Change your tune

Sing a new song to the LORD;
   he had done wonderful things!
By his own power and holy strength
he has won the victory.
The LORD announced his victory;
   he made his saving power known to the nations. (verses 1,2)

Read Psalm 98

The psalms are poetry, and many of them were also set to music for use in the temple worship. So it’s likely that this psalm was not just a call to the people of Israel to sing a new song but was itself a new worship song.

How was it new? Well, it obviously celebrates a recent victory by the Israelites, which the psalm writer ascribes to God. Compared to many of the nations around them, Israel was a small and weak nation. As we see from its history, it was regularly threatened by those other nations. All too often it had to lament defeat and had to plead desperately with God for rescue. But the psalm now rings out with joyful praise for what God has done for them.

We Christians are God’s people of the new age. Jesus has won the ultimate victory over sin and death for us. We may still have to battle with temptation, suffering and disappointment, but these cannot take away what Jesus has achieved. So let’s change our tune and sing the new and joyful song to God each day.

Move me, Lord God, to sing joyful praises to you my whole life long. Amen.

by John Vitale, in ‘Guidance for each Day’ (LCA, Openbook, 2002)

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