Tag: Worship

Psalm 118

As you go through your day, realize that God made this day for you to bring Him glory nothing more, there is nothing more, and nothing less, why settle for less.

Psalm 118

The sixth of the Hallel Psalms

As can be seen in the MacDonald post on Psalm 118, this psalm was recited in a processional as the worshipers were entering the Temple. It is also a Messianic Psalm in that verse twenty-two is used by and of Christ in Matthew 21.42-46, Acts 4.10-12, Ephesians 2.19-20, and 1 Peter 2.7. Verse twenty-six is called out by the crowds regarding Jesus, labeling Him as the Messiah, in Matthew 21.9 and by Jesus in Matthew 23.39. Verse twenty-seven is also used by and of Jesus as well in John 9.5 and 1 Peter 3.18. Verses 19-21 point out the gate of righteousness and Jesus describes Himself as the Gate to salvation, or being made righteous, in John 10.9.

The three groups of worshipers mentioned in verses 2-4 are the three groups of worshipers in the world. Israel, those born Jews, Aaronites, those born as priests in the group of the Jews, and those who fear the Lord, Gentiles–the rest of the world. It would not include those who reject the possibility of God for they are not worshipers.

Because this is the final Hallel Psalm, Jesus would have sung this as He and the disciples left the Upper Room in John 14.31. Do you think you could walk out of a room on your way to your execution singing praises to God?

As you read through this psalm, gather the phrase “in the name of the Lord” and realize that our victory in life is only in the name of the Lord. Our strength, song, and salvation are all in Him and in none other. Where do you place your confidence? How do others know this?

As you go through your day, realize that God made this day for you to bring Him glory nothing more, there is nothing more, and nothing less, why settle for less.

Media

1 Chronicles 23

Is our life such that we are attentive to the ministry God has called us to accomplish 24/7?

1 Chronicles 23

This chapter opens with a defense of the Solomonic reign. David appoints his younger son, Solomon, to be king over Adonijah as seen in the beginning chapters of 1 Kings.

David had a deep interest in the corporate worship of God, hence the psalter. This passion was so great that he is dubbed “The Sweet Psalmist of Israel.” His organization of the Levites, whom he assigned positions in the Temple to come and the Tabernacle at present, is the focus of the next four chapters of 1 Chronicles. Chapters 24-26 will be considered shortly, look for the studies to come.

This chapter is a list of those who were to serve in the Temple when Solomon built it. The need to transport, set-up and tear-down, and keep the articles belonging to the Tabernacle would no longer be necessary for the Temple would permanently house them.

In looking at the vast numbers belonging to the Levites, we surmise that corporate worship was intense. There were 38,000 Levites assigned to work in groups. There were twenty-four groups of one-thousand assigned for Temple service and 14,000 assigned for varied tasks, which included six thousand officers and judges, four thousand gatekeepers, and four thousand musicians.

Brief mention will be made of the number twenty-four. David uses this number frequently in the following chapters. It is also represented heavily in the book of Revelation to represent the twelve tribes and the twelve apostles. David has twenty-four

  • Divisions of priests (1 Chronicles 24.1–18)
  • Groups of musicians (1 Chronicles 25.7–31)
  • Gatekeepers 24 gatekeepers (1 Chronicles 26.12–19)
  • Divisions of the military (1 Chronicles 27.1–15)

Could this be for 24/7 protection, worship, order, and ministry? Is our life such that we are attentive to the ministry God has called us to accomplish 24/7?

Psalm 95

What gods have you allowed to interfere with your worship of the great and mighty God who saved us? Does your schedule, your family, your job, your church, your health, your ___________, battle for the place God rightly deserves?

Psalm 95

Hebrews 4.7 attributes this psalm to David. Psalm 95 is used to introduce the Sabbath in Jewish Synagogues and as a daily prayer in Western churches. The psalm divides in two parts, which are verses 1-7 and 8-11. The first is a call to worship and the second is a call to obedience as is fitting for a true worshiper. This psalm reminds us that going to church is not enough, we must be obedient to the One we proclaim to worship. In other words, people can manipulate others to believe they worship in church but obedience cannot be faked over the long haul.

  • Verses 1-7-Corporate worship involves all we are and should include joyful voices and humility before others and before God. This corporate worship involves both celebration (1-5) and contemplation (6-7). Looking at these two aspects of corporate and personal worship, David is calling us to acknowledge that God is the Great Omnipotent One and then calls us to recognize that He is also a personal God with whom we must deal on a personal basis. In verses 3-5, David calls God by three distinct names. He uses El (Great Omnipotent God), Jehovah (YWHW-the covenant God of Israel), and Elohim (the Creator God). The God we worship is Great.

The three “comes” of verses 1-3 are different Hebrew words. Verse one “come” is an invitation. Verse two “come” states “let us approach God’s presence.” And the “come” in verse three is “enter.”

  • Verses 8-11-The opposite of proper corporate worship would be proud grumblers (Meribah [Exodus 17.1-7] is a reference to grumbling and stubbornness and literally means “rebellion”).

The writer of Hebrews describes this event and a robber of rest (Hebrews 3.7-15). When the biblical description of rest is studied, it is a sense of worship. Grumbling, complaining, stubbornness, and doubt are a few disruptions of rest. Corporate worship involves obedience to God’s Word. Obedience is to be done by individuals and by those He calls to salvation. This is what Paul meant when he told us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. It is plural. This involves the Body of Christ, not merely the individual (Philippians 2.12-13).

What gods have you allowed to interfere with your worship of the great and mighty God who saved us? Does your schedule, your family, your job, your church, your health, your ___________, battle for the place God rightly deserves?

Media

Psalm 42

God desires you to be in His presence with great joy more than you can imagine. How great is your desire to be in His presence? He gave His Son in order for you to go there? What have you forsaken for Him to be there?

Psalm 42

The inscription of this psalm leads us to believe it was written by the family of the Korahites unless it is read that it was written for the family of the Korahites to play during worship service. If the latter are valid, then David wrote this on his retreat from Jerusalem during the rebellion of Absalom (2 Samuel 15-19). If the former is valid, then it was written during the exile by a Korahite longing for Jerusalem. I prefer Davidic authorship due to the style and geographic locations mentioned in verse five. Whichever author is chosen, it reflects a genuine heart desire to be with God in the Temple/Tabernacle. If this were the heart attitude of Christians today, the world would be a much different place. The oddity for Christians is that we don’t have to go to the church to spend time with God, He indwells us. We are the temple of God. However, for true fellowship to occur we need to publicly worship Him as part of our growth toward Christlikeness (Hebrews 10.24-25).

This psalm and Psalm 43 (see our study) have a connection and many have placed them together as one psalm. The Septuagint combines them into one psalm. Each psalm has the same refrain and the same ending. However, if Psalm 43 was written during the Babylonian Captivity, it could have been inspired by Psalm 42. Psalm 43 and Psalm 71 are the only psalms in this section of the Psalms without an inscription (see studies on Psalm 9 and Psalm 10).

  • Verses 1-3-David realizes that his life is in God. Without the ability to enter into the presence of God in the Tabernacle, his life was devalued, depressing. What is your heart attitude about being in God’s presence? As mentioned above, the only place we need to go to be with God is nowhere for He indwells us. This is Jesus discussion with the woman at the well in John 4.15-26. We only need to be in right relationship with Him (His child) and in right fellowship with Him (confession of sins) in order to be in His presence. Do you long for God more than for the sins of this world? This is the essence of the book of 1 John.
  • Verses 4-8-David poetically presents his state without God’s presence in it (again, return to our discussion of Psalm 43 for thoughts on verse five). He misses the fellowship he had in Jerusalem with fellow followers of God and longs to see them and publically worship with them.
  • Verses 9-10-David laments over his current situation asking God to deliver him not only for the sake of David but for the sake of God. Do you see your relationship with God as a public demonstration of whom God is? When people see you, they see a representation of God. Your words and actions either tell His greatness or belie who He is. How do people see you when they ask “Where is your God?”
  • Verse 11-The ending of Psalm 43 is identical to this psalm. Our hope is not in others nor in things. It is solely in God.

God desires you to be in His presence with great joy more than you can imagine. How great is your desire to be in His presence? He gave His Son in order for you to go there? What have you forsaken for Him to be there?

Media

Psalm 61

When we can look back to see God at work, know that He is at work, and this will lead us, always, to praise Him. Have you praised God for who He is and what He has done lately? Tell someone, write it down.

Psalm 61

This is a psalm of David to be played in worship on stringed instruments (Neginah).

David was thrust out of the city away from the sanctuary during the revolt of Absalom (2 Samuel 15-18). He uses a double entendre here. He wants to return to the rock that is higher than he, which physically, being in the woods of Ephraim, would be Jerusalem and spiritually would be a reference to God Himself. David’s desire is to return to Jerusalem where he knows he can worship and commune with God. Jesus describes this reasoning in John 4 when He speaks with the woman at the well in terms of worship (John 4.15-26). The thought was we needed to be in a specific place to worship God. Jesus corrects this and establishes that God can be worship anywhere, at any time. He is not demeaning corporate worship in a specific place (church) but is expanding the idea of worship to a personal level as-well.

This psalm can be divided in two parts by the Selah after verse four.

  • Verses 1-4-David is basing his prayer and pleas to God not on a wishful thought but on his previous experience with God. In essence, David is saying: “I may not be in Jerusalem, but I am never far from You. So, God, based on who You are and what You have done in my life, I ask You to protect me, to bring me into Your presence.” David knew who God was and what God had done for him and he based his prayers and his life on that truth.

Selah: When times are rough, do you have evidence that God has been at work in you? Do you know Him well enough to trust Him to be there for you (1 John 2.15-17)? Or, do you wishfully think that He might help you that may be based on something that is not truth? Before times are rough, begin to write out how God has used you, how He has been involved in your life, and how He has changed you. When we combine our experience with our knowledge of the Scriptures, we can stand solidly when the rough times attempt to knock us over.

  • Verses 5-8-Can the changes of pronouns begin a prayer for someone other than David. David changes from “I” to “the king” in these verses. This could be a messianic reference for God to present to the world the ultimate Solid Rock.

When we can look back to see God at work, know that He is at work, and this will lead us, always, to praise Him. Have you praised God for who He is and what He has done lately? Tell someone, write it down.

Media

Psalm 65

Have you given God the praise and worship due Him today?

Psalm 65

An outline of the psalm

  • Verses 1-4-Worship of God and His goodness (1 Thessalonians 5.18)
  • Verses 5-8-Witness of God to the ends of the earth
  • Verses 9-13-Blessings from God

A summary of the psalm is based on the character of God. It is the reason we pray. He never changes, He knows all things )real and potential(, He is sovereign (all-powerful), among others. It is to Him we pray and because of Him we can pray.

  • Verse 1-David directs us to give to God the glory due to his power, goodness, and grace given to His people.
  • Verse 2-God hears prayer
  • Verse 3-God forgives sin
  • From man’s perspective, there is no hope; from God’s grace hope is based.
  • Verse 4-God satisfies the souls of His people
  • Verse 5-God protects and supports His people

David directs us to give to God the glory due to his power, goodness, and grace given to all people everywhere.

  • Verse 6-God establishes the mountains
  • Verse 7-God controls and calms the sea (chaos).  Waves or seas normally represent evil and chaos (see our study on Psalm 93).  Romans 8.18-25 and the groaning of the earth compared with 9-13 and the singing of everything
  • Verse 8-God preserves the regular cycle of day and night
  • Verses 9-13-God makes the earth fruitful

Have you given God the praise and worship due Him today?

Psalm 33

As this psalm is read, the personal relationship and fellowship God desires with humanity are evident. He created all, not evolution (6-7). He looks from heaven to see man and interact with him (13-19).

Psalm 33

As in Psalm 29, praise is based on the worthiness of the object to be praised. In this case, God is far above all other things and is most worthy to be praised (see our study on Psalm 29).

The psalm is neatly divided into three parts:

  • The call to praise God (1-3)
  • The reasons to praise God (4-19)
    • He has proven faithful to His Word (4-9)
    • He has done so by His work (10-12)
    • He is righteous and steadfast in how He deals with us (13-19)
  • A prayer to God (20-22)
    • We wait on Him
    • We are glad in Him
    • We hope in Him

As this psalm is read, the personal relationship and fellowship God desires with humanity are evident. He created all, not evolution (6-7). He looks from heaven to see man and interact with him (13-19).

He also is involved with nations (10-12). How far has our nation gone from His watchful eye? Nowhere. How far have we gone from His will?

Psalm 29

Try to describe God in terms of nature without making nature god. Ascribe the worth to God due Him.

Psalm 29

Just a cursory reading of the psalm should cause the reader to reconsider worship (as do Psalm 15, Psalm 19, and Psalm 93). Since worship is ascribing worth to something, then we should worship greatly. God is great and is due great worth. How do you worship at home and at church? If you need a moment to consider how great He is, review “That’s My King!” at the bottom of the video page.

Notice the chapter refutes that God is nature (“Mother Nature”). In order to be God, He must be above and in control of nature as verses 3-9 present. Notice the use of the sevenfold “voice” in this passage. ]As time allows, I will present a study on certain numbers found in Scripture.[ The power behind the sevenfold voice that shakes the earth comes as the power for peace. If you listen to the psalm, you will hear, see, and feel the power of the storm David is describing.

Strength comes to those who seek Him and living the life He created us for is a by-product of that pursuit as seen in the word “peace” that closes this psalm.

Try to describe God in terms of nature without making nature god. Ascribe the worth to God due Him.

Psalm 24

The question being asked is “Who is the King of Glory?” This is the question all men need to answer. How do you answer it (1 Timothy 6.15 and Philippians 2.9-11)?

Psalm 24 (cf. 1 Corinthians 10.26)

This psalm is reminiscent of Psalm 15 (see our study). It was probably written after 2 Samuel 6 (cf. 1 Chronicles 15) when the Ark of the Covenant was brought into Jerusalem for the first time (see our study).

It can be divided in three parts. The first is a praise for whom God is (1-2, cf. our study on Psalm 19). The second is similar to Psalm 15 which provides the requirements for those who can be in God’s presence (3-6). The third is written as a processional antiphony (7-10), where the leader speaks and the congregation responds. The question being asked is “Who is the King of Glory?” This is the question all men need to answer. How do you answer it (1 Timothy 6.15 and Philippians 2.9-11)?

Take a moment to worship God in the context of music. Verse four of this chapter presents a deep thought. “Give us Clean Hands” is a prayer based on this verse. Give it a listen.

1 Chronicles 16.7-43

Special occasions like this will come and go in our lives. We may remember what we did, what God had done, how we praised Him, and how others were drawn to Him during this occasion. But, it is better to write down a word of praise to God for what He has done. When God works in your life, write down what He did, how you felt, how others responded, and whatever else you experienced for the moment. That day will disappear, but your written words will last throughout your life and beyond. This can be your tool to bring others to Christ even after you are gone (23).

1 Chronicles 16.7-43 (Cf. Psalm 96.1-13, Psalm 105.1-15, and Psalm 106.1, 47-48 [see our study of Psalm 96, Psalm 105, Psalm 106])

This chapter is a song of David that has found its way into at least three psalms, as can be seen from the above.

  •  2 Chronicles 16.7-22 is found in Psalm 105.1-15, which is a psalm of thanks for God’s faithfulness to His covenant people. The covenant was central to the faith of the Israelite and, now, to the Christian [research].
  • 2 Chronicles 16.23-33 is found in Psalm 96.1-13, which is a call to the people of the earth to come and worship before God.
  • 2 Chronicles 16.34-36 is found in Psalm 106.1, 47-48, which is a psalm of praise for forgiveness of sin.

 Verses seven and thirty-seven present Asaph, the writer of and musician for many psalms, as the chief musician under David.

God, through David’s (and Ezra) pen, reminds us that God is above all other gods. When those around you proclaim that Christianity is too narrowminded and that there is more than one way to God, show them 1 Chronicles 16.23-30. It is here that God proclaims He is above all other gods, that He alone is worthy of worship, and that all other gods are useless. If this seems intolerant to them, remind them it is the truth. Much like gravity is intolerant of those who want to float, yet it is the truth.

The passage reminds us that God is intending to offer salvation to all mankind, not merely the Israelites (31-32).

Included in the conclusion of the poetic portion of this chapter are three verses representing our prayers: we should thank God (34), ask God for His will to be done (35), and praise Him for whom He is (36).

The conclusion of the passage, verses 37-43, presents a slight problem in that there are two places of worship, Gibeon and Jerusalem. However, this will not always be the case. When the worship is established in Jerusalem, all worship is moved there (by worship I mean the corporate celebrations of God in a public place [research “worship”]).

Verse 41 is interesting in that it reminds us of God’s steadfast love for us in the middle of a narrative. There were specific people who were designated to remind others of this throughout the day. Isn’t this our call as well?

The last verse, 43, is the tie-in to chapter 17. All people went home, but the Lord had no home.

Special occasions like this will come and go in our lives. We may remember what we did, what God had done, how we praised Him, and how others were drawn to Him during this occasion. But, it is better to write down a word of praise to God for what He has done. When God works in your life, write down what He did, how you felt, how others responded, and whatever else you experienced for the moment. That day will disappear, but your written words will last throughout your life and beyond. This can be your tool to bring others to Christ even after you are gone (23).

One last application, do you regularly attend corporate worship? Are you involved with the corporate worship at your church? Are you using your gifts for God’s purpose, glory, and honor (Ephesians 4.11-16)?