"A Psalm for giving thanks.
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
3 Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
5 For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures for ever,
and his faithfulness to all generations."
Psalm 100
The Psalm has a simple structure, and divides naturally into two parts, in each of which a call to praise the Lord is given, followed by reasons for that praise - the first call being grounded in His dealings with Israel (3), the second on His character as revealed in all His world (5). The call to worship in 1 is addressed to all the earth - the whole world of men. We should bear in mind that this is sung by God's people as they make their way to His house. This means that all men are called and welcomed to the Sanctuary. The reason for the praise is now given in 3: it is the Lord's special relation to His people Israel. The words 'He hath made us' refer not to creation but to His constituting Israel as His people. The second phrase 'and not we ourselves' is better rendered, with the RSV and modern versions, as 'we are His'. We should note the change from 'ye' in 3a to 'we' and 'us' in 3b. The significance is this: Israel, God's people, calls all men to rejoice in the Lord because of His mercy to Israel - i.e. Israel discerned, in her calling and election to be God's people, a message of hope and joy for all men. This is the theme 'a light to lighten the Gentiles' par excellence coming into its own! God revealed Himself in Israel, but in them, and through them, to the world. It is, as Maclaren says, 'The conviction that mercies shown to the nation had blessing in them for all the world. This has important implications, to which we shall come in the next Note.