As you read the call to worship in Psalm 96, don’t overlook the following points:
First, it is a call to worship.
Second, it is a call to all people to worship, not just a call to Israel. Note the call to “all the earth,” “nations,” “all peoples,” “families of nations,” “the world.”
Third, it is a call not to worship god in general, as we might interpret it to be a call to be religious, but it is specifically a call to worship Israel’s God. He is greater than all other gods. You will find a word-play in verse 5. “All the gods (eloheim) of the nations are idols (elilim – probably better translated as “nothing” or “worthless”).
Fourth, God is owed worship because of His power, His mighty works (which he does not just among His people, but among all people – vs. 3), but especially because He is the judge of all the earth and he is coming to judge.
The tendency of Christianity in our culture to assume that all religions are equally viable is simply wrong. The reluctance of Christians to call their neighbors to come to the one true God – to say among the nations our God reigns – is a reluctance to engage in the work God has commanded us to do. The resulting dishonor of God will subject not only those we have not reached to the judgment of God, but ourselves as well.