Ps. 96.7-9 (the centurian's verses)

Ascribe to Yhwh / you families of peoples 
ascribe to Yhwh / glory and might
ascribe to Yhwh / the glory of his name
bring tribute, / and enter his courts
bow down / before Yhwh / in his holy splendor
writhe before his presence / all the earth. 

These verses are striking on many levels. A first thing is to place them in their context in the psalm. In so doing we will see that they are positioned here very intentionally, as the ‘families of the people/nations’ are only now gathered up into the momentum toward Yhwh. As we saw, the preceding verses described how the ‘heavenly liturgy’ has been tragically distorted on earth. In heaven, the ‘gods’ are understood to be (utterly) beneath Yhwh and, more importantly, that Yhwh is “to be feared above all gods”. On earth, however, the gods have become ‘idols’; instead of Yhwh receiving all of the praise do to him, the ‘gods’ have become objects of worship and fear. What the psalm envisions is that when Yhwh ‘comes to earth’ the ‘heavenly liturgy’ will be established not only in Israel but throughout the entire earth. It is at that point that the ‘catholicity of heaven’ will be restored on earth and, in so doing, the nations will be united under Yhwh in the same fashion that the ‘gods’ are under Yhwh.   

With this in mind, we need to make a structural observation about today’s verses in relation to verses 1-3. Verses 1-3 are addressed to Yhwh’s people; it is, in this sense, an ‘internal call’ to worship. Importantly, they are told to “sing to Yhwh” three times and to ‘bless his name’. Then, they are to proclaim Yhwh and his works to the nations. Our verses today follow substantially the same pattern—the ‘families of the nations’ are to “ascribe to Yhwh” three times, and they are then told to ‘bring tribute’ and ‘bow down’ before Yhwh.  A final thing to note before we begin to summarize these observations—the immediately preceding line involved a vision of Yhwh’s heavenly (and, probably earthly) sanctuary where “Might and Glory” were “before him”. The very next verse tells the “families of the nations” to ascribe to Yhwh “glory and might”. This is shocking—the first instance of the ‘heavenly liturgy’ being enacted on earth (or mirrored) occurs not within Yhwh’s people but in the “families of the nations” (i.e., outsiders); this is like some centurion that is the first to proclaim Jesus’ true identity. And this is the important depth of these verses. Here, the ‘idols’ that have been the tragic source of division on the earth, are gone. And, instead, the people that previously gave them worship are now streaming toward Yhwh with tribute and gifts. His ‘name’ (not the names of other gods) receives “glory”. In other words, in these verses we are witnessing the earth returning to Yhwh and “heaven and earth” again operating in liturgical unison rather than in confusion. The gods are no longer idols. The heavenly hierarchy is restored on earth. And, when this happens, all of the peoples of the nations enter into the Temple and ‘bow down’ before Yhwh (every knee shall bend…). 

A final note—when the nations return to Yhwh and the earth is established under the reign of Yhwh, there erupts from the earth a deep, prodigal and festive joy. It is ‘jubilant’, ‘exultant’; it ‘shouts’ and ‘sings’. What we see here is a joy that expands to boundary of Yhwh’s reign and it expresses an intense and deeply wild and ecstatic joy. More deeply (or extensively), heaven itself enters into this exuberance. Like a spouse, it has been waiting for its lover to be redeemed and, upon her cleansing, heaven has, Adam-like, “found its partner”. The festival erupts. It is volcanic in its expression.