Shout for Joy…All the Earth
1 Kings 7; 2 Chronicles 4; Psalms. 98; Romans 2
“Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him…all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth…let them sing before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.”
Psalm 9:1, 3, 4, 9
God’s offer of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ is for all the earth. The Lord of all the earth took upon himself our sin, and experienced God’s wrath and judgment against sin by dying a sacrificial death on our behalf.
How we respond to this offer of salvation will determine the eternal fate of the peoples of the earth. The Psalmist calls all the earth to shout for joy to the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. God’s judgment of sin should bring us joy, not only fear. There is ultimate justice in this world and the most loving, merciful, and holy – the Most High God - will judge the world in righteousness through his son, Jesus Christ. For those who know Jesus Christ, there is joy. For those who wonder if sin will ever be punished – both the sins of others and their own sins – there is joy.
Do we know this joy?
“Lord Jesus, your judgment is holy, loving, and trustworthy. I humble myself before you, for your glory.”