◄ Psalm 95:1 ►
Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout to the rock of our salvation!
Study Bible
Come
The Hebrew word for "come" is "bo," which is an invitation or a call to action. It suggests movement towards a purpose or a gathering. In the context of worship, it is a beckoning to enter into the presence of God with intention and readiness. This word sets the tone for communal worship, emphasizing the importance of unity and collective action in approaching God.

let us sing for joy
The phrase "let us sing for joy" is derived from the Hebrew "ranan," which means to shout or cry out with joy. Singing in this context is not merely a musical expression but a heartfelt outpouring of gratitude and reverence. Historically, singing has been a central part of Jewish worship, reflecting the joy and celebration of God's mighty acts and His faithfulness. It is an expression of the soul's delight in the Lord.

to the LORD
The term "LORD" is translated from the Hebrew "Yahweh," the covenant name of God. This name signifies God's eternal presence and His unchanging nature. It is a reminder of the personal relationship between God and His people, rooted in His promises and faithfulness. Worship directed "to the LORD" acknowledges His sovereignty and His role as the ultimate authority in the lives of believers.

let us shout
The Hebrew word "rua" is used here, meaning to raise a sound or to cry out. This is an expression of exuberant praise, often associated with victory or triumph. In ancient Israel, shouting was a common practice in both worship and warfare, symbolizing confidence and trust in God's deliverance. It is a call to express one's faith boldly and without reservation.

to the Rock of our salvation
The metaphor of "the Rock" is significant in biblical literature, symbolizing strength, stability, and protection. The Hebrew word "tsur" conveys the idea of a solid foundation. In calling God "the Rock of our salvation," the psalmist acknowledges Him as the source of deliverance and security. This imagery would resonate deeply with the Israelites, who often faced physical and spiritual challenges, reminding them of God's unshakeable support and His role as their Savior.

Persons / Places / Events
1. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant name of God, emphasizing His eternal existence and faithfulness to His people.

2. The Rock of our Salvation
A metaphor for God, highlighting His strength, reliability, and role as a savior and protector of His people.

3. The Psalmist
Traditionally attributed to David, the psalmist is calling the community to worship and praise God.

4. The Community of Believers
The audience being called to join in worship, representing the collective body of God's people.

5. The Act of Worship
The event of communal singing and shouting, expressing joy and reverence towards God.
Teaching Points
Joyful Worship
Worship should be characterized by joy and enthusiasm, reflecting our gratitude for God's salvation.

God as Our Foundation
Recognize God as the unchanging foundation of our faith, much like a rock that provides stability and security.

Community in Worship
Emphasize the importance of gathering with other believers to worship God collectively, strengthening our faith and unity.

Response to Salvation
Our worship is a response to the salvation God has provided, acknowledging His role as our Savior.

Active Participation
Engage actively in worship, using both voice and heart to express reverence and adoration for God.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does recognizing God as "the Rock of our salvation" influence your personal faith and trust in Him?

2. In what ways can you incorporate more joy and enthusiasm into your worship practices, both individually and corporately?

3. How does the concept of God as a "Rock" provide comfort and assurance in times of uncertainty or difficulty?

4. What are some practical ways you can encourage others in your community to join in worship and praise of God?

5. How do the additional scriptures connected to Psalm 95:1 deepen your understanding of God's role as Savior and Rock?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Exodus 15:2
This verse connects to the theme of God as a source of strength and salvation, similar to the "Rock of our salvation" in Psalm 95:1.

1 Corinthians 10:4
Paul refers to Christ as the spiritual rock, drawing a parallel to the Old Testament imagery of God as the Rock.

Hebrews 3:7-11
This passage references Psalm 95, emphasizing the importance of listening to God's voice and responding in faith.

Isaiah 12:2
This verse echoes the theme of God as salvation, reinforcing the call to trust and rejoice in Him.

Revelation 15:3-4
The song of Moses and the Lamb highlights the eternal praise due to God, similar to the call to worship in Psalm 95:1.
Sermons
Everybody Called to Praise GodR. Tuck Psalm 95:1
Christ the Rock of Our SalvationJ. W. Hardman, LL.D.Psalm 95:1-11
Inciting One Another to Praise GodPsalm 95:1-11
Praise the Outcome of Divine InfluencePsalm 95:1-11
PsalmodyJ. W. Reeve, M.A.Psalm 95:1-11
Public Worship - its Necessity and AdvantageC. Short Psalm 95:1-11
The Genesis of PraiseW. G. Horder.Psalm 95:1-11
The Grandest of Creature ServicesHomilistPsalm 95:1-11
The Invitatory PsalmS. Conway Psalm 95:1-11
The VeniteD. Laing, M.A.Psalm 95:1-11
People
Psalmist
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Aloud, Glad, Joy, Joyful, Joyfully, Let's, Noise, O, Oh, Rock, Salvation, Sending, Shout, Sing, Songs, Voices
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Psalm 95:1

     1240   God, the Rock
     4354   rock
     5528   shouting
     7960   singing

Psalm 95:1-2

     5355   invitations
     8609   prayer, as praise and thanksgiving

Psalm 95:1-3

     8624   worship, reasons
     8627   worship, elements

Library
Covenanting According to the Purposes of God.
Since every revealed purpose of God, implying that obedience to his law will be given, is a demand of that obedience, the announcement of his Covenant, as in his sovereignty decreed, claims, not less effectively than an explicit law, the fulfilment of its duties. A representation of a system of things pre-determined in order that the obligations of the Covenant might be discharged; various exhibitions of the Covenant as ordained; and a description of the children of the Covenant as predestinated …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

O Come, Loud Anthems Let us Sing
[1180]Park Street: Frederick M. A. Venua, c. 1810 Psalm 95 Tate and Brady, 1698; Alt. DOXOLOGY O come, loud anthems let us sing, Loud thanks to our almighty King, And high our grateful voices raise, As our Salvation's Rock we praise. Into his presence let us haste To thank him for his favors past; To him address, in joyful songs, The praise that to his Name belongs. For God the Lord, enthroned in state, Is with unrivaled glory great; The depths of earth are in his hand, Her secret wealth at his …
Various—The Hymnal of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the USA

Weighed, and Found Wanting
'And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. 2. And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron; and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness! 3. And wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt? 4. And they said one …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Covenanting a Duty.
The exercise of Covenanting with God is enjoined by Him as the Supreme Moral Governor of all. That his Covenant should be acceded to, by men in every age and condition, is ordained as a law, sanctioned by his high authority,--recorded in his law of perpetual moral obligation on men, as a statute decreed by him, and in virtue of his underived sovereignty, promulgated by his command. "He hath commanded his covenant for ever."[171] The exercise is inculcated according to the will of God, as King and …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Temporary Hardening.
"Lord, why hast Thou hardened our heart? "--Isa. lxiii. 17. That there is a hardening of heart which culminates in the sin against the Holy Spirit can not be denied. When dealing with spiritual things we must take account of it; for it is one of the most fearful instruments of the divine wrath. For, whether we say that Satan or David or the Lord tempted the king, it amounts to the same thing. The cause is always in man's sin; and in each of these three cases the destructive fatality whereby sin poisons …
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit

Epistle xxxi. To Phocas, Emperor .
To Phocas, Emperor [218] . Gregory to Phocas Augustus. Glory to God in the highest who, according as it is written, changes times, and transfers kingdoms, seeing that He has made apparent to all what He vouchsafed to speak by His prophet, That the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will (Dan. iv. 17). For in the incomprehensible dispensation of Almighty God there are alternate controlments of mortal life; and sometimes, when the sins of many are to be smitten, …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

Fundamental Oneness of the Dispensations.
Hebrews iii. i-iv. 13 (R.V.). "Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High-priest of our confession, even Jesus; who was faithful to Him that appointed Him as also was Moses in all his house. For He hath been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by so much as he that built the house hath more honour than the house. For every house is builded by some one; but He that built all things is God. And Moses indeed was faithful in all his house as a servant, …
Thomas Charles Edwards—The Expositor's Bible: The Epistle to the Hebrews

Twentieth Sunday after Trinity the Careful Walk of the Christian.
Text: Ephesians 5, 15-21. 15 Look therefore carefully how ye walk [See then that ye walk circumspectly], not as unwise, but as wise; 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Wherefore be ye not foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And be not drunken with wine, wherein is riot, but be filled with the Spirit; 19 speaking one to another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; 20 giving thanks always for all things …
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. III

The Shepherd and the Fold
... Thou hast guided them in Thy strength unto Thy holy habitation.' EXODUS XV. 13. What a grand triumphal ode! The picture of Moses and the children of Israel singing, and Miriam and the women answering: a gush of national pride and of worship! We belong to a better time, but still we can feel its grandeur. The deliverance has made the singer look forward to the end, and his confidence in the issue is confirmed. I. The guiding God: or the picture of the leading. The original is 'lead gently.' Cf. …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Arguments Usually Alleged in Support of Free Will Refuted.
1. Absurd fictions of opponents first refuted, and then certain passages of Scripture explained. Answer by a negative. Confirmation of the answer. 2. Another absurdity of Aristotle and Pelagius. Answer by a distinction. Answer fortified by passages from Augustine, and supported by the authority of an Apostle. 3. Third absurdity borrowed from the words of Chrysostom. Answer by a negative. 4. Fourth absurdity urged of old by the Pelagians. Answer from the works of Augustine. Illustrated by the testimony …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

Covenanting a Privilege of Believers.
Whatever attainment is made by any as distinguished from the wicked, or whatever gracious benefit is enjoyed, is a spiritual privilege. Adoption into the family of God is of this character. "He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power (margin, or, the right; or, privilege) to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name."[617] And every co-ordinate benefit is essentially so likewise. The evidence besides, that Covenanting …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Psalms
The piety of the Old Testament Church is reflected with more clearness and variety in the Psalter than in any other book of the Old Testament. It constitutes the response of the Church to the divine demands of prophecy, and, in a less degree, of law; or, rather, it expresses those emotions and aspirations of the universal heart which lie deeper than any formal demand. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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