Tag Archives: psalms

Practical Helps, Sermons

A Manual For Thanksgiving (Psalm 100)

Leave a comment

Introduction

I just finished eating roasted turkey, dressing, corn, mashed potatoes and . . . now I’m going to have to get another plate. So while we are feeding ourselves this Thanksgiving Day, I want to offer you a plate of theology to enjoy on this great holiday. There is much to learn from the Scriptures about thanksgiving, that is, giving thanks. We’re going to glean from Psalm 100, and see a couple of principles to use while we give thanks not only today, but in our daily lives.

In Psalm 100, we have what you might call a manual for thanksgiving. In this chapter, the people of Israel were called to give thanks to the Lord. It serves as both a song and instruction on giving thanks. The Israelites would gather for worship, and this would be one of the things they would sing. This psalm/hymn was likely sung during one of their many festivals. The Israelites had a ton of festivals, and this was one of the psalms that was likely sung during one of those. This Psalm will show us how we should give thanks to the Lord, and why we should do so.

So let’s begin by reading it together.

The Text: Psalm 100, ESV

“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 forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.

1. A Celebration of Song (100:1-2)

Giving thanks should be expressed in song/gladness.

In verse one, we see that the whole earth is summoned to make a joyful noise to the Lord. It is an invitation to worship and give thanks that is extended to anyone: “A Psalm for giving thanks. Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!” (vv. 1-2)

Here, a joyful song is to be sung to the Lord. When the Israelites would gather for worship, this is one of the many ways they would express their worship of God. They used several instruments in their worship (Psalm 150:3-5). So according to this psalm, one way that we can express our thanksgiving to the Lord is by a song. Do you ever sing to the Lord? You don’t have to sing aloud to the Lord, because a song can also be in your heart.

We are also called to serve the Lord with gladness. Gladness is a feeling of joy or pleasure, to be delighted in serving the Lord. Since we are approaching the Christmas season, I want you to think back with me to Christmas when you were a kid. Now remember that gift you really, really wanted as a kid. Remember the Christmas when you actually got it? You were probably like me, and deserved coal from Santa or a bag of switches. But anyway, man opening that gift you really wanted was a joy wasn’t it? It was what you asked for, and when you opened it up, your heart was full of gladness and delight. That’s how worshiping and giving thanks to the Lord should be. We should have that same kind of gladness when we think of all the gifts God has given us.

2. A Celebration of Covenant (100:3)

Giving thanks should be intimate.

We’ve already seen that giving thanks should be expressed in song, and in this verse we see that giving thanks should be intimate. The psalmist writes, “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” (v. 3). As we give thanks with joyful song, we are called to know the Lord. This only makes sense, for giving thanks to the Lord can only be done if we know Him. Giving thanks to the Lord includes knowing the Lord we worship. You can’t properly worship Him without knowing Him—that is, in a personal relationship.

That’s exactly what the author of this psalm is trying to say. In fact, the Hebrew word for “know” here is yada, which means to know intimately, or to have a deep intimacy. Much like the intimacy between a husband and a wife. Isn’t it interesting that the term knew is how Genesis describes Adam and Eve’s intimate relations? In Genesis 4:1, it says that “Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain.” If you’ve ever heard someone ramble on and say yada, yada, yada, in actuality they’re saying know intimately, know intimately, know intimately!

Our relationship with the Lord is that way. In fact, the New Testament describes our relationship with Him in terms of a Bridegroom, who is Jesus, and the Bride, the Church (Matt. 25:1-13; Eph. 5:25-27; Rev. 19:6-10). So the idea here in this psalm is that we must have an intimate relationship with the Lord, and our giving thanks to Him should be personal, ongoing, and one-on-one. Our giving thanks to Him needs to be something we do in our private lives. When we get an A on a test, we should thank Him in our hearts. When we wake up, we should thank Him. When we’re about to go to bed, we should thank Him. When we read His word we should thank Him. It’s one-on-one.

Not only must we know the Lord, we also must know that we are accountable to Him: He created us, He owns us, we are His people, and we are His sheep. The psalmist talks about the ownership of God, saying that He created us, we are His, we are His people, and we are the “sheep of his pasture.” He tends to us like a faithful shepherd. These are terms that describe, once again, our closeness to the Lord. We must know Him, and because we know Him, we are His completely. So when you give thanks to the Lord, is it weak and heartless, or is it passionate and intimate? Do you understand your relationship with Him like that?

3. A Celebration of Thanksgiving (100:4)

Giving thanks should be corporate/together.

We’ve already seen that thanksgiving should be expressed to the Lord in song, and that our thanksgiving should be intimate with the Lord, but notice also that our thanksgiving should be expressed together—it should be corporate. This is another call to praise, like vv. 1-2 above. The psalmist says, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!” (v. 4). Notice the terms gates and courts here. This is clearly referring to corporate worship that would take place in the Old Testament temple. It is an invitation to community worship. It is a call to enter the temple of God with an attitude of thanksgiving—to enter his courts with worship and praise. This was the purpose of the Israelites’ gathering—to give thanks to the Lord. They were to give thanks as they prayed, as they read the Scriptures, as they sacrificed, and as they gave. Even Jesus did this, as we see recorded in Luke 4. Luke writes there, “And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read” (v. 16). He went to the Jewish place of worship on the Sabbath day and took part in the service by reading the scroll of Isaiah (see v. 17). Basically, Jesus went to church. He valued corporate worship, and so should we.

It bothers me when people say, “I’m a devoted Christian, but I don’t go to church because I don’t believe in it.” Corporate worship is laced throughout the whole of Scripture; Jesus attended corporate worship; it is how we grow in our faith and are equipped to do God’s will (Eph. 4:12-16); and the local church is the representation of the worldwide church of God scattered throughout the earth. When we gather for worship in our local churches, our services should be saturated with thanksgiving. We are to enter our sanctuary doors with thanksgiving, and as we fellowship, sing, and learn from God’s word, we are to do so in His courts with praise and thanksgiving.

4. A Celebration of God (100:5)

Giving thanks should be done because of God.

So we know that our thanksgiving should be expressed in song, it should be intimate, and it should be corporate. Finally, we see in this manual of thanksgiving that our giving thanks should be done because of God and who He is. The psalmist writes, “For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations” (v. 5). Three reasons are given for giving thanks to the Lord. First, we are to give thanks because “the LORD is good.” I love the old saying, “God is good all the time, and all the time God is good.” There is so much truth in that statement. God is completely good in His nature and everything He does. We are to give thanks because He is a good God. Second, we are to give thanks because “his steadfast love endures forever.” Because He is a good God, His love for us endures forever. It is a constant love that never ends. That should definitely be a reason to give thanks to the Lord! He loves you with an eternal love! Finally, we are to give thanks because “his faithfulness [extends] to all generations.” God’s faithfulness never runs out, they are in fact new every morning (Lam. 3:23-33).

Conclusion

We’ve seen in this Psalm that our thanksgiving should be expressed in song and gladness. It should also be intimate, one-on-one with the Lord. It should be corporately expressed, together as we gather for worship. And it should be done because of our good, loving, and faithful God.

If you’re like me, every time I get new tech, I always throw away the manual. Heck, I can figure it out for myself . . . until there’s a problem. Then I have to go to the professionals and have them check it out. And most of the time it’s a simple problem that could’ve been resolved easily if I had only read the manual! Well, let us not make the same mistake in our thanksgiving lives. We have in this Psalm the very manual for thanksgiving, instructions on how to give thanks. So let us use it, cherish it, and use these principles in our lives so that our thanksgiving won’t need to be fixed or repaired.

WATCH THIS MESSAGE BELOW:

Sermons

The Lord Reigns! (Psalm 93)

Leave a comment
The following message was delivered at Ohio Valley Baptist Church, November 16, 2014:

Great Rulers in History

There were a lot of great kings and rulers in our world’s history. Many of you who paid attention in history class know this well. Alexander the Great had conquered lands as far as the eye could see by age 30. He had very brutal and intelligent military tactics that he conquered much of the world by himself and sometimes made entire nations surrender to him without killing a single man. Some of his great military tactics are still practiced today in militaries across the world. Genghis Khan. He made an army by himself by uniting some nomadic tribes and trained them. He conquered a large number of dynasties within years. His invasions over countries includes massacres of many civilians. He was successful in conquering almost all parts of Central Asia and China. He was considered an unbeatable military man. Napoleon Bonaparte. He was a young military leader who conquered much of Europe—through his military strength he crowned himself Emperor of France, and he eventually conquered the Egyptian armies—all within a short time frame.

But you know what all these rulers have in common? They all died. Alexander the Great in 323 BC. Genghis Khan in 1227 AD. Napoleon Bonaparte in 1821. They were all human. They could not reign forever (it began at some point and ended at some point). They were not stronger than their chief opponent—death.

But there is a King who is mightier. There is a King who reigns forever because His reign is eternal. There is a King who has immeasurable strength. There is a King who is mighty! There is a King who reigns as a glorious, powerful, triumphant, truthful and holy King, and His name is the LORD according to our text today.

I don’t know what your idea of God is today. Regardless, you’ve got one. Whatever it is, I hope you don’t suffer from small thoughts about God. Many people suffer from small thoughts about God. In an effort to see Him as their friend, they have lost His immensity. In their desire to understand Him, they have sought to contain Him. But He cannot be contained. If you are suffering from small thoughts about God, then you probably haven’t seen God as a reigning King. If not, I hope that through this exposition of Psalm 93, the truths of God’s word would widen and deepen your understanding of this reigning King God.

Our psalmist today powerfully proclaims and portrays God as a majestic King who rules over His kingdom. And we’re going to unpack the implications of God being a King. That is, if God is a King, what else is true because of that? We’re going to see how God is a reigning King.

The Text: Psalm 93:1-5, ESV

“1 The LORD reigns; he is robed in majesty;
the LORD is robed; he has put on strength as his belt.
Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
2 Your throne is established from of old;
you are from everlasting.
3 The floods have lifted up, O LORD,
the floods have lifted up their voice;
the floods lift up their roaring.
4 Mightier than the thunders of many waters,
mightier than the waves of the sea,
the LORD on high is mighty!
5 Your decrees are very trustworthy;
holiness befits your house,
O LORD, forevermore.”

I. The LORD Reigns Gloriously (v. 1a)

First, the psalmist writes, “The LORD reigns; he is robed in majesty.” The psalmist begins with a phrase that both summarizes the theme of this Psalm, and indicates what it is all about: The LORD reigns. From the outset, I want to ask: Do you hear doubt in the psalmist’s tone? I didn’t. God reigns. There is no question about it. The psalmist declares with forceful boldness: The Lord reigns! The original Hebrew meaning for “reigns” here is a verb that means to rule as a king. So here, God is depicted as a reigning King from the beginning of this psalm—and that is the word picture that the psalmist uses in this entire psalm (as we will see).

The same word is used when Israel rejected God from ruling over them during the time of Samuel:

“And the LORD said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them” (1 Sam. 8:7).

The people of Israel demanded an earthly king (v. 6), and God said, “Okay, give them what they want, but just remember that they are rejecting me as their King.” Supporting the truth that God reigns, the psalmist begins to describe God in word picture depicting a great, powerful, majestic, conquering king. Without taking another breath, the psalmist says, “He is robed in majesty.” Kings are robed—so is God, but He is robed in glorious majesty. One day we will see Him as He is.

Some other psalmists describe this same thing:

“O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens” (Psalm 8:9)

“Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, you are very great! You are clothed with splendor and majesty, covering yourself with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent” (Psalm 104:1-2).

“Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?” (Moses’ Song in Ex. 15:11).

God is a majestic King.

If God reigns gloriously, as a majestic King—then like a King, He deserves praise and service (v. 1a). Let all the people of His kingdom be praising and serving this King. He deserves praise because He is a King. Even if He did nothing for you, He would still deserve praise because He is God. But often times we only praise God for what He has done, without praising Him for who He is. Therefore, praise Him because of who He is (Psalm 150:2). It’s important, vital, and biblical to praise God for what He has done; but you are also commanded to praise God for who He is. How can you know who He is? How can you know what He is like? Pick up His self-revelation (the Bible) and start reading. This King is majestic—He is glorious, and He deserves praise.

Are you giving Him praise because He is a great King? You probably praise Him for what He’s done in your life, but when was the last time you reflected on who HE is? Did you praise Him for that too? Well, you can if you haven’t started already.

II. The LORD Reigns Powerfully (v. 1b)

God reigns gloriously, but the psalmist also writes that God reigns powerfully. Second, the psalmist writes, “the LORD is robed; he has put on strength as his belt. Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.” The psalmist describes God as having great strength and says something about the creation of the world. Not only is God clothed in majesty, but he is clothed in strength. Think about it: What good is any king without strength? A king can have riches—he can have a dominion from coast to coast; he can have royal robes—but a king with no army, and no strength is powerless. But you don’t have to worry about that with God—He has “put on strength as his belt!” God is a strong, reigning King! It’s a simple, yet immensely powerful truth: God is strong. But not only that, He established the world—He created it and sustains it; “it shall never be moved.” This is how God can be King over this universe—He created it.

God is omnipotent—He’s all-powerful. He’s more powerful than you are, He’s more powerful than your sin, He’s more powerful than your greatest fears, and your worst trials. If God reigns with great strength—that only He possesses, then nothing can thwart Him because of His great strength (v. 1a). That truth hits real life when you know that God is your Father also. He’s a great reigning King, with great strength, but He’s also your heavenly Father who cares for you. Nothing is too hard for Him (Jer. 32:17)—He is a King who will take care of the people of His kingdom (Psalm 91:1).

So what do you do when you fight battles? Battles of temptation to sin, battles of persecution for your faith, battles of sorrow and pain, battles of guilt? Do you try to fight them in your own strength, or in the strength of your King?

III. The LORD Reigns Eternally (v. 2)

Now the psalmist has been describing God as a great King. So far, he has established the fact that God reigns (v. 1a), that He is robed (v. 1a-b), and that He has great strength. But there is something about King God that sets Him apart from other earthly kings—He has reigned forever! Third, the psalmist writes, “Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting.”

God has been enthroned forever. Three psalms backward, the psalmist says, “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God” (Psalm 90:2). I love what Job has written about this: “Behold, God is great, and we know him not; the number of his years is unsearchable” (Job 36:26). If God reigns eternally—then He will continue to reign; He will always reign (v. 2); No one gave Him that throne, He gets that throne because this is His created world.

So however messed up this world gets, God will keep on reigning. There’s just something comforting about that thought. Maybe you’re deep in sin—God is still reigning. Maybe you’re doing good as a Christian—God is still reigning. Maybe you’re in a hard place in your life—God is still reigning. No matter how messed up your world gets, God is still reigning—and He is a compassionate King—He will listen to your cries.

IV. The LORD Reigns Triumphantly (vv. 3-4)

Not only does God reign gloriously, powerfully, and eternally, but God reigns triumphantly. Fourth, the psalmist writes, “The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their roaring. Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the LORD on high is mighty” (vv. 3-4). The psalmist uses a lot of watery language here. The floods are seen as threatening to God—they have “lifted up, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their roaring.”

I think the psalmist’s point here is that anything that threatens God—God is greater. The psalmist pictures the world in a chaotic way. But, still mightier is God on high. The psalmist is making a comparison here: God is greater than the roar of many floods. God is mightier than anything that stands against Him. Before Christ, we were against Him—the flesh is against Him—the world is against Him. Satan is against Him.

God overcame our resistance to Him and became our King; When our flesh roars against God—He remains greater; When the world’s value system is against God—He remains greater (He will one day wipe it out). Satan will one day be cast into the lake of fire forever and ever (Rev. 20:10). If God reigns triumphantly—then He will always be victorious (vv. 3-4). The battles God fights, He always comes out as the victor. If God always wins, wouldn’t it make sense, then, in times of temptation and testing to use His strength? He promises to give it if you will ask. Fight with God’s strength to be victorious.

V. The LORD Reigns in Truth and Holiness (v. 5)

Finally, not only does God reign gloriously, powerfully, eternally, and triumphantly, but He reigns in truth and holiness. Fifth, and finally, the psalmist writes, “Your decrees are very trustworthy; holiness befits your house, O LORD, forevermore.” The Hebrew word for “decrees” here is a noun that means a testimony, or witness. It comes from a word that denotes permanence. So God’s decrees are permanent.

What are God’s decrees? They are the commands by which God governs the world. God is keeping this world together. God doesn’t act violently to subdue the roaring waves—He simply issues a decree. Science may try to tell you that the world is governed by natural laws and there is no need for God—but they couldn’t be more wrong. God established those natural laws—and if it wasn’t for God’s sustenance of this universe, it would be chaos. The Bible says that God holds the universe together by His word: “and he upholds the universe by the word of his power” (Heb. 1:3).

But besides just stating that God’s decrees are trustworthy, the psalmist backs up that claim by saying that God’s very dwelling is in holiness. He says that “holiness [suits] your house, O LORD, forevermore.” Another psalmist describes it this way, “The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man” (Psalm 11:4). Also, “For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary” (Psalm 96:5-6).

If God reigns truthfully, and His decrees are always trustworthy—then anything God decrees is right and good. You may not understand God’s ways all the time, but when you cannot understand God’s ways, you can trust His heart.

Conclusion

If God is King over this universe, then we are His servants—undoubtedly. We should serve Him as the King who reigns. If we serve Him or not, that will not change His kingship; He will remain Lord and Savior whether you make Him your Lord and Savior. I would like to read an excerpt from a great sermon titled, “That’s My King,” by S. M. Lockeridge:

“I wish I could describe Him to you:
He’s indescribable,
He’s incomprehensible,
He’s invincible,
He’s irresistible,
I’m trying to tell you
The heaven of heavens cannot contain Him,
Let alone a man explain Him.
You can’t get Him out of your mind,
You can’t get Him off of your hands.
You can’t outlive Him,
And you can’t live without Him.
The Pharisees couldn’t stand Him,
but they found out they couldn’t stop Him,
Pilate couldn’t find any fault in Him.
The witnesses couldn’t get their testimonies to agree,
And Herod couldn’t kill Him,
Death couldn’t handle Him,
And the grave couldn’t hold Him.
That’s my King!
He always has been,
And He always will be.
I’m talking about
He had no predecessor,
and He’ll have no successor,
There was nobody before Him,
and there’ll be nobody after Him,
You can’t impeach Him,
and He’s not going to resign.
That’s my King!
Praise the Lord,
That’s my King! ¹

Is He your King today? He will be King whether or not you make Him your King—make Him King of your relationship, your job/occupation, your school life, your alone time, your entire life. If He is a sovereign King, then you can trust Him with anything. But are you trusting Him?

 

1. S. M. Lockeridge, That’s My King. 
Sermons

Psalm 150: Where, Why, and How to Praise God

Leave a comment

The following message was delivered at Ohio Valley Baptist Church on July 28, 2013:

Introduction

There is nothing boring about worship. There is nothing boring about God, the object of our worship. And we have a collection of prayers, poems, and hymns that focus on worship. This collection is the Book of Psalms. One of my reformer heroes, Charles Spurgeon, called the Psalms “the treasury of David” and similarly John Calvin said that the Psalms are a “treasure for the use of all the people of God.” The Book of Psalms served as a hymnbook for the early church and for centuries, the Book of Psalms has played a leading role in shaping the spiritual life of the church.

The Text

150 Praise the LORD!

Praise God in his sanctuary;

    praise him in his mighty heavens!

2 Praise him for his mighty deeds;

    praise him according to his excellent greatness!

3 Praise him with trumpet sound;

    praise him with lute and harp!

4 Praise him with tambourine and dance;

    praise him with strings and pipe!

5 Praise him with sounding cymbals;

    praise him with loud clashing cymbals!

6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!

Praise the LORD!

Where to Praise God (v. 1a)

The very first phrase “Praise the LORD” here in this passage, would serve as appropriate motto for the entire book of Psalms. Whether David is crying for mercy (Ps. 51), lamenting over his many enemies (Ps. 3), giving thanks (Ps. 92), or expressing the depths of the knowledge of God (Ps. 139), there is always some element of praise in every psalm. Though each psalm is an individual poem with its own theme, there is no psalm that does not contain an element of praise. Though the Psalms are broken into 5 Books, we have now reached a small section towards the end where each psalm begins and ends with the phrase “Praise the LORD.” This new sub-section starts at Psalm 146. Psalm 150 can be broken into three sections:

  1. Where to Praise God (150:1)

  2. Why to Praise God (150:2)

  3. How to Praise God (150:3-6)

How do we know this? Within the context you can easily identify a change of grammar. Look at your Bibles and notice the change from “Praise God in. . .” (v. 1) to “Praise Him for. . .” (v. 2) and to “Praise Him with. . .” (vv. 3-5).

According to this psalmist, God should be praised in his sanctuary (literally “holy place”), a reference to the earthly temple in Jerusalem. The list of musical instruments (vv. 3—5) argues for this earthly designation of the sanctuary. God’s house is to be filled with praise and worship. The Jews went up to Jerusalem to worship the Lord down through the generations as long as the temple stood. Matthew Henry writes in his commentary, “Let his priests, let his people, that attend there, attend him with their praises. Where should he be praised, but there where he does, in a special manner, both manifest his glory and communicate his grace?”

Praise God in His Sanctuary, But Don’t Build Walls Around the Church

This verse doesn’t imply that the only place we are to worship God is in the church ‘sanctuary,’ because at it has been well said before, never build walls around the church. When we praise God, we are to praise Him before our feet hit the floor in the morning, we are to praise Him in the home, we are to praise Him when driving to work, we are to praise Him in the workplace, we are to praise Him indoors and outdoors, and we are to praise Him everywhere! I know this psalmist would agree that we are not to ‘build walls around the church.’ Our giving isn’t limited to church walls, our studying of Scripture isn’t limited to church walls, our prayers aren’t limited to church walls, and our witnessing/evangelism isn’t limited to the church walls. Because if our giving, praying, witnessing, and especially our worship is limited to these walls, then no wonder we may be lukewarm and half-hearted in our worship! If you eat up to three meals daily, but then come to God’s sanctuary for one dose of the Word, the fellowship, and worship, you are setting yourself up to be spiritually malnourished! If you wonder why you are not becoming like Christ, then maybe you’re not getting enough of the Word of God in your life. Jesus said “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17), and to be in this process of sanctification means being in the process of becoming more and more like Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit. Who inspired the Bible and uses it not only for our information but for our transformation? You guessed it. The Holy Spirit.

The implication of this verse is not that we need to limit our worship to the sanctuary, but rather when God’s people assemble together, this is what we are to do. When we “meet together” (Heb. 10:25), and when we devote our selves “to. . . teaching and the fellowship” (Acts 2:42), we are to lift God’s name on high! Because if we don’t proclaim that we are redeemed, worship as a result of our changed life and faith, and shout that we are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession” (1 Peter 2:9) and if we don’t worship, worship, worship, then what makes us different from any other gathering of people? That is the reality. If we do not praise God in His sanctuary, then we are no different from any other gathering of people.

Where to Praise God (v. 1b)

The psalmist also says that God is to be praised “in his mighty heavens.” This is a reference to His heavenly sanctuary in glory. Redeemed saints and elect everywhere, whether on earth below or heaven above. There is an ongoing, eternal worship that surrounds the throne of God. Isaiah describes this beautifully (Isaiah 6:1-5). Also, the cosmos are included so that the heavens and earth are to join together and become one in praising Him (see Ps. 148 “praise him sun and moon,” etc.). There is no place where praise is out of place.

Why to Praise God (v. 2a)

Having called for praise in every place, reason is now given for this worship. God is to be praised “for his mighty deeds” and “according to his excellent greatness.” The Israelites knew well of God’s “mighty deeds.” Take a look through Israel’s history. They knew of how God lead them by the “pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night” as Pharaoh let them go (Ex. 13:17-22). They could recall the parting of the Red Sea (Ex. 14), the manna from heaven (Ex. 16), the water from the rock (Ex. 17:1-7), and the freedom from slavery and oppression in Egypt (Ex. 12:33—15:27). They knew of when “Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the LORD had descended on it in fire. . .[and] the whole mountain trembled greatly” (Ex. 19:18). They could recall to memory the countless victories they had been granted (see Joshua & Judges). Recall when David had slain Goliath “with a sling and with a stone” (1 Sam. 17:50)? The Israelites knew God was faithful.

Praise Him for His Mighty Deeds

We know of God’s acts of power through creation, providence, salvation, and judgment. Just as Israel experienced manna (the bread from heaven) so we too have experienced and tasted for ourselves the Bread of Life, the Lord Jesus (John 6:35) who alone satisfies us. As they experienced freedom from slavery in Egypt, so we too have experienced freedom from slavery to sin (John 6:63; Rom. 6:17-18)! God provides for us day by day. He enters our lives through His Spirit. He answers our prayers. He delivers us from our enemies. He heals our diseases. He unites us to each other in love. He matures us in His Word, and He remains faithful toward us. Indeed, we are to “Praise him for his mighty deeds”! Matthew Henry writes concerning this verse, “Praise him. . . for all the instances of his might, the power of his providence, the power of his grace, what he has done in the creation, government, and redemption. . .”

Why to Praise God (v. 2b)

In addition, praise is to be rendered to God “according to his excellent greatness.” The Israelites weren’t blind to this either. They knew God was holy, sovereign and righteous. The psalmist here says that everything about God is to be praised, both for His acts and His attributes.

Twofold Praise: What He Has Done and Who He Is 

God is infinite yet intimate. He exists outside our realm thus, we cannot categorize Him. We are to praise God for who He is, not only for what He has done. He is the mighty King. He is the eternal God. He is filed with holiness, justice, trustworthiness, and covenant-love. He is the Alpha and the Omega. He is the beginning and the end. Worship this great God! John Calvin writes concerning this part of the verse, “If we would have our minds kindled . . . let us meditate on his power and greatness, which will speedily dispel all such insensibility. Though our minds can never take in this immensity, the mere taste of it will deeply affect us. And God will not reject such praises we offer according to our capacity.” You see, our motives for praise are twofold: we are to praise God for what He has done and we are to praise Him for who He is!

How to Praise God (vv. 3-6)

Having said where God is to be praised and why He is to be praised, the psalmist now tells how He is to be praised. The author of this psalm gives instruction regarding the manner in which God is to be praised. Both musical instruments (vv. 3-5) and human voices (v. 6) are to be employed. The trumpet, a shofar, or ram’s horn is to be sounded. The lute and harp, were also to be used. Both wind and string instruments are listed here in praising God. Also, God is to be praised with tambourine and dance. These two often went together, the former used by women when they danced after God-given victories (Ex. 15:20). Moreover, God is to be worshiped with strings, a general term for all kinds of stringed instruments. Finally in v. 5, God is to be praised with sounding cymbals, instruments usually made of either brass or silver. These were the smaller and higher pitched kind. Loud clashing cymbals were also to be used in God’s sanctuary and they were larger and louder, making a more crashing sound.

Those who should praise the Lord encompasses “everything that has breath.” This includes all the redeemed who gather at God’s house. Everyone in God’s house is to sing praise to God, supported by the playing of instruments by the priests and people, men and women. Finally, this psalm concludes with the dramatic declaration Praise the LORD.

God Is to be Praised by a Symphony of Sound

Today we could legitimately add our own musical instruments to the list. Everything that evokes praise or expresses praise is a legitimate instrument of praise and therefore relevant for the culture and the people using it. The issue is not what instruments we use; the issue is why we use them and how we use them. Millions have been told of the “excellent greatness” of God through K-LOVE Radio just as they have been through the Gaither Vocal Band. God will continue to be praised through Bluegrass Gospel as He will through Lecrae (Christian Rap/Hip Hop).

Will You Answer the Psalmist’s Call to Worship?

Will you bring your wholehearted praise to God? This requires the total response of your entire life. Worship is a lifestyle, not an isolated act, never to be segmented from the whole of your life. Worship must be a passionate life pursuit of rendering praise to God, a deepening reality that should permeate your entire existence. If God is real in your life, then you should be praising Him with all of your being. This, of course, includes times involving the corporate gathering of God’s people when they come together to sing His praises. May you give to God the praise He so rightfully deserves in the midst of the great congregation.