1 Chronicles 16:14–36

Read the passage.

David’s song continues with a reminder of God’s universality. The religions of the Fertile Crescent mostly featured gods over particular localities. Gods of this hill or that river, the people living in this land, but they would have no power outside of their jurisdiction. Not the God of Israel. He instead is the Judge over the whole earth, and there is nowhere one can go to escape His verdicts.

Yahweh is also a everpresent throughout time as well as space. David, and also the Chronicler, reminds the people that the Lord made a covenant with Abraham to bless the whole world through his descendants forever. Of particular concern during Ezra’s day, the Israelites were promised the land that the Lord had given to them to be an inheritance forever. Part of fulfilling that promise involved protecting the sons of Israel as they fled Egypt and preventing the various groups they encountered from raiding and harassing them.

The song’s focus switches to an evangelistic message, which I had not expected from Old Testament poetry. The Lord is a glorious Savior! The whole world needs to know this fact. They worship dead statues and do not recognize God’s sovereignty over them. But because He loves them, He will accept their sacfrice that they bring willingly to Him. Even creation will bear witness to God’s greatness by joining in the song that His people sing to Him. For the Lord is good and brings salvation, saving His people from the nations that surround them.

Your steadfast love endures forever. Save us with Your mighty hand!