worship

God is working

The Bible makes it clear that God is not sitting idle in Heaven, but is working on behalf of his people. It says in Psalm 111, “The works of the LORD are great…His work is honorable and glorious…He hath shewed his people the power of his works…the works of his hands are verity and judgment” (Psalm 111:2-3,6-7). The word translated verity, ’emeth (eh´ – meth) means stability (571). Emeth is contracted from the word ’âman (aw – man´) which means “to build up or support; to foster as a parent or nurse” (539).

God’s works are often described as wonderful. It says in Psalm 111:4, “He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered.” The word translated wonderful, pâlâ’ “is used primarily with God as the subject, expressing actions that are beyond the bounds of human powers or expectations” (6381). God is able to do what appears to be impossible to man. That is why faith is necessary for us to be blessed by him. It says in Psalm 112:1, “Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD.” The word translated feareth, yârê (yaw – ray´) means to stand in awe. “This is not simple fear, but reverence, whereby an individual recognizes the power and position of the individual revered and renders him proper respect” (3372).

One of the ways that we can show respect to God is to kneel before him. In ancient times, kings demanded that their subjects kneel before them. One of the best examples of this is king Nebuchadnezzar who made a gold image of himself and demanded that it be worshipped. It says in Daniel 3:5, “that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar hath set up.”

God does not demand that we fall down and worship him, but is blessed or happy when we kneel before him as an act of adoration (1288). God works on our behalf so that we will praise him. We are told in Psalm 113 that we are to “praise ye the LORD. Praise, O ye, servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD” (Psalm 113:1). The word translated praise, hâlal (haw – lal´) means to make a show, to boast, to be foolish, or to rave. “The word halal is the source of ‘hallelujah’ a Hebrew expression of ‘praise’ to God which has been taken over into virtually every language of mankind” (1984).

Words that describe God’s work; great, honorable, glorious, and wonderful, indicate why they are intended to be remembered. God does things that we can’t forget. They are seared into our memory when they occur like a snapshot of a wedding or our favorite family photo. Imagine if you had seen the Red Sea parted or the walls of Jericho fall down. There is no way you could ever stop talking about it.

The importance of singing

The ministry of music is one that I think often gets overlooked in church services. Its importance may be missed because it does not usually take up much of the time that is spent in the service overall. What most people probably don’t realize is that without singing, our hearts are not affected by the message we hear. Singing is like opening the door to the spirit and saying, come in and minister to me.

The musicians that ministered in the temple of God “were instructed in the songs of the LORD” (1 Chronicles 25:7) so that they could understand the deeper or sometimes hidden meaning contained within the words. The purpose of their study was to discover the message that each song contained in order to plan worship services that ministered to the congregation’s spiritual needs.

It says in 1 Chronicles 25:1 that David and his military leaders selected the musicians that served in the temple. Three men and their families were designated to lead the music ministry. It is possible that they were selected for their ability to inspire courage and perseverance among the people. Since the attitude of the congregation was important for victory in battle, David wanted musicians that would have a positive influence on the people.

Jesus is Lord

One day Jesus will be king of the earth. He currently reigns in heaven and sits on a heavenly throne, but as David sat on the throne of Israel and reigned over God’s people, so will Jesus reign on earth in the future (Revelation 20:6). The reason why people were confused when Jesus claimed to be the Messiah was they expected him to establish his kingdom immediately (Luke 19:11). Instead, he died on a cross and declared men’s sins to be forgiven (Luke 5:24).

Psalm 97 states, “The LORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice” (Psalm 97:1). There appears to be a contradiction in this statement. At the present, sin is still at work in every life and although our sins have been forgiven, we experience the consequences of our wrong choices. The only way we are able to rejoice is by focusing on the condition of our hearts.

The Psalmist said, “Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright of heart” (Psalm 97:11). On an individual basis, it is possible for God to reign, even in a world filled with sin. When a person submits himself to God, a light or flame is set in his heart signifying the presence of God. Figuratively, it could be said that the LORD is placed on the throne of his heart and Jesus begins to reign as his king.

At its root, the word translated gladness means to brighten up. The Hebrew word “samach usually refers to a spontaneous emotion or extreme happiness which is expressed in some visible and/or external manner” (8055). David was not an ordinary man, nor was his behavior typical of a king. It says in 1 Samuel 18:28, “Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David.” And when the ark was brought into Jerusalem, it says, “so David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom into the city of David with gladness…And David danced before the LORD with all his might” (2 Samuel 6:12, 14).

Although David had the privilege of being king of Israel, he submitted himself to God and acknowledged the LORD’s right to reign over his life (Psalm 110:1). It says in Psalm 97, “The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory. Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols” (Psalm 97:6-7).  The word translated confounded, bûwsh (boosh) means to be ashamed or to be disappointed (954).

The word translated idol is eliyl. This word literally means not god or good for nothing (457). God allows us the freedom to choose to worship him or not. When we let God reign in our hearts, the result is gladness. Those who choose to be lord of their own lives will be disappointed because one day they will have to stand before God and answer for their rejection of Jesus Christ (Romans 14:12).

Extreme Worship

And David danced before the LORD with all his might…And as the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal Saul’s daughter looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart. (2 Samuel 6:14, 16).

David was approximately 40 years old when the ark of the LORD was brought into the city of David. In the prime of his life, David was probably in excellent physical condition and his body would have been muscular and tanned from years on the battlefield. The image of David leaping and dancing makes me think of a ballet where the male lead dances with not only physical strength, but graceful movement to the music. Wearing only a linen undergarment, David’s dance before the LORD would have been a spectacular sight.

The problem Michal had with David dancing in public was he wasn’t acting like a king. Michal was used to her father’s prideful display of pomp and circumstance. King Saul loved to make public animal sacrifices in order to make himself appear righteous and he wanted the people to view him as a valiant warrior, not a servant of God. In many ways, David and Saul were opposites. The difference was obvious when Michal let David know she despised him because of his unrestrained, public worship.

David described his worship as play when he said, “therefore will I play before the LORD” (2 Samuel 6:21). The word translated play, sâchaq (saw – khak´) means to laugh (7832). David was having a good time. He did not let his position as king of Israel stop him from being the man he truly was, a lover of God and role model of extreme worship.

It’s all about attitude

David is unique among the individuals whose lives are portrayed in the Bible because through his psalms he revealed the inner workings of his heart. In the same way that a surgeon is able to determine the condition of a heart through open heart surgery, we are able to see David’s motives, feelings, affections, and desires in his psalms and therefore, able to determine his attitude toward God.

Psalms 123 – 125 focus on three key aspects of David’s attitude toward God: 1) He is David’s superior, 2) He is on David’s side, and 3) He will always keep David safe. David lived a dangerous life. He was given the privilege of being king of Israel, but along with the privilege came a tremendous amount of responsibility and a life filled with trials and tribulations. It is no wonder David felt the need to pour his heart out and put to music the feelings that often overwhelmed him.

If you think about David’s attitude as his secret to success, then each of these three psalms, 123 – 125 provides insight into how you can develop the same successful attitude. Everyone has adversity in their lives and if you are a Believer, you will have trials and tribulations to get through. The attitude you develop toward God is completely within your control. Whether you have a good attitude or bad attitude depends on the perspective you take in viewing your situation.

More people than you might imagine have the attitude that God is their inferior. They think they can tell God what to do and their prayers are his to do list. David’s prayers were consistent with God’s character and did not dictate the how, only the what David was asking for. Included in David’s petitions were reasons or justification for the request and reverence toward the one he was addressing.

Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us: for we are exceedingly filled with contempt. Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at ease, and with the contempt of the proud. (Psalm 123:3-4)

In every battle there are at least two adversaries, and therefore, two sides that God can take in providing assistance. Many people go through life with the attitude that God is against them. They think every time they turn around, God is putting another stumbling block in their pathway, continually tripping them up, and making sure they get nowhere in life. David not only believed God was on his side, but every time he escaped from his enemy, he gave God credit for providing the escape route. David said in Psalm 124, “The snare is broken, and we are escaped. Our help is in the name of the LORD, Who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 124:7-8).

When tragedy strikes, the easiest thing to do is blame God. Probably the most common question asked of him is, where were you…? David states in Psalm 125, “As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about his people from henceforth even for ever” (Psalm 125:2). David used the example of the mountains around Jerusalem to describe God’s protection because of the permanence of the natural structure. It is not God who moves, but us when separation occurs. Like a child that wanders off from his parent at the shopping mall, it is possible to be separated from our father, but David knew that it was he that did the wandering, not God.