Singing Sheep
Written By: Chris Mace
Sung by “the people of (God’s) pasture” and “the sheep of his hand,” Psalm 95 overflows with thanksgiving and gratitude to the Almighty, Sovereign Creator and Redeemer who is worthy of worship because of His wonderful, protective salvation.
Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
For the Lord is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the sun and mountains are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.
Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.
This Psalm then juxtaposes the sad truth that some of us “go astray in (our) heart with the reassuring truth that God’s redemptive grace grants our spiritual safety. Understandingthe magnitude of God’s grace in the face of recognized rebelliousness results in praise. Therefore, it makes sense that the Psalmist’s praising ends with both a warning and a gracious offer. He wrote, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts…” because those who will not listen and have hearts which oppose God “shall not enter (His) rest.” Clearly, there is an underlying hope tied to that direct and distinct warning; there is the promise of “rest” when one heeds God. This hope foreshadows Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who gave his life for his sheep and calls for them to “rest” securely in him: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. (John 10:27-28)
History’s story is one in which God beckons us to be the “people of his pasture.” Some of us may choose not to follow Jesus, not to be “sheep in his hand,” and not to rest within his protection. But faith leads to grateful, joyful songs of praise for the great salvation found in trusting the Good Shepherd, “the Guardian of our souls.”
Thankful sheep sing even if it is just a joyful noise!