Catholic Commentary on Psalm 98

"Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvellous things." (Psalm 98:1)

Marvellous Things

Psalm 98 is the companion to Psalm 96 and shares its missionary energy. Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvellous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. The salvation celebrated is both already accomplished and still unfolding: the LORD has made his salvation known to the nations, revealed his righteousness. But the psalm then looks forward to a final coming in which all the earth, the sea, the rivers, and the mountains will acclaim the King who comes to judge the earth in righteousness.

The call to worship in this psalm is all-encompassing: Israel is called, then all the earth, then the sea, then rivers and mountains. The inanimate creation joins the choir. This is not poetry alone. The Catechism teaches, following Romans 8, that the whole creation is waiting for the revelation of the children of God, groaning in expectation of the liberation that Christ will bring at the end (CCC 1046). The seas roar and the rivers clap their hands because they know, in the mysterious way creation knows, that their liberation is coming with the Lord who made them.

Living the Word

Brothers and sisters, the marvellous things of Psalm 98 are the things God has done in your life that only you know about: the rescue no one else saw, the grace that came at the exact moment of greatest need. These are your marvellous things. Sing them. Not just to God in private prayer but to someone else who needs to hear what he does for those who trust him.

Prayer

Lord God, you have done marvellous things. Your right hand and holy arm have worked salvation. Let the whole earth sing a new song, and let our voices join the seas and rivers and mountains in the choir that welcomes your coming in righteousness. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

98
Sing to the LORD a New Song
(Psalms 149:1–9; Isaiah 42:10–17)
A Psalm.
 
1 Sing to the LORD a new song,
for He has done wonders;
His right hand and holy arm
have gained Him the victory.
2 The LORD has proclaimed His salvation
and revealed His righteousness to the nations.
3 He has remembered His love and faithfulness
to the house of Israel;
all the ends of the earth
have seen the salvation of our God.
 
4 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth;
break forth—let your cry ring out, and sing praises!
5 Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre,
in melodious song with the harp.
6 With trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn
shout for joy before the LORD, the King.
 
7 Let the sea resound, and all that fills it,
the world, and all who dwell in it.
8 Let the rivers clap their hands,
let the mountains sing together for joy
9 before the LORD,
for He comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness
and the peoples with equity.

Public Domain