Psalm 98:1-4

“O sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things. His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him victory.” vs. 1

We don’t know what has occasioned the psalmist’s great hymn of praise. It could have been that the king had won a battle and the Lord was being given credit for the victory. Or, as some have suggested, perhaps the psalmist is celebrating the return of the Jews from exile and the rebuilding of the temple. If that’s the case there would have been no battle and no victory for Israel. The return was occasioned purely by the triumph of the Persian king Cyrus over the Babylonians, and his gracious decision to let the captives return to Judea. If this is the reason for the psalmist’s joy then Israel’s greatest triumph was purely an act of grace, and owed nothing to its exploits on the battlefield. It was a gift of God and for that reason the people were encouraged to sing a new song. How strange it is then, in later centuries, as Christianity expanded, Christians began to assert political control in countries and use armies to defend and expand borders. We’ve dropped bombs on fellow Christians and killed millions of them on the battlefield, and when victory has been achieved we’ve given the credit to God. Somewhere we’ve missed the point! Yes, we are to sing to the Lord a new song–God has indeed done marvelous things. But we worship the Prince of Peace, and not a God of War.

Thought for the Day: How does the Lord win victories?