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1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;[a]
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
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4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the LORD is good and his love endures for ever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
(NIV)
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Footnotes
Psalm 100:3 Or and not we ourselves A Psalm of praise.
The psalm contains
a command to serve (verses 1-3),
and a command to praise (verse 4-5).
Each section is in turn divided into three pieces and three causes. These are three calls to serve, “Make a joyful noise” (verse 1), “serve the Lord” (verse 2), and “come before” (verse 2); and three causes for serving, “the Lord is God, he hath made us, we are his people” (verse 3).
Likewise, there are three calls to praise, “enter his gates, be thankful, bless his name (verse 4), followed by three causes for praise, “the Lord is good, his mercy is everlasting, his truth endured” (verse 5).
Verses 1-5: This well-known psalm, emphasizing the universal nature of God’s kingship, is a blessing to the series of psalms which are concerned with the Lord’s kingdom rule (Psalms 93, 95 to 100). Most of it is a call to praise and thanksgiving, while verses 3 and 5 fix the reasons for that worship.
This psalm of praise should be considered as a prophecy, and even used as a prayer, for the coming of that time when all people will know that the Lord he is God. It is an encouragement to us, in worshipping God, to do it cheerfully.
It is a covenant of grace set down in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament, that tells so many rich promises, to strengthen the faith of every weak believer, makes the matter of God's praise and of his people's joys. The Lord looks on His flock with goodness and mercy.
The psalm teaches how and why to worship God. Worshipers should shout, and sing, or chant this psalm as part of their praise.
The word “mercy” is inevitably associated with redemption in Christ. Sinners are saved by His mercy. The phrase “His truth endured to all generations” imagine the pictures the word of God being spoken and written from one generation to the next. The faithfulness of God remains constant within the family.
Jesus gave salvation to all generations in His sacrifice of Himself upon the cross. God from whom all blessings, gave His Son to save us, may the flow of our praise to Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
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