Psalm 100:1-5
“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. [2] Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. [3] Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. [4] Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. [5] For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”
Joshua 6:1-16, 20 (A joyful noise to the LORD brings conquest of the enemy!)
- Praise comes from a Latin word meaning “value” or “price.” Thus, to give praise to God is to proclaim His merit or worth. Many terms are used to express this throughout the Bible, including “glory,” “blessing,” “thanksgiving,” and “hallelujah,” the last named being a transliteration of the Hebrew for “Praise the Lord,” or, “Glory be to God!”
- It is interesting that the root to the word ‘praise’ is literally “value,” or, “sacrifice.” Society would have us believe we can simply come into God’s house and that our praise may consist of “meditation” or utter silence exclusivity. While this may be appropriate at times, where, saints of God, is the sacrifice in in sitting still and doing nothing at all? Remember, we must be balanced; there is a time for quiet meditation, private prayer to God, and then there are times for the Hebrew “Halal” (the root of Hallelujah), to go “mad or crazy” in the presence of the LORD!
- It is also interesting, and puzzling it might be added, that one can go to any number of public events and encounter masses of people shouting, jumping, chanting, singing, and waving for music bands, dignitaries, and sports teams. Yet, is it strange to come into God’s house and offer up praise to the one who created our bodies, the air we breath, and died for our own sin?
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A Def Leppard Rock Concert
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While all this can be fun when done decently and in order, are
we, the people of the Book, crazy, or out of place, for giving glory to God in a higher fashion?!
A Presidential Rally
- It is a sad day when the people of the earth will praise themselves and their own accomplishments more than their savior. There is a purpose in our worship because we are as the high priests of the Old Tabernacle; the difference is that our very bodies have become the tabernacle, filled as resting place of God’s own Holy Spirit, and so we must perform the duties of the high priests in offering up sacrifices of praise!
1 Peter 2:5
“Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.”
- Here are some literal translations of the word praise from Hebrew to English: confession, thanksgiving, to glorify, to stretch our the hand.
- Anyone who claims that raising your hands towards the LORD of heaven, in a Church or anywhere else for that matter, does not have a clear understanding of the meaning of the word praise, nor do they grasp why King David was, “a man after God’s own heart.”
Acts 16:19-26
“And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers, 20And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, 21And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans. 22And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. 23And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely: 24Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. 25And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. 26And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.”
You say praise isn’t necessary? I say it is essential to breaking the chains that bind us! This story isn’t just fluff; it wasn’t just thrown in this book as filler. It is more than than a feel good story. It is a rubric for us. It is the example we should follow. Through praise problems are solved, burdens are lifted, shackles are cast off, healings are received, prayers are answered, and joy is given! However, God will not force it upon you. These things will come with humbleness, gladness and not drudgery. It is not a chore to praise God, but our privilege. We must make a joyful noise!
