The text: Psalm 95 – NRSV
We’ve reached the end of a second week! So again on this Sabbath we lift up a song of praise to God. Psalm 95 is often considered an enthronement psalm because of its emphasis on the lordship of God and its call to humble ourselves before God. As you read it, listen for the reasons why God is Lord and what the nature of God’s lordship is.
Another notable aspect of this psalm is the change of voice that happens toward the end (v. 9). When my wife preaches on one of Jesus’ parables, she will often say that the first order of business in understanding the parable is to ask this question: where is God in the parable? In a similar way, when approaching a psalm, a good question is this: who is the speaker (or speakers)? And another: who is the audience? In this psalm, gone are the “I” statements of Psalm 138 or 3, both of which are individual expressions where the psalmist is the speaker and God is the audience. At the beginning of Psalm 95, the speaker is a worship leader and the audience is the assembled congregation. This is a community psalm. But then in v.9, abruptly the speaker becomes God, apparently addressing the congregation directly. The tone of the psalm also shifts from praise to challenge, from celebration to warning. Why this shift of voice and tone, and what does this mean? That is something to take to God in prayer. One possible path to a deeper understanding may be to read the psalm multiple times, as if there were a repeat sign at the end, so that the praise becomes a response to the warning. Like with many good songs, a little repetition can be a very good thing!
Curious about this series of posts? Read the initial post.
Want to catch up on any you missed? See them all by clicking on ‘Lenten Psalms” below.
