Psalm 95:1-3

New Catholic Bible

Footnotes

1. Psalm 95:1 This psalm calls upon the Israelites assembled in the temple to worship the Lord: “Come, let us sing with jubilation to the Lord.” All are invited to give praise, and all acclaim the God of the Covenant. He is the Creator and sovereign Ruler of the world; he is the Shepherd who loves and saves Israel, his flock (see Ezek 34:11, 31; Jn 10).
   The Prophets address their oracle to the crowd: “If only you would listen to his voice today. . . .” It is an exhortation to faithfulness, placing them on guard against the sins of yesteryear. The spirit of rebellion has no place in God’s land (see Ex 17:1-7; Num 20:13; Deut 6:16; 33:8).
   The people tested God in the wilderness by doubting his power to save and deliver them at that moment despite everything he had done for them in the past. This is not the usual kind of doubt that may be experienced by any honest seeker after God in those times and circumstances when we may question the most fundamental truths of the faith. Rather, it is willful refusal to believe despite the evidence.
   We refuse to believe in spite of all that we have seen and known about God. We doubt God’s love and goodness despite overwhelming evidence of his care. This second kind of doubt comes from a hardened heart and cuts us off completely from growth in grace. And Scripture likens the sin of the people in the wilderness to this kind of doubt, terming it “refusing to believe” (Heb 4:11).
   The Letter to the Hebrews gives a long commentary on this exhortation (3:7—4:11), and this invitation to praise God opens the Church’s official prayer, the Liturgy of the Hours. Like Israel in the wilderness, the Church journeys on earth. Christians know God’s promises, but they are equally familiar with temptation. If we wish to enter into the new Promised Land, that is, share God’s life, we must persevere in the struggle for fidelity. Each day is the “today” in which we must heed the voice of God.
2. Psalm 95:1 The first duty of the faithful toward God is one of praise and adoration (see Isa 66:18-23; Zec 14:16-21). Thus, the community of God’s people is summoned to gather together to worship the Lord because of some act of deliverance that he has wrought. Rock: see note on Ps 18:3.
3. Psalm 95:3 The Lord is the great God, the King who deserves to be exalted for he alone rules over all creation. He also rules over the gods of the nations. His creative works are the foundation of his kingship.
4. Psalm 95:3 As the pagans had different gods for different peoples, regions of the earth and sky, and spheres of life (war, fertility), so, the psalmist indicates, do the Israelites. However, in their case, it is only the Lord who is God of every one of these spheres (who surpasses all other gods) (see Pss 47:3; 96:4; Job 36:22; Dan 2:47).