In Psalm 98, God has thrown a party and everyone and everything is invited. Parties are happy occasions in celebration of a special event like an anniversary. Psalm 98 is a thoroughly joyful celebration of God's salvation.

Once again, the psalmist invites us to sing a new song (Psalm 98:1). Commentators speculate that this psalm was written after the Lord gave Israel victory on the battlefield. However, the psalmist doesn't give us any historical context. Rather, he just rejoices in God's salvation. This suggests that any saved person in any place and at any time can sing this song.

The gospel is ″the power of God that brings salvation″ (Romans 1:16). It was on the cross that God's ″right hand and his holy arm″ (Psalm 98:1) worked salvation for His people. It was on the cross that God shows that He ″remembered his love and faithfulness to Israel″ (v. 3), and kept His promise to save His people by forgiving their sins. The priest, Zechariah, proclaimed this when, in celebrating the coming of the Messiah, he sang how God ″has come to his people and redeemed them . . . as he said through his holy prophets of long ago″ (Luke 1:68-70).

Since God is king over all the earth and His salvation stretches to the ends of the earth, then ″all the earth″ are to join in joyful praise to God (Psalm 98:4-6). It is not just people who are to lift their voices to God, the psalm invites the seas, the world, the rivers, the mountains, and all the creatures who inhabit these places to join the choir in praise of God (vv. 7-8). The Bible often personifies creation. In Psalm 19:1, the psalmist wrote that ″the heavens declare the glory of God″. He portrays creation as a preacher delivering a powerful daily sermon. Jesus said, even ″the stones will cry out″ at the coming of the king into his city (Luke 19:40). Paul portrayed the creation as a pregnant woman ″groaning as in the pains of childbirth″ waiting for the coming glory (Romans 8:22). God made all things, and each and everything, in its own way, is to give Him glory.

All over the world people sing in different ways. In some cultures and churches, the congregation stands still and people's faces don't show much emotion. In others, the people love to sing out loud, shout, and dance. Of course, what's important is the inner attitude more than the outward expression. However, it's striking how exuberant Psalm 98 is, ″Shout for joy . . . burst into jubilant song . . . with trumpets and the blast of the ram's horn″ (vv. 4-6). Singing in the temple must sometimes have been very noisy. So, whatever our cultural expression, knowing God's salvation is worth singing about with great joy.