Christmas: Nativity of the Lord Psalm 98

Psalm 98, for both Israel and the Church, is an intriguing statement about God’s work in Israel and the world, especially in regard to how they are related.

Ancient Lens

What's the historical context?

Good News for All People

A close look at Psalm 98 reveals the interactive work of God on Israel’s and the world’s behalf. That, of course, directs readers back to God’s call of Abraham: “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 12:3, ESV). Verse 2 of our psalm suggests that God’s revelation to Israel was at the same time a witness to the nations: “he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations,” resulting in the fact that “All the ends of the earth have seen the…

1. What do you think of the idea that God’s revelation to Israel through the law and the prophets is like a dress rehearsal for his revelation to the world through the incarnation? Is this a helpful simile for our understanding of God's revelation throughout history, why or why not?

2. Is it important that the Incarnation come to a specific time and place? What role do location and history play in the story of God’s Advent? How do we reconcile the fact that while the nativity signifies for later Christian tradition God’s presence to the larger world that much of Jesus’ ministry was confined within the walls of 1st century Judaism?

3. Most of us cannot relate to the idea of kingship. However, Psalm 98 describes God’s coming as a king to judge the world in…