Psalms 94-96

August 4, 2025, Jason Sharp

Scripture:

Psalm 94

O Lord, God of vengeance,

    O God of vengeance, shine forth!

2  Rise up, O judge of the earth;

    repay to the proud what they deserve!

3  O Lord, how long shall the wicked,

    how long shall the wicked exult?

4  They pour out their arrogant words;

    all the evildoers boast.

5  They crush your people, O Lord,

    and afflict your heritage.

6  They kill the widow and the sojourner,

    and murder the fatherless;

7  and they say, “The Lord does not see;

    the God of Jacob does not perceive.”

8  Understand, O dullest of the people!

    Fools, when will you be wise?

9  He who planted the ear, does he not hear?

He who formed the eye, does he not see?

10  He who disciplines the nations, does he not rebuke?

He who teaches man knowledge—

11      the Lord—knows the thoughts of man,

    that they are but a breath. [a]

12  Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O Lord,

    and whom you teach out of your law,

13  to give him rest from days of trouble,

    until a pit is dug for the wicked.

14  For the Lord will not forsake his people;

    he will not abandon his heritage;

15  for justice will return to the righteous,

    and all the upright in heart will follow it.

16  Who rises up for me against the wicked?

    Who stands up for me against evildoers?

17  If the Lord had not been my help,

    my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.

18  When I thought, “My foot slips,”

    your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.

19  When the cares of my heart are many,

    your consolations cheer my soul.

20  Can wicked rulers be allied with you,

    those who frame [b]  injustice by statute?

21  They band together against the life of the righteous

    and condemn the innocent to death. [c]

22  But the Lord has become my stronghold,

    and my God the rock of my refuge.

23  He will bring back on them their iniquity

    and wipe them out for their wickedness;

    the Lord our God will wipe them out.

Psalms 95

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;

    let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!

2  Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;

    let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

3  For the Lord is a great God,

    and a great King above all gods.

4  In his hand are the depths of the earth;

    the heights of the mountains are his also.

5  The sea is his, for he made it,

    and his hands formed the dry land.

6  Oh come, let us worship and bow down;

    let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!

7  For he is our God,

    and we are the people of his pasture,

    and the sheep of his hand.

Today, if you hear his voice,

8      do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,

    as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,

9  when your fathers put me to the test

    and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.

10  For forty years I loathed that generation

    and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart,

    and they have not known my ways.”

11  Therefore I swore in my wrath,

    “They shall not enter my rest.”

Psalms 96

Worship in the Splendor of Holiness

Oh sing to the Lord a new song;

    sing to the Lord, all the earth!

2  Sing to the Lord, bless his name;

    tell of his salvation from day to day.

3  Declare his glory among the nations,

    his marvelous works among all the peoples!

4  For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;

    he is to be feared above all gods.

5  For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,

    but the Lord made the heavens.

6  Splendor and majesty are before him;

    strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

7  Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,

    ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!

8  Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;

    bring an offering, and come into his courts!

9  Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; [d]

    tremble before him, all the earth!

10  Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!

    Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved;

    he will judge the peoples with equity.”

11  Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;

    let the sea roar, and all that fills it;

12      let the field exult, and everything in it!

Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy

13      before the Lord, for he comes,

    for he comes to judge the earth.

He will judge the world in righteousness,

    and the peoples in his faithfulness.

Observations:

These are some good Old Testament “God of judgement and vengeance” verses. The

Psalmist calls for God to reveal himself and punish the wicked and reward the faithful.

We are to trust in God’s justice and worship the Lord with joy. Do not reject his

guidance and miss out on his blessing and comfort.

Application:

Actions have consequences. Sin and wickedness separate us from God and his love.

Rejoice in his love and sing his praises. Proclaim his power and show his love in how

we act and treat others.

Prayer:

“Dear Lord, we praise you and lift you up. We thank you for your saving grace and

eternal comfort. Help us to walk in your light. Make us a vessel for your love that all

around us might see your power and grace. Lead us away from wickedness and sin that

we might be a blessing to others, that they would come to know you and walk in your

light. In your holy name, Amen.”