Psalm

Psalm 95 together with Psalms 47, 93, and 96–99 are known as “enthronement or royal psalms” because they use the image of a king to denote God’s sovereign reign over all creation and over all history. Psalm 95:3 proclaims, “the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods.” This psalm is easily outlined into two parts: a call to worship God as Creator and King (vv. 1–7a) and a warning not to reject God as King (vv. 7b–11). The Israelites viewed their national leaders as shepherds (see Ezekiel 34:1–2; Zechariah 10:3). They also spoke of God as their national leader, calling Him the “Shepherd of Israel” (Psalm 80:1), who “brought his people out like a flock; [leading] them like sheep through the wilderness” (78:52). Here in Psalm 95, His people sing in reverent worship, “He is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care” (v. 7).

K. T. Sim