself will stand firm and unmoved under the reign of Jehovah, and He will judge the peoples in righteousness. Then the universe is called on to rejoice at this display of His righteous power. So while Israel stands centrally as the place of Jehovah's covenant, the whole creation is summoned into joy, for He is the Creator as well as Israel's God.

And while Israel rejoices, the nations hear that He reigns, all creation will rejoice as well, for He takes the curse away and delivers creation from its groans.

The first promise pointed so clearly to the Lord taking the earth back that the whole creation is pictured as hoping and waiting for it. (Gen. 3:15; Rom. 8:19-21) And so in the day of the kingdom of our God, these hopes of creation will not be disappointed. Then "the heavens will rejoice, and the earth be glad, the sea and all that fills it. The field will be joyful and all that is in it: the floods, the hills, and the trees of the wood will rejoice before the Lord."

Only in Psalm 96 do the words "Say among the nations that Jehovah reigns" stand where they take on a more prophetic character. Here the joy of the heavens and the earth comes before this message to the nations. And instead of "His courts," it says "before Him." The words "He shall judge the peoples with righteousness" are left out too. So is the second half of the last verse, which applies this judgment to the world. Apart from these changes, these verses match Psalm 96. To me the changes give this psalm more the character of a present joy.

Compared with 1 Chron. 16:23–33, notice how prominent His reign is in Psalm 96. "He will execute judgment upon the peoples with equity" and "He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples in His faithfulness" (vv. 10, 13) are not found in 1 Chron. 16. No one could say this as the direct testimony of David's own day.

In the days of Israel's triumphs they remembered the hope of the kingdom. They sang of it at the Red Sea, and looked on to it as the ark entered Jerusalem under David. (Exodus 15; 1 Chron. 16:23-33.)

The Song recorded here (verses 8-36) is composed of fragments of three psalms. Verses 8-22 correspond to Psalm 105:1-15; verses 23-33 correspond to Psalm 96:1-12; and finally, verses 34-36 correspond to Psalm 106:1, 47-48.

This psalm suits the moment, with the ark still in a tent. Yet it looks forward to the time when the heavens will be glad and the earth will rejoice, and when men will say among the nations, "The LORD reigns." It has a prophetic character. It brings before the eye of faith what did not then appear... All the earth is summoned to sing to the LORD, because Israel's blessings will spread from one centre over the whole world.

Creation has a deep and personal interest in this. Its condition, made subject to futility, must stay unchanged until we are in glory. Then it "will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God" (Romans 8:21)... Right now the whole creation groans and suffers pain together. When the Lord comes back in power, its keynote will be changed, and created things will give Him a glad welcome.

Nature is therefore called to rejoice in harmony: a song begun in heaven is taken up on earth, and the sea too lifts up its waves in gladness, not rebellion. The field is to exult too, and the trees of the wood, for the curse of barrenness is lifted off. Jehovah has come, and come to judge the earth.

Under this beautiful imagery is the joy of saints and their sense of security while the sea — the world — is still roaring... "Roaring" does not suggest peaceful rest. In Scripture it is connected with tumult, battle, war, vengeance, and wrath.

The earth (or the land), speaking of Israel, will overflow with gladness; the sea (the nations) will roar in worship (Psalm 96:11). "The field" is the world (Matthew 13:38), which will rejoice with all that is in it (Psalm 96:12). Then comes "all the trees of the woods" — a picture of every individual. Nothing is left out of the great celebration of the triumph of the true King.

Turbulence here may be questioned, as well as the application to the nations. "Roaring" is hardly uniform.

This section leaves out details that belong to the theme of Christ's reign but not to the theme of David's reign... Verse 33 says only, "For He comes to judge the earth." The psalm says more: "He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in His faithfulness" (Psalm 96:13). Such a fullness of government could not match David's reign.

The king chose three Psalms for that occasion: 105, 96 and 106. All three come from the fourth book of Psalms, and none of them is credited to David. They began with Psalm 105, verses 1-15, and stopped there. David tied that day's ceremony to God's promise to the patriarchs to give their descendants the land. Next they sang Psalm 96, because the ark's entrance into Jerusalem was the pledge of the coming day of glory, when God's supremacy over the nations will be shown and owned.

Verse 33 says only, "For He comes to judge the earth." These words replace the words of the psalm (v. 13): "For He comes to judge the earth: He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in His faithfulness." Such a fullness of government could not match David's reign.

This psalm suits the time when the ark was still in a tent. Yet it looks on to the day when the heavens will be glad and the earth will rejoice, and when men will say among the nations, "The Lord reigns." It has a prophetic character. It brings before the eye of faith what did not then appear.

David says that no one but the Levites should carry the ark of the Lord. He remembers his fall, learns the lesson, and now sets himself to act as God intended. So the work of man no longer spoils that of God. God is glorified, the people are joyful, and the ark of the Lord has taken its place among them again. The blessing is so great that the psalms they sing are those which will be sung in the millennium, when the Lord returns to Israel.

So nature is called to rejoice in harmony. A song that began in heaven is taken up on earth. The sea too lifts up its waves in gladness, not rebellion. The field is to be glad, and the trees of the forest, for the curse of barrenness is lifted off. The Lord has come, and come to judge the earth.

Now, the whole creation groans and travails in pain together. When the Lord comes back in power, its key-note will be changed, and created things will give Him a glad welcome.

The whole earth, corrupted as it will be throughout, will pass through the crisis into the glory. God will judge; but His judgment will be purifying, not destructive. The earth outlives it.

"The field" is the world (Matt. 13:38), which will rejoice with all that is in it (v. 12). Then "all the trees of the forest" are mentioned, picturing every individual, so nothing is left out of the great celebration of the triumph of the true King.

These words have a deeper meaning than the blessedness of the natural world put in pictures. Under this beautiful imagery is the joy and conscious security of saints while the sea — the world — is still roaring.

Psalm 136 celebrates a blessed principle tied to Zion, the place of sovereign grace in power. We have our place of praise and thanksgiving because of this: His mercy endures for ever. Ichabod had been written on Israel. The ark was where the blood was to be placed on the day of atonement, so that Israel might have a place with God. And that ark was taken — as far as Israel went, lost. But God's mercy endures for ever, and David, as soon as he sets the ark on Zion, establishes this song there.

David brings back the ark from Kirjath-Jearim. But he does not put it back in the tabernacle, where the outward form of worship went on. He puts it on Mount Zion, which God had chosen to be the seat of the kingship. Here it was grace, and grace exercised in power. So then, for the first time, David sets up the singing of the hymn: "For His mercy endures for ever."

Next comes this form of words: "His mercy endures for ever." It declares that despite all the faults, all the sins and all the unfaithfulness of Israel, Jehovah's mercy has stood firm. This will be shown in full when the Lamb — the true ark of the covenant and the real David — stands on Mount Zion, even before He takes the character of Solomon.

The third section of our chapter (vv. 34-36) is a citation from Psalm 106:1, 47-48. Its first verse suits the character of Chronicles and the moment when David gave his "first" psalm. Our passage deals only with the setting up of the ark in Zion, and leaves out all the rest of the psalm. That is because the psalm tells the history of the people under responsibility, and their complete failure in every situation they passed through — in Egypt, in the wilderness, and in Canaan.

That chorus had been sung in the bright day of David's success: when he brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite to Jerusalem (1 Chron. 16:41). It sounded again in the days of Solomon, when the cloud and glory of His manifest presence filled the house of the Lord at Jerusalem (2 Chron. 5:13). Then the glory and brightness and successes of those days passed away, and the failure and ruin of Israel was complete. Even so, the returned remnant could raise the very same old note of praise… They had been faithless, but He was faithful.

This song will be sung during the millennium. But it could already be sung at the dawn of the reign of David and of the reign of Solomon (2 Chron. 5:13). That was the moment when God, in a foreshadowing picture, fulfilled His purposes of grace for the kingship.

From first to last, and during all the time between, it is and will be nothing but mercy. Mercy in creation — and we can go further back still, even to God's purposes of grace in Christ before the foundation of the world. Mercy in our redemption, in our guidance through the wilderness, in our deliverance from our enemies, and in God putting us in possession of all that He has secured for us in Christ, whether now or when we are for ever with the Lord. So we may take up Israel's song and cry without ceasing, "O give thanks to the Lord; for He is good, for His mercy endures for ever."

The third section of our chapter (vv. 34-36) is a quotation from Psalm 106:1, 47-48. Its first verse says, "Give thanks to Jehovah, for He is good; for His loving-kindness endures for ever." That suits the character of Chronicles, and the moment when David gave his "first" psalm... Our passage deals only with the setting up of the ark in Zion. It leaves out all the rest of the psalm. That is because the psalm holds the history of the people under responsibility. It records their complete failure in every situation they passed through — in Egypt, in the wilderness, and in Canaan.

So they closed that day with the first and the two last verses of Psalm 106. Those verses predict a state of things, and a need, that they were strangers to at that time. But we understand it, and the godly remnant of the future will fully enter into it... At that time no nation oppressed them.

They looked back over this history of constant failure. Even there they could trace the love that had acted towards them all through. He could not openly display it as He would; but the one cause of this was unrepented evil. Now, in their confession of their sin, He could return; and if He could, He would. They cry to Him for this: that He would save and gather them from the nations, so that they might give thanks to His holy Name, and triumph in His praise!

Finally we have the two closing verses of Psalm 106. The first prays that God would gather Israel from among the nations. That gathering will be the result of the throne of Jesus being set up in Zion. The second closes the psalm by blessing for ever Jehovah the God of Israel — as we find at the end of each book of Psalms. This song of praise contains, then, every subject that the presence of Christ in Zion will give occasion to celebrate...

I would only draw attention to the last verse. In it we find the four great characteristics of the people of God fully set out... The Church of God is a saved company. Salvation is the basis of everything. We cannot answer to any of the other characteristics in this rich verse. First we must know ourselves as saved by the grace of God, through the death and resurrection of Christ.

Finally, we have the spirit of a worshipping people: "That we may give thanks to your holy name." This follows from everything we have been looking at. Salvation, association, separation, and worship are all connected together. The Church breathes the atmosphere of God's salvation. The Spirit leads her into holy and happy fellowship. So, separated to the Lord Jesus, outside the camp, she presents the fruit of her lips to God, giving thanks to His name.

The psalmist has confessed the sins of the people. Now he appeals to Jehovah to save His people, gather them from the nations, and make them a praising people. Expecting the answer to his prayer, he calls all the people to praise the Lord God, who is blessed from everlasting to everlasting.

The king chose three Psalms — 105, 96 and 106 — all from the fourth book of the Psalms, and none of them credited to David. They gave fitting words for everyone on that occasion... So they closed that day with the first and two last verses of Psalm 106. These verses predict a situation and a need that Israel knew nothing of at that time. We understand them, and the godly remnant of Israel in days to come will enter into them fully... At that time no nation oppressed them.

"Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting" — He does not change, and all the people are called on to say Amen to this solemn truth. What wonderful grace first, and what patience of mercy afterwards! Such is the hope of Israel!

The book of Psalms is divided into five books. Each of the first four ends with a doxology, and with it we meet the significant word "Amen." "Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! Amen and Amen" (Ps. 41:13)... "Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! And let all the people say, 'Amen!' Praise the LORD!" (Ps. 106:48).

A strong statement of agreement and consent. We first read of its use when a woman was suspected of being unfaithful to her husband and had to drink the bitter water. The priest spoke a curse on her if she had been guilty, and the woman had to answer Amen, Amen (Num. 5:22). So when the priest on Mount Ebal read out the various curses, he added it to each one: "And all the people shall answer and say, 'Amen'" (Deut. 27:14-26).

Verses 35 and 36 look ahead to the final accomplishment of all the blessings listed in our chapter. They will be fully realised only when God delivers Israel from among the nations. That time is still future, and then this praise will ring out: "Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting!" David's people rejoice in this praise ahead of time.

Are we not reminded by this verse of what is written in Psalm 22:22 and Hebrews 2:12: "In the midst of the congregation I will sing Your praise"? Christ is not only the centre of His gathered people, but the leader of their praise to God the Father.

One believer expresses it for all the rest, and the gathered church says Amen. There is a worship meeting coming in which the whole church will take part, and will hear an Amen that echoes through creation... I believe that if the heart is right, an Amen will come out — a "so be it." You are putting your seal on what the Spirit of God draws out, and God looks for that.