Sharper Iron — Psalms of Thanksgiving - Psalm 95: Come, Hear, and Believe Today

Psalm 95 calls us to come and worship the LORD as the great God and King who has created all things and has shepherded His people. In His presence in the Divine Service, our voices break forth in song and our bodies bow in humility. To hear God’s Word in His presence is not a gift to be taken for granted, as the Israelites did in the wilderness, thus earning the LORD’s wrath. Instead, when we hear His voice today, the only proper response is faith in Him.

Rev. Dr. Kevin Golden, Associate Professor of Exegetical Theology at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Psalm 95.

“Psalms of Thanksgiving” is a series on Sharper Iron that looks to several psalms to help us give thanks to God. The LORD gives blessings to His whole creation, even all evil people. As we pray the psalms, He teaches us to receive all His gifts with thanksgiving, knowing that He is good and His steadfast love endures forever.

Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. Timothy Appel, looks at the text of Holy Scripture both in its broad context and its narrow detail, all for the sake of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen for sinners. Two pastors engage with God’s Word to sharpen not only their own faith and knowledge, but the faith and knowledge of all who listen. Submit comments or questions to: listener@kfuo.org

Sharper Iron is underwritten by Lutheran Church Extension Fund, where your investments help support the work of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Visit lcef.org.

Psalm 95

Let Us Sing Songs of Praise

95 Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
    let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
²Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
    let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
³For the Lord is a great God,
    and a great King above all gods.
⁴In his hand are the depths of the earth;
    the heights of the mountains are his also.
⁵The sea is his, for he made it,
    and his hands formed the dry land.

⁶Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
    let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
⁷For he is our God,
    and we are the people of his pasture,
    and the sheep of his hand.
Today, if you hear his voice,
⁸    do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
    as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
⁹when your fathers put me to the test
    and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
¹⁰For forty years I loathed that generation
    and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart,
    and they have not known my ways.”
¹¹Therefore I swore in my wrath,
    “They shall not enter my rest.”

Rev. Timothy Appel

Although a mathematics degree may not be incredibly helpful to (proudly born-and-raised Texan) Rev. Timothy Appel while hosting Sharper Iron, his love of CFW Walther and the season of Easter will come in handy. His Call is shepherding the flock at Faith Lutheran Church in Godfrey, Illinois, and he’s also husband to wife Kristin and dad to their growing basketball team of children. When he’s not carrying out pastoral duties, you may find him reading “The Lord of the Rings,” snacking on Reese’s peanut butter cups, playing dominoes with his boys, or studying up on Texas history (including Sam Houston, of course).