A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath.
Psalm 92:1–4
It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
and your faithfulness by night,
to the music of the lute and the harp,
to the melody of the lyre.
For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;
at the works of your hands I sing for joy.
Psalm 92 praises God for his steadfast love and faithfulness (v. 2); for his power and might displayed in creation (v. 4-5); for the redemption he has purchased (v. 10-11) which produces the flourishing of the righteous (v. 12-15).
This psalm has a superscription, which is part of the inspired text. Many psalms have superscriptions which give us additional information about the author, its context, or how it was to be used. The superscription for Psalm 92 is, “A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath.” This psalm is a praise to God for the Sabbath and was to be used in Sabbath worship. The nation of Israel, under the old covenant, was commanded to observe the Sabbath as a day of rest and worship: “Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work. It is a Sabbath to the Lord in all your dwelling places” (Le 23:3). Though we are not under the covenant Israel was, for Christians, we have a Sabbath pattern in the Lord’s Day. Not only that, but we have a daily Sabbath pattern. We work, we sleep, we wake to worship and then work again. So how does this Psalm help us prepare for our weekly worship? Consider these two aspects of the Sabbath.
The Sabbath is a day of rest.
The Sabbath pattern comes from God who rests after the completion of his work in creation and redemption. In creation, God works for six days, and then rests (Gen. 2:2). The pattern of work and rest is seen in redemption as well. God works to redeem Israel out of slavery in Egypt, and then leads them to the promised land, a land of rest (Deut. 12:9-10). In our redemption through Christ we see the same pattern. Christ accomplishes the work of redemption on the cross. After the work of redemption is done — it is finished — Christ rests in the grave, but not to stay there. He rises to ascend to heaven where he has entered the final sabbath rest. Now, through faith, he leads his people into the ultimate and final sabbath rest (Heb. 4:3; 8-11). One day, we will enter that rest bodily as Christ has (Heb. 11:16; 12:22; 28). Therefore, we must understand that all earthly Sabbaths were designed by God to point to an eternal Sabbath rest, which is found in Christ.
God’s people follow God’s pattern.
Physical rest is good and essential, so we can continue to work. Resting from work reminds us that we are dependent upon God. Worship and rest are fitting companions. If rest reminds us of our weakness and need for dependence upon God, so in worship, we extol the God we are dependent upon and remember that he is God, not ourselves or our labor. This pattern was enshrined in Israel’s covenant relationship with God. With the establishment of the New Covenant, God’s people continue to give themselves to this pattern; ceasing from labor to give ourselves to the public and private worship of God. The Lord’s Day now functions as a type of the Sabbath that Israel had, a pattern begun at creation.
Weekly rest prepares us for eternal rest.
Rest from weekly labor, and worship with the people of God also points us forward toward the eternal rest which Christ has entered, and one day we will as well. Our gathering together should always point us back to Christ’s finished work, and the future hope of heaven. Properly understanding and living in light of those realities will mean prioritizing rest and worship. Physical rest for our bodies strengthens us to live for the glory of God. Worship of God reminds us that he is the one we live for.
As we prepare to cease from our normal routine so we can gather to worship God, notice how Psalm 92 prepares us for worship. First, it is good for us to give thanks to the Lord. Second, God’s steadfast love and covenant faithfulness compels us to worship. Third, contemplation of God’s ways and works in the world, make our hearts glad. Since all these things are true, then from the heart, and with our mouths, we declare God’s praises. This is what we gather together to do Sunday.