April 16th, 2009 by Kristi Stephens

Image from Bible Picture Gallery

Yesterday as we continued our discussion of true praise and worship, I gave a quote from Talk Thru the Bible about the book of Psalms. Remember this part?

God is worthy of all praise because of who He is, what He has done, and what He will do.

Yesterday we defined “praise” and “worship” more fully. Now let’s see some true praise in action in Psalm 33:1-11.

First, this Psalm starts out with a call for praise in various expressions:

Sing for joy in the LORD, O you righteous ones;
Praise is becoming to the upright.
Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre;
Sing praises to Him with a harp of ten strings.
Sing to Him a new song;
Play skillfully with a shout of joy.

We’ve got shouting, singing, playing instruments – this is quite a party! Now, I do want to pause here and point out that singing and playing instruments are what usually come to mind in praise, but the Psalms include all kinds of different forms of praise including (but not limited to):

• Telling of His wonders, praises, salvation
• Giving thanks to Him publicly
• Declaring His righteousness to the younger generations
• Shouting for joy
• Confession of sin and thanking Him for His forgiveness

Now, back to Psalm 33 – what are we praising Him for?

For the word of the LORD is upright,
And all His work is done in faithfulness.
He loves righteousness and justice;
The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the LORD.
By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
And by the breath of His mouth all their host.
He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap;
He lays up the deeps in storehouses.
Let all the earth fear the LORD;
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
For He spoke, and it was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast.
The LORD nullifies the counsel of the nations;
He frustrates the plans of the peoples.
The counsel of the LORD stands forever,
The plans of His heart from generation to generation.

Why praise Him?

• He is holy
• He is faithful
• He is righteous
• He is just
• He shows His grace and lovingkindness to all creation
• He made everything with a word!
• He is sovereign over all the affairs of men
• His nature and Word remain forever, even as man comes and goes

You could make quite a lengthy list if you read through the Psalms and record all the things for which God is praised.

Remember, true praise is not centered on us and how we feel – true praise springs from knowing who God is and lifting Him up, shining a light on Him, exclaiming publicly, “How great is our God!”

I hope it jumped out to you in yesterday’s post that there is a close tie between fearing God and worshipping Him. True worship comes from seeing who our God really is and bowing before Him, submitting ourselves to Him, showing Him the reverence He is due. Does that seem out of sorts with shouting, dancing, and singing His praise? It’s not!

Psalm 2:11 is an interesting verse -

Worship the LORD with reverence
And rejoice with trembling.

Even in our rejoicing, we should be trembling before Him! True praise and worship must be rooted in Truth, and to behold God for Who He is must compel us to fear Him, even as we praise Him with all that we are.

Consider the scene of the worship in heaven in Revelation 15:3-4

And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,
“Great and marvelous are Your works,
O Lord God, the Almighty;
Righteous and true are Your ways,
King of the nations!
“Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name?
For You alone are holy;
For ALL THE NATIONS WILL COME AND WORSHIP BEFORE YOU,
FOR YOUR RIGHTEOUS ACTS HAVE BEEN REVEALED.”

This verse is so powerful. Who will not fear you, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy! If we caught just a glimpse of the fullness of who God is, the only response is to fear Him and simultaneously praise Him for His works, for His ways, for the glory of His name.

Tomorrow we’ll spend some time looking at Psalm 50, which is a sobering reminder that we can do all the right things in our quest to praise and worship God, and fall into a ritual rather than offering a true sacrifice of thanksgiving. On the flip side, we can become hardened and rebellious against God and glibly repeat truth with hearts full of evil, leading us to an assumption that God is just like us.

Oh, Lord, show us your glory! Cause us to fear you and give you the true praise and worship that you alone deserve!

“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”
And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”
And the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen ” And the elders fell down and worshiped.
Revelations 5:12-14

April 15th, 2009 by Kristi Stephens

Yesterday, we started thinking about true praise. I know some people were standing up on my soapbox with me, agreeing wholeheartedly, and some… not so much! That is just fine with me – I don’t expect everyone to agree with my ramblings about matters of personal opinion, but I do want to get us thinking. The Bible has a lot to say about praise and worship, so let’s keep looking at it, shall we?

As we have already established, the psalms are an entire book of praise and worship. We’re looking into the only inspired hymnbook, so what the psalms contain is central to any discussion of praise and worship! In Wilkinson and Boa’s book Talk Thru the Bible, this is how they describe the theme and purpose of the book of Psalms:

“There are several kinds of psalms, and they express different feelings and circumstances. But the common theme is worship – God is worthy of all praise because of who He is, what He has done, and what He will do. His goodness extends through all time and eternity. The psalms present a very personal response to the person and work of God as they reflect on His program for His people. There is a keen desire to see His program fulfilled and His name extolled. Many of the psalms survey the Word of God and the attributes of God, especially during difficult times. This kind of faith produces confidence in His power in spite of circumstances.” (153)

The Psalms are intensely personal. I think that is most likely why they appeal to almost anyone who reads through the Scriptures. David and the other psalmists wrestle very openly with injustice, persecution, the prosperity of the wicked, the afflictions Israel faced corporately, etc. However, they always come back to a point of recognition of God’s person and work, and His sovereignty over all.

Yesterday I quoted Alistair Begg’s reflections on worship vs. entertainment in Evangelical circles. One of the things he said was, “the underlying issue is the failure to begin with God and His glory, and instead we begin with man and his need.”

If you begin to listen to many modern praise and worship songs from this perspective, you’ll notice that we spend an inordinate amount of time talking about ourselves and how we feel – we often camp on these points much more than emphasizing who God is and what He has done.

Let’s pause here for a bit and think about what we actually mean when we toss around the terms “praise” and “worship.”

The word “praise” shows up 147 times in the Psalms! Several different Hebrew words are translated into our English word “praise.”

• “Halal” is by far the most frequently used term. It means to praise, celebrate, glorify, to cause to shine, to make bright, to give light. The basic idea is that of radiance, from which came the idea of enthusiastic expression of rejoicing and praising God. (From “halal” comes the term “hallelujah!”)

• “Thillah” is the second most used term, and it’s root is also traceable to “Halal.” It means laudation, a hymn, praise, a song which exults God.

• “Yadah” is an interesting term – it means to speak out, to confess, to praise, to sing, to give thanks; essentially, it is the acknowledgment of sin, man’s character, or the nature and work of God.

In Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, there is a very lengthy discussion of praise, but it can be mostly boiled down to the idea of calling attention to God’s glory. Through song, through confession and the resulting thanksgiving for God’s forgiveness, through publicly recognizing who God is and what He has done – we bring Him glory. We shine a light on who our God is and say, “Look at our God – there is no one like Him!”

“Worship” is used 13 times in the Psalms.

• “Sachah” is used 12 of the 13 times – it means ‘to prostrate oneself (in homage to royalty or to God), to bow oneself down as an act of respect before a superior being. It meant to honor God with prayers, even without prostration of the body. However, those who used this mode of salutation often fell upon their knees and touched the ground with their foreheads. In short, it was a way of showing submission.’
• “Abad” is used once, and carries the idea of serving a master.

Again from Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, Worship is described as “both an attitude and an act.” Referring to the passage we mentioned yesterday in John 4, it goes on to say,

All true worshipers must worship God in “spirit and in truth.” That is, true worship takes place on the inside, in the heart or spirit of the worshiper (cf. Psalm 45:1; 103:1-2). Worship pleasing to God must be unfeigned and transparent, offered with a humble and pure heart (Psalm 24:3-4; Isa 66:2).
But this is not enough. Worship “in truth” connects the heart or spirit of worship with the truth about God and his work of redemption as revealed in the person of Jesus Christ and the Scriptures. David understood the importance of worshiping in truth and the necessary linkage between “truth” and the Word of God when he wrote, “Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear [i.e., worship] your name” (Psalm 86:11; cf. Psalm 145:18). Here both the Old and New Covenants agree! The true worship of God is essentially internal, a matter of the heart and spirit rooted in the knowledge of and obedience to the revealed Word of God.

[In my words, I like to define worship as recognizing and responding to Who God really is.]

Both praise and worship are intimately connected with knowing God and His Word – how can I praise, or shine a light on, a God that I do not really know? How can I accurately highlight His ways and His works if I do not know what those things are? As I bow myself in submission and worship before my God, I cannot worship with sincerity and in truth if I do not know the Truth!

You see, when we define “praise and worship” as an experience that we have, it’s all based on us! A good praise service is judged by how I go away feeling about it. Did the music feel right to me, did the lighting and stage decoration create a good experience, did I like the style of music, did the artists give a good show?

But Biblically, “praise and worship” is all about God! Shining a light on Who He is and what He has done! Lifting Him up and saying, “Look at my God! There is no god as great as our God!” Bowing down before Him, recognizing His supremacy, His holiness, His sovereignty, His love, His forgiveness, His grace.

Does it involve human emotion? It better! I can recite truths about God all day long, but if I am not sincerely responding to that Truth, it is not true worship. Sometimes I am astonished to look around and see people singing amazing, eternity altering truths with as much enthusiasm as if they were reading a math textbook aloud! Just as an emotional experience devoid of truth is not true worship, truth devoid of emotion shows that we have failed to personally respond to that truth, and that is not worship, either.

To be continued…

What’s on your mind? I’d love to hear from you!

April 14th, 2009 by Kristi Stephens

Well, I have arrived at the end of the Psalms in my personal study. I’d like to spend a few days looking at some overall takeaway lessons from the Psalms. Last week we looked at the theme of those who are truly blessed. Today, let’s take some time to start looking at true praise.

In his message “The Evangelical Crisis,” Alistair Begg discussed the difference between entertainment and worship.

“…the underlying issue is the failure to begin with God and His glory, and instead we begin with man and his need. So our considerations become aesthetic. We start by asking what people would find nice, what they would find enjoyable, what they would find soothing. And as we endeavor to do this, we lose sight of certain basic foundational issues. Namely, that Christ Himself is the sanctuary of his New Covenant people… that the true aesthetic beauty is the holiness of the Lord, and that Christ alone is the only ordained worship leader of His people… so that many of our preoccupations, which have to do with the packaging, are nothing more than a capitulation to the spirit of the age…”

Begg goes on to look at Jesus’ conversation with the woman at the well in John 4; our worship must be full of truth and full of enthusiasm! One without the other is no good, and in my opinion, the majority of churches I have been in fall on one end of the spectrum or the other. We either sing hymns that are brimming with truth in such a way that makes you want to lay down and sleep on the pew, or we sing songs full of meaningless words with a fervor that makes tears come to people’s eyes or perhaps makes them jump up and down as though they are at a rock concert! Both are appalling!

I like the way Begg (who never minces words!) describes both ends of the spectrum – on the one hand, “We dare not baptize our cliche-ridden phraseology and our hackneyed hymnody into orthodoxy.” Just because it’s one of the “old hymns” doesn’t make it orthodox. Have you ever heard one of those Christian radio stations that will only play recordings so old that you can hear the record crackling on the turntable? Just because it’s old doesn’t mean it’s more true!

To the other end of the spectrum, Begg says, “A praise song… is one word, two notes, and three hours.” This is hilarious to me because it is so true! On the other end of the “praise spectrum,” some more modern songs seem content to pick a nice, appealing phrase and sing it over and over and over again. Tearing up as you repeat a stirring phrase like a mantra does not equal worship, either! It’s often simply an artificially induced emotional response. And you know what? I personally don’t like to jump up and down and “clap to God.” I find it irreverent, it’s not how I respond to God, and to create and environment that presses people to do so against their natural bent creates an artificial and fake “worship experience.” I don’t have a single thing against others raising their hands, but don’t make it a requirement, either.

If you’d like to hear a little more of my soapbox opinions about praise, I have big issues with how we teach children to sing to the Lord. Pick up most children’s “praise” cd’s, and you’ll find a whole bunch of nonsense songs. Ie: “father Abraham,” “arky arky,” “deep and wide,” “kum-ba-ya,” etc. Someone please tell me what theological value these songs have? I have absolutely no problem with singing silly songs (I sing “big booty/ tiny heiny” and the SNL “sloppy joes” song to my children quite often) – but please do not somehow make these ridiculous songs “spiritual.” We’re ingraining in our kids that a fun, exciting song sung in church = praise, even if it has absolutely no truth in it whatsoever. I’ve also heard far too many church kids’ songs that teach them to yell out the names of our God in such an irreverent way that it makes me cringe – basically, we’re just all swearing in unison! Do we understand that? We’re taking God’s name in vain when we use His holy name in such a flippant manner!

If this resonates with you, you will love this article about redefining worship for kids – excellent.

I will step off of the soapbox now.

Considering that the entire book of Psalms is a book of praise songs, what do the Psalms teach us about true praise?

Well, I’m going to keep you hanging because this post would be too long. You’ll have to wait until tomorrow. :) In the meantime, I’d love to hear from you… what’s on your mind?

p.s. After a comment I received on facebook about this post (“…who are we to dictate what is pleasing to God?”), I thought I would add this additional note.

WE do not dictate what is pleasing to God, but His Word has a lot to say about what correct worship is. Evaluating worship according to the Word is not judgemental, it is necessary. John 4:24 tells us to worship in Spirit and in Truth! The Psalms are an entire book of inspired praise songs. We’re not just taking a stab in the dark about what is pleasing to the Lord – we need to know Him and His Word well enough to know that we are not only worshipping the correct God, but that we are worshipping the correct God correctly!

Evaluating worship in the light of the Word does not in any way limit God – He always acts in accordance with His nature, and His nature is most accurately expressed to us through His Word.

I addresed this topic more in light of the story of Jephthah in the book of Judges.

*Image from wikipedia.org