Singing joyfully to the Rock, or doubting and complaining at Massah and Meribah? Some choice!
Although untitled, Psalm 95 is referred to by the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews as belonging to David (Heb 4:7). It is the first in a series of songs of festal joy, but not without a solemn warning, too. Worshiping God is a high-powered situation, and we must be very careful. Verses 1-7 are Worship; verses 8-11 are Warning. There is both delight and danger, both a call to exulting in the hand of God and examining the heart of man. So in the first section (vv 1-7), he begins by calling God’s people to “sing” and “shout joyfully” to the Lord (vv 1-2). Who is this One we worship? Is He some local deity, fashioned by man’s imagination? Oh no! “For the Lord is the great God, and the great King above all gods” (v 3). Is He some dumb idol, shaped from silver or gold dug from the mines? Of course not! “In His hand are the deep places of the earth; the heights of the hills are His also. The sea is His, for He made it; and His hands formed the dry land” (vv 4-5). If that were all—that He is Creator and Sustainer of everything—it would be more than enough cause to worship Him (v 6). But there’s more. Those hands that made and uphold the world hold us, too! “For…we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand” (v 7). Then suddenly the theme changes. It’s good for Him to hear our voices in worship, but we must also “hear His voice” (v 7) in warning. It’s possible for us to “harden [our] hearts” (v 8) and “go astray in [our] hearts” (v 10). Thus the warning is found not only here but thrice more in the New Testament (Heb 3:7-11, 15; 4:7). And in case we thought these were just a man’s words, we’re told this is “as the Holy Spirit says” (3:7). Have a happy, holy heart, not a hardened one through unbelief!