Psalm 188 from Beyond Psalm 150
Though some Psalms quote God, such as Psalms 12, 68, 91, and 110, his direct words are few and fit into the author’s overall poetic arc. Isaiah 42 is the opposite, with Isaiah’s few words connecting many verses from God.
In this case, we’ll consider only Isaiah’s own words. Here is his psalm of praise.
Sing to Yahweh a new song,
Isaiah 42:10–13 (WEB)
and his praise from the end of the earth,
you who go down to the sea,
and all that is therein,
the islands and their inhabitants.
Let the wilderness and its cities raise their voices,
with the villages that Kedar inhabits.
Let the inhabitants of Sela sing.
Let them shout from the top of the mountains!
Let them give glory to Yahweh,
and declare his praise in the islands.
Yahweh will go out like a mighty man.
He will stir up zeal like a man of war.
He will raise a war cry.
Yes, he will shout aloud.
He will triumph over his enemies.
Reflections on Song of Praise to God
This psalm opens with instruction to sing a new song to Yahweh. This idea is not unique to Isaiah. Six other Psalms, as well as two references in Revelation (one of which we’ll cover in “Psalm 212: A New Song”), talk about giving God a new song.
The Bible never tells us to sing our old favorites but to worship him with something new. How willing are we to praise Yahweh with a new song?
Many people love to sing old hymns and familiar choruses. Should we push these aside to sing a new song to God? Maybe. Or perhaps we can honor God simply by singing the old songs in a new way, singing them afresh for him.
May we give the Almighty our best in song and in all we do.
Explore the other psalms—sacred songs of praise, petition, and lament—scattered throughout the Bible in Peter’s book Beyond Psalm 150.
Discover more sacred songs of praise, petition, and lament throughout the Bible.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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