What is your bouy? When you are in times of panic and disorientation and despair, what do you look to?
Psalm 98 is one of six “enthronement Psalms” that declares the kingship of Yahweh, His sovereignty and His eternal reign.
There are key characteristics across all of the Enthronement Psalms. The Lord’s Divine Kingship is obviously one of them, but so is the Universal Scope of the messages. Many Psalms are specific to Israel, but these songs call all people – indeed, all of creation – to the worship of God.
On that note, Creation’s Joy is another key theme here that runs across all six Psalms. And that joy springs in part from God’s Righteous Judgment – “He will judge the world with righteousness and equity.”
Finally, the Psalms all reference singing a “new song” to the creator – a call to creativity, a warning against getting stuck in stale tradition, and perhaps also a call forward to the New Thing that God was working towards, the culmination of the universal scope and righteous judgement promised here.
For ourselves, what are the new songs we should sing in the new year? What is God putting on our lips? What are the old songs we should leave behind?
Sometimes, when we look in front of us it looks like other people are in charge, controlling things. But when we root ourselves in creation we see that our earthly divisions and challenges are as nothing when we put them in front of the King and creator who calls us to sing the new song he puts in our hearts.
— Sermon Notes, Dave Sim, Renew Church, Lynnwood WA, January 4, 2026
Images from the Burnet Psalter and Gemini.