Victory for Him
Posted by: forthright <forthright@...>
http://www.forthright.net
Going straight to the Cross
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Same song, 98th verse. Shall we sing?
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COLUMN: Thankful
by A. A. Neale
"Oh, sing to the Lord a new song!
For He has done marvelous things;
His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him
the victory" (Psalm 98:1, NKJV).
This new song of Psalm 98 wasn't so new.
Commentators point out a pattern similar to other
psalms. One says the beginning and end echo Psalm
96. But every new thought of the Lord's salvation
causes the saved to break out in new variations on
the same theme. Just this first verse contains a
whole range of wonderful thoughts of God.
First, as we stand amazed to see what the Lord has
wrought, one reaction is especially appropriate.
"Oh, sing to the Lord a new song!" It's praise,
it's thanksgiving, it's the wonder of His acting
on our behalf. It's awe at the power of the
Almighty. The words may be the same ones we've
sung for years, but the song is always new because
the gratitude and joy that wells up within the
breast every time we think on his salvation.
Second, it's the Lord's doing. "For He has done
marvelous things." His right hand swept away the
enemy. His holy arm brought down the crushing
blow. The new song runs the scale of God's doings.
Some good brethren say it this way, "The Lord's
done his part; now it's up to us to do our part."
That all right as far as it goes, I suppose, but
it makes it sound a lot like a 50/50 proposition.
While we talk about obedience being necessary for
salvation, let's not let that obscure the
marvelous salvation by God's mercy through
Christ's sacrifice on the cross.
On the other side, some folk blot out man's
reception of the great gift. They say God picks
and chooses at random. If you have any say in the
matter, just mouth this little prayer and it's a
done deal. They chop down the "faith-response" to
a few mumbled words instead of a submissive life
of dedicated obedience. No can do!
Now, when we consider the Lord's victory, our
doings, even the divinely ordained obedience
necessary for salvation and the Spirit's
reception, just pale into nearly nothing. I don't
want to diminish obedience for one minute,
especially considering some folk even in the
church are pitching it out with the Lord's model
for the Christian life, but the Psalmist seems to
want us to see how immense and overwhelming the
Lord's great deed is, over and above any puny
human effort. Oh, our "part" gets mentioned
elsewhere, sure enough, but when your eyes are
full of the Lord, nothing else is big enough to
impinge on the sight.
Third, it's not about me. It's not about you. But
I thought the Lord gained the victory for US, you
say! Nope, the text says his great power gained
the victory for Him. Sure, he sweeps us along in
the advance of his conquering Kingdom. Yep, he
plucks us from the jaws of sin and shame and death
and corruption as the myriads of celestial forces
crush the head of Satan. And still, he is
concerned with every little child, each small
human being, every single person, especially the
oppressed, the excluded, and the downtrodden. I
can even go along with the idea that Christ died
for the sins of the one transgressor.
But it has never been about us. The Psalmist knew
that. "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your
name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast
love and your faithfulness!" (Psalm 115:1). God is
in the center of the picture; the rest is just
decoration, window-dressing, the garnishes of his
glory. Oh, how happy I am just to be in the
picture!
"For a day in Your courts is better than a
thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the
house of my God Than dwell in the tents of
wickedness" (Psalm 84:10).
The victory celebration has already begun. Let's
join the parade to honor the Victor.
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