Psalm 95/Overview/Background

• As creator of everything, YHWH is sovereign and superior over all creation, including so-called "gods" (Exod 5:11; Ps 96:4-5; 135:5-6), and reigns over creation from his temple resting place (Isa 66:1; Ps 132:8), where his people are welcomed to enter and celebrate his reign (vv. 1, 6).
• God's people grumbled and complained against God at Massah and the waters of Meribah (Exod 17:7; Deut 9:22), which became a prototypical instance of rebellion against throughout Israel's history. For instance, precisely because of the rebellion at Meribah, Moses and Aaron were denied entry into the promised land (Num 20:10-13, 24; 27:14; Deut 32:51).
• After the spies disheartened the people due to their lack of faith, YHWH promised that the entire generation would wander the wilderness for forty years (Num 14:21-23). Despite YHWH's oath, the people tried to enter anyway, to their own peril (Num 14:29-35).
• The "rest" achieved after God finished all his activity of creating (Gen 2:2) is analogous to his people conquering the promised land and enjoying rest in the land (i.e., the fruit of the labors). Likewise, the "rest" achieved in the entrance of the land (see v. 11) is closely tied to the "rest" enjoyed in centralized temple worship (see Deut 12:8-12), such that covenantal faithfulness (obeying God's voice) leads to the "rest" of worship in God's presence, both in immediate temporal terms (worship in the physical temple) as well as eschatological terms (worship in the new heavens & earth).