Psalm 98 and the Renewal of God's World
October 16, 2023 - Monday, 28th Week in Ordinary Time
Psalm 98:1bcde, 2-3ab, 3cd-4
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
We have reflected on Psalm 98 several times during this year. It is a hymn that celebrates the coming of God’s reign to “judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity” (Ps 98:9). This psalm is particularly associated in our liturgy with the season of Christmas leading to the feast of the Epiphany of the Lord.
At the birth of Jesus, the angels sang “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:14). The Magi came from “the ends of the world” to see “the salvation of our God” (Ps 98:3) and bowed in adoration before the Saviour of the world (see Matt 2:1-11). And as Jesus came out of the Jordan after his baptism, the seas, the rivers, the mountains, and the entire world rejoiced at this first act of the renewal of the creation (see Ps 98:7-8; Rom 8:19-21).
At the heart of Jesus’ message was the reign of God. His ministry began with the proclamation: “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt 4:17). In the course of Jesus’ ministry, many people experienced God’s reign coming into their lives: lepers got cleansed, the sick got healed, sinners were forgiven, dead were raised back to life, the hungry were fed, and the poor heard the Good News.
The structure of the psalm is designed around the symbolic meaning of the number seven. The holy name of the Lord is mentioned seven times. There are seven attributes ascribed to him: miracles, holiness, salvation, justice, grace, faithfulness, and righteousness. God’s wondrous deeds are exemplified in seven different actions: causing and showing his salvation; revealing his righteousness; remembering his kindness and his faithfulness; coming; judging, and ruling over the nations. Even the way to worship the Lord is enumerated with seven verbs: call joyfully, sing, rejoice, play, praise, thunder, and clap. These seven verbs reveal a universal worship of God in which human singing is joined with the cosmos - the sea, the rivers, and the hills (Ps 98:4-8).
Number seven reminds us of the seven days of creation in the Book of Genesis (Gen 1:1-2:4) but it also plays a significant role in the Gospel of John. The Gospel also mentions seven days, there are seven signs performed by Jesus, seven important dialogues of Jesus with individual people, the Jewish authorities, and the Jewish crowds. The Evangelist makes it clear that Jesus came to renew God’s creation and that everyone who believes in Christ becomes a new person (see John 20:31; 2 Cor 5:17).
Psalm 98 can be titled “A New Song for the Ruler and Judge of the World”. This Ruler and Judge is the Son of Man who did not come “to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matt 20:28). And this “new song” is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Through that “song” God’s salvation reaches all the ends of the earth.