“This is the day the LORD has made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24).
I grew up singing the words to that verse. Maybe you did too. I understood it to apply to our rejoicing in every new day that God has made. While of course, Yahweh our sovereign God controls time and our very lives, and therefore each new day we awaken with breath in our lungs is a gift from God, “the day” in Psalm 118:24 conveys a much deeper meaning. More →
Psalm 107 is a descriptive psalm of thanksgiving. It begins, “Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” (Psalm 107:1). To give thanks (יָדָה yāḏâ) carries the idea of “extending the hands in praise.”[i] The psalmist calls us to thanksgiving because Yahweh, the LORD, is good. We are to praise Him for His “mercy”, or faithful lovingkindness, “endures forever”. More →
At our Wednesday night prayer meeting, we have started to look at Psalms 120 – 134, the “songs of ascents”. Another name for them might be “songs for going up” or “songs for the journey”. In ancient Israel, they were probably sung by travelers making their way to Jerusalem for the annual feasts. Jerusalem was a high point in the land of Palestine, and as they journeyed, they were literally “ascending”. And these songs we intended to help them also ascend spiritually as they joined together in song and prepared their hearts to worship the Lord.
I intended to share some thoughts about Psalm 122 on Wednesday, but didn’t make it back in time due to some car trouble As I read this psalm and you follow along, I want you to see if you can pick out a key word or idea in this psalm. The very first verse captures some of the excitement, the anticipation, of the psalmist preparing for the journey. “I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord.”” (Psalm 122:1).
Psalm 122
1 A song of Ascents. Of David.
I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go into the house of the Lord.”
2 Our feet have been standing
Within your gates, O Jerusalem!
3 Jerusalem is built
As a city that is compact together,
4 Where the tribes go up,
The tribes of the Lord,
To the Testimony of Israel,
To give thanks to the name of the Lord.
5 For thrones are set there for judgment,
The thrones of the house of David.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May they prosper who love you.
7 Peace be within your walls,
Prosperity within your palaces.”
8 For the sake of my brethren and companions,
I will now say, “Peace be within you.”
9 Because of the house of the Lord our God
I will seek your good.
This psalm is all about a special place—the holy city of Jerusalem. That makes sense. Jerusalem played an incredibly important role in the life of the ancient Israelites. The David and the other kings of Judah had their thrones in Jerusalem. The temple of the Lord was there. It was where the tribes of Israel gathered for the required feasts to worship.
But it is a bit tricky for us to listen to a psalm all about Jerusalem, because we are not ancient Jews. Most of us have never been there. Jerusalem doesn’t mean the same thing to us as it did to them. In the Old Testament, God chose a place to dwell. After the first temple was built, we read about God’s presence filling the temple. 1 Kings 8:10-11 says,
And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.
For ancient Jews, Jerusalem was the place where God chose to dwell in a unique and powerful way. The temple in Jerusalem was the center of their worship. When we read of the Psalmist going up, should we also buy our plane tickets to Jerusalem and go there with gladness?
In a sense, we too are a people on our way to a city, and we should be full of joyful anticipation as we look forward to the day when we will gather in the New Jerusalem, the heavenly city of God (Rev. 21-22). But what about today? Are we not to worship the Lord even now? Where do we do that? Do we have a Jerusalem, a specific place where we go to worship God?
Because places are so important to us, we might be tempted to take the reference to Jerusalem and substitute a different city or place where we gather for worship. People sometimes talk about going to the “house of the Lord” in that way, and by that, they usually mean the physical building that they go to as Christians in order to worship. But is this how we are to apply this psalm as new covenant believers in Christ?
I believe we are living in the time that Jesus spoke about in John 4 when Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well,
“Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:21-24)
When Jesus died, the veil of the temple in Jerusalem was torn in two (Matt. 27:51). And fifty days after Jesus’ death and resurrection, the glory of God once again descended and chose to make God’s presence uniquely real. But this time The Lord didn’t just indwell a place. Instead, He indwelt a people. Acts 2:1-4a reads,
When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit …
So now, we don’t have a place where God’s presence is uniquely manifest. Now we have a people. Paul says, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). That people in whom God dwells is the church of Jesus Christ. In Ephesians 2 Paul says about us in the church,
Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone, in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:19-22).
Someone has said, “The church is not a building; the church is not a steeple; the church is not a resting place; the church is a people.” What Jerusalem was to ancient Jews, the church is to us.
But the church isn’t a place and it isn’t an event. It’s a people. You don’t “go to church.” You are the church. The church is a community of God’s people. So, as we look at Psalm 122, and we hear the psalmist talking about Jerusalem I believe we can apply this to the church. And we’ll see that this psalm is an incredibly powerful description of who the church is and how the church worships.
You know that feeling when you finally get somewhere after a long road trip? That’s where the psalmist starts. This psalm begins with the incredible feeling of standing within the gates of the city enjoying the experience.
David rejoiced to enter Jerusalem. It’s clear that he loved Jerusalem. But why? It is because there is “the house of the LORD.” He loves the city of Jerusalem because he loves the LORD who dwells there with His people. Listen, a joyful worship experience is not found by pursuing joy in worship. Joy is found in pursuing and knowing God Himself. Peter wrote to the New Testament saints about their relationship with Christ Jesus, “whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,” (1 Pet. 1:8). Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit through faith in Christ expressed in love for Him.
Does it bring you joy to gather with other Christians to express your love for Christ? Put simply, do you enjoy church? And remember, I don’t mean the event of a church service. I mean the people. Do you enjoy the people of God, gathered to honor the Lord?
Each Sunday when we gather for worship we are anticipating and rehearsing for our arrival in the city of God – and we should have joy as we come together.
If we are going to worship together and enjoy the Lord together, we need to know how to be God’s people. What made Jerusalem so special?
There are three things that the author praises about Jerusalem. The way it’s constructed, the way the tribes go up to it every year, and the fact that the thrones of the house of David are there. So, what do these things mean?
First, he talks about the way the city is built. It is …
Built for Safety: “Jerusalem is built As a city that is compact together,” (Psalm 122:3). What that probably refers to is the security and safety of the city. The compact arrangement of the city gives an added advantage in defending the city. So, Jerusalem is safe. It also could mean it is “solidly united” (CSB), where the people are closely held together. It’s a place of refuge—a place where the people of God come together and find unity, comfort, and safety.
Is our church like that? Are we like a city that is compact together? The church should be a community of people where you feel safe, where we can talk without fear about our lives and our relationship with God. There are so few places in our world where it is safe to let down your guard. We must be a safe place of love, peace, and unity in the Spirit (Eph. 4:1-3).
Second, Jerusalem gives a …
Sense of Identity: The second point the psalmist makes is that this city is where the tribes come regularly. “Where the tribes go up, The tribes of the LORD, To the Testimony of Israel, To give thanks to the name of the LORD.” (Psalm 122:4). Jerusalem gives the people a sense of identity. All of Israel is supposed to travel there regularly—all the tribes converge there. It gives them a sense of belonging.
Is the church community where we find our identity? We belong together because we each belong to Christ. First and foremost, we are followers of Jesus Christ. The world divides people by nations, languages, ethnicities, gender, and social and economic status. In Christ, all those barriers are removed.
And finally, Jerusalem …
Promotes Justice:, the thrones of the house of David are there. “For thrones are set there for judgment, The thrones of the house of David.” (Psalm 122:5). He says he’s talking about the thrones of judgment. So, when you come to Jerusalem, you find justice because the King is there. The church cares about justice inside and justice outside.
The psalmist praises Jerusalem for its safety, the identity it creates, and the justice it promotes. As those who belong to Christ, with His Spirit inside of us, our gathering should be a foretaste of the refuge, worship, and justice we will experience in the heavenly New Jerusalem (Hebrews 10:23-25). The church needs to be a safe place. The church should give us our identity. The church needs to love justice and equality.
We’ve seen the psalmist respond to being in Jerusalem. First, he arrives in the city and talks about the joy he has for visiting it. Then he praises the city. Finally, the psalmist concludes by offering prayers for the city. Here’s what the psalmist prays for in verses 6-9.
There is one overall theme of what the psalmist prays for: peace. That’s the Hebrew word shalom and it’s one of the richest and most meaningful words in all of Hebrew. Peace is repeated three times in these four verses.
First he prays for the peace of the city and upon those who love the city. Then he prays for peace within the walls and the security of the city. Then he prays “for the sake of my brothers” that there is peace within the city. Finally, he prays “for the sake of the house of the LORD our God.”
So, the psalmist prays for the city and for its people, and he builds in intensity as he moves toward the center. At the center is God’s presence. It’s the goodness of that presence that creates the peace of the city. The heart of the city is the presence of God.
And as we’ve been reflecting on the church, this is our final observation about the church as well. It may sound like an obvious thing to say. It may not even need saying. Except that it does. The heart of the church is the presence of God. We are where God dwells. God is here. Not in this building, but in this people.
At the heart of Jerusalem is “the house of the LORD our God.” At the heart of the church is the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. Jerusalem wasn’t just a city. God lived dwelt with His people there. We aren’t just social group. God lives here.
So here we are. We are standing with each other. Enjoy it. Appreciate it. Because God lives here.
1 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
The king shall have joy in Your strength, O LORD;
And in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!
2 You have given him his heart’s desire,
And have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah
3 For You meet him with the blessings of goodness;
You set a crown of pure gold upon his head.
4 He asked life from You, and You gave it to him–
Length of days forever and ever.
5 His glory is great in Your salvation;
Honor and majesty You have placed upon him.
6 For You have made him most blessed forever;
You have made him exceedingly glad with Your presence.
7 For the king trusts in the LORD,
And through the mercy of the Most High he shall not be moved.
8 Your hand will find all Your enemies;
Your right hand will find those who hate You.
9 You shall make them as a fiery oven in the time of Your anger;
The LORD shall swallow them up in His wrath,
And the fire shall devour them.
10 Their offspring You shall destroy from the earth,
And their descendants from among the sons of men.
11 For they intended evil against You;
They devised a plot which they are not able to perform.
12 Therefore You will make them turn their back;
You will make ready Your arrows on Your string toward their faces.
13 Be exalted, O LORD, in Your own strength!
We will sing and praise Your power.
On our Fifth Sunday Sings I often love to bring to you a portion from the book of Psalms. Psalms is the songbook, the hymnal, of the Bible. These songs were inspired by the Holy Spirit of God as scripture, were sung by Israel in their worship, and are given to us for teaching and admonishing one another (Col. 3:16). We are to sing them with grace in our hearts to the Lord. In their praise, we worship the Lord. In their theology, we meet God. In their prayers, we learn to pray.
Today, I want us to look briefly at Psalm 21. David, king of Israel, composed this Psalm as a song of praise and thanks to Yahweh, the Lord God, in the aftermath of victory. It is a companion to Psalm 20 which is a prayer for going into battle. In Psalm 21, David rejoices in the great victory that the Lord had won. It’s all about what God has done. A quick reading of the Psalm brings that easily to light.
(1) “The king shall have joy in YOUR strength, O LORD”
(1) “in YOUR salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!”
(2) “YOU have given him his heart’s desire”
(3) “YOU meet him with the blessings of goodness”
(3) “YOU set a crown of pure gold upon his head”
(4) “YOU gave it [life] to him”
(5) “Honor and majesty YOU have placed upon him”
(6) “YOU have made him most blessed forever”
(6) “YOU have made him exceedingly glad”
(8) “YOUR hand”
(8) “YOUR right hand”
(9) “YOU shall make”
(9) “The LORD shall swallow”
(10) “YOU shall destroy”
(12) “YOU will make them turn their back”
(12) “YOU will make ready YOUR arrows”
(13) “Be exalted, O LORD, in YOUR own strength!”
It’s clear, isn’t it? King David has returned from battle victorious, but he’s not taking credit for a single aspect of the victory. The Lord delivered him, and David is honoring God and rejoicing in the Lord. David knew that every victory he experienced was from the Lord. And like David, we could sing this song giving credit to God for every spiritual blessing and victory.
But I want you to notice something else about this psalm. Rather than writing in the first person using “I” and “me”, David writes it in the third person, using “he” and “him”. This could be because David wanted the congregation to sing about the victories God gave him. But I think there is more to it than that.
Notice that in Psalm 21:1-6, David looks back with gratitude for the victory that God gave, but in verse 7-12, he looks forward with confidence and hope. I believe that David wrote the psalm this way because he wanted us to see the greater King in the future. This is a psalm ultimately about the Messiah, our Lord Jesus. Like many of the psalms do, it speaks about David but looks past David to fulfillment in Christ Jesus. It is a prophetic picture of the certain victory which God will grant His Messiah-King. David praised God not only for the blessings and victory that were his, he praised God for the blessings and victory that belong to Christ. David rejoices in these blessings. He sings praise to the Lord God.
So, if these blessings and victory belong to Christ, what do they mean to us today? Here is where our union with Christ comes in. Ephesians 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” If I am in Christ, and Christ receives all these blessings, so do I! This is why we sing and rejoice.
What are these blessings that belong to Christ?
Christ is blessed with salvation, and second, Christ is blessed with …
David rejoiced in answered prayer through Christ, and third, Christ is blessed with …
David rejoiced in eternal life in Christ, fourth, Christ is blessed with …
These blessings are Christ’s because He trusts in God the Father. “For the king trusts in the LORD, And through the mercy of the Most High he shall not be moved.” (Psa. 21:7). David knew these blessings because He trusted in Christ, and that is how we know them as well—by faith, by trusting in Christ. It’s through the mercy of the Most High. It’s by God’s grace showered on us in Christ.
The first seven verses describe the blessings Christ in His victory over sin and death through His resurrection. The rest of the psalm is about the future victory of Christ at His second coming. Christ will have the …
And so David concludes the psalm, “Be exalted, O LORD, in Your own strength! We will sing and praise Your power.” (Psa. 21:13). When we look at Christ and see all that God has done through Him and for Him, we rejoice and sing praise! God has delivered Him, answered His prayers, given Him eternal life, glory, and honor in His presence, and total victory.
These spiritual blessings in Christ also belonged to David because he trusted in the Lord. And they are ours when we are in Christ. Rejoice in the blessings Christ has received! In Him, those are your blessings as well!
Two weeks ago we looked at Jesus’ instructions to His disciples in Matthew 10 as He sends them to preach the Kingdom of God in a hostile world, and the theme was “Do Not Fear”. Last time, we considered the Christmas Story from Luke and again the theme was “Fear Not”. Now, as we close out the year 2023 and begin 2024, the Lord has led me to Psalm 27 where again, the theme is overcoming fear. David begins this psalm by making two statements about the Lord God, and then asking the rhetorical question, “Whom shall I fear?” Listen to verse 1, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?” (Ps. 27:1).
David’s circumstances could have produced great fear. He had evildoers coming at him to devour his flesh (Ps. 27:2). He had an entire army encamped against him (Ps. 27:3). He was being falsely accused and his enemies were breathing out violence (Ps. 27:12). David is praying for his life. He was facing life-threatening danger and yet David could say, “My heart shall not fear” (Ps. 27:3).
We live in difficult times today. Many people fear what is happening now and fear for the future. How do we overcome fear?
David overcame fear by clinging to the Lord. Let me give you just a quick outline of this Psalm that teaches us to overcome fear by clinging to the Lord.
To overcome fear…
David was a mighty warrior who had defeated the giant Goliath. He commanded an army of mighty men of valor. But David does not boast in his wisdom or strength. He declares, “The LORD is my light and my salvation … The LORD is the strength of my life” (Ps. 27:1). When the Lord God is your light and salvation, when the He is your stronghold, you are in a formidable place of protection. With the Lord as your protection, no matter what the enemy throws at you, you need not fear.
Second, to overcome fear…
David writes, “One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, And to inquire in His temple.” (Ps. 27:4).
David isn’t just praying for an escape from his troubles, but for an ongoing experience of God Himself, both in this time of trouble and forever thereafter. He wants his fear to drive him to a deeper experience of the Lord Himself. We will overcome our fears to the extent that we focus on the Lord Himself and are captivated with His glorious beauty. Make that the one thing you seek: To dwell in the Lord’s presence and to behold His beauty all the days of your life.
To overcome fear, cling to the Lord’s protection and His presence. Thirdly…
In the second half of the psalm, David prays that the Lord will hear him, care for him, and guide him. His prayer is based on the promises of God. He sought the Lord believing God would hear him. He trusted in the Lord believing that God would not forsake him. He followed the Lord believing that God would lead him.
Finally, to overcome fear…
David concludes his prayer saying, “13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living. 14 Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!” (Ps. 27:13-14).
“I would have lost heart” at the beginning of Psalm 27:13 is added by the translators because the Hebrew breaks off abruptly. You could almost translate it: “If I hadn’t believed . . . I would see God’s goodness in this life.” It’s almost as if David is saying, “If I didn’t have God in my life, if I didn’t believe and trust in Him . . .” and then he shudders at the thought. He can’t even complete his sentence. Have you ever felt that way? “If I didn’t have God in my life, I don’t know how I could ever get through.”
David was confident that God would redeem him in this lifetime, and he was willing to wait upon the Lord for his deliverance. David is taking the long-term approach here. He’s praying for his life, for the duration of his life.
I challenge you to pray for your life starting today. Look to God in times of trouble; come to God for strength every day; commit to a lifetime of persevering prayer. Take heart and be strong! You will see God’s goodness in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord.
1 A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath day.
It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
2 To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning,
And Your faithfulness every night,
3 On an instrument of ten strings, On the lute,
And on the harp, With harmonious sound.
4 For You, LORD, have made me glad through Your work;
I will triumph in the works of Your hands.
5 O LORD, how great are Your works!
Your thoughts are very deep.
6 A senseless man does not know,
Nor does a fool understand this.
7 When the wicked spring up like grass,
And when all the workers of iniquity flourish, It is that they may be destroyed forever.
8 But You, LORD, are on high forevermore.
9 For behold, Your enemies, O LORD,
For behold, Your enemies shall perish;
All the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.
10 But my horn You have exalted like a wild ox;
I have been anointed with fresh oil.
11 My eye also has seen my desire on my enemies;
My ears hear my desire on the wicked Who rise up against me.
12 The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree,
He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13 Those who are planted in the house of the LORD
Shall flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They shall still bear fruit in old age;
They shall be fresh and flourishing,
15 To declare that the LORD is upright;
He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. (Psalm 92:1-15)
How many of you know what it’s like to come here on the Lord’s Day with a heart full of worship, rejoicing in the goodness of God, wanting to sing praises, hungry to hear the word of God preached, longing to know and love your Savior more? Most of us also probably know what it’s like to come to a Sunday gathering out of routine when your heart doesn’t seem to be in it.
For those of us who may be inclined to “go through the motions” week in and week out, Psalm 92 is a helpful reminder. The title given to the psalm is “A Song for the Sabbath.” It was designed for and used in the weekly synagogue worship of the Jews.
This Psalm gives three main reasons to give thanks and sing praises to the Lord.[1] First, it is good to give thanks to the Lord because of who He is and what He has done for us. Secondly, it is good to give thanks to the Lord because the world will eventually be judged. Third, it is good to give thanks to the Lord because He causes His people to flourish. This “Sabbath psalm” is a good reminder of who God is, who we are as His people, and how worthy He is of our praise on the Lord’s Day and every day.
The psalmist begins by expressing his delight in giving thanks to the Lord and singing praises to His name, “It is good to give thanks to the LORD, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High,” (Ps. 92:1). C. H. Spurgeon said, “It is good ethically, for it is the Lord’s right; it is good emotionally, for it is pleasant to the heart; it is good practically, for it leads others to render the same homage.”[2]
We give thanks and praise because God is the LORD, Yahweh, the covenant-keeping Lord. Yahweh is used seven times in this psalm for the seventh day (Ps. 92:1,4,5,8,9,13,15). He is also the “Most High” (Ps. 92:1). He is ultimate and He is sovereign. He is the God of lovingkindness and faithfulness (Ps. 92:2), so we praise Him continually (morning and evening). If you think daily about the Lord’s loyal love and His faithfulness toward you, you will have abundant reasons to praise Him.
God’s mighty works make us glad (Ps. 92:4,5)—works like creation, providence, and salvation—great works that stem from God’s deep thoughts. As Paul exclaims (Rom. 11:33), “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!” So, we praise Him with music and instruments (Ps. 92:3).
In the middle of this Psalm of praise and thanksgiving, the writer refers to the godless, who flourish in this life for a time. The psalmist is not looking at the world through rose-colored glasses. He knows he lives in a world full of evil and temptations. These verses make two points, that the wicked will perish and that they in no way threaten the Lord, who reigns on high. The wicked will not stand and God will reign forever (and we will reign with Him).
The psalmist uses a lot of imagery to convey the point that God will give strength, stability, and longevity to those who are His. While the wicked are described as grass that will fade, the righteous are strong trees that will remain.
The psalm ends just as it began: with praise of God, “To declare that the LORD is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.” (Psa. 92:15). He is righteous and good and strong.
As we live in this world it can be so easy to see things through a narrow lens. We are often tempted to lose hope or to lack passion for God. Let God’s word in this psalm be a reminder of who God is and of the hope we have as those who know Him. We have been given sight to see God rightly and we know that in the end, He will reign. Our response is to give thanks and sing praises.
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[1] Steven Cole, Psalm 92: It Is Good to Give Thanks to the Lord, https://bible.org/seriespage/psalm-92-it-good-give-thanks-lord. I adapted this outline from Cole.
[2] Charles H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, Psalm 92. https://gracegems.org/Spurgeon/092.htm
145 I cry out with my whole heart;
Hear me, O LORD! I will keep Your statutes.
146 I cry out to You;
Save me, and I will keep Your testimonies.
147 I rise before the dawning of the morning,
And cry for help; I hope in Your word.
148 My eyes are awake through the night watches,
That I may meditate on Your word.
149 Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness;
O LORD, revive me according to Your justice.
150 They draw near who follow after wickedness;
They are far from Your law.
151 You are near, O LORD,
And all Your commandments are truth.
152 Concerning Your testimonies,
I have known of old that You have founded them forever.
I am delighted that Dr. Shockley is teaching in the Book of Psalms in our Adult Bible Study on Sunday mornings. Psalms is the songbook of the Bible. So as we come to worship I often read and pray through a passage from Psalms that relates to our worship at the beginning of our worship service on Sunday.
It is under the category of prayer that singing finds its place in Christian worship. The psalms were sung prayers, and it is right to sing unto the Lord under the new covenant as well. Singing can also fall under the category of teaching in worship. Paul writes in Colossians 3:16 that we are to “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” We may not always remember this, but our hymns and songs are vehicles for proclaiming God’s truth and thus can serve a teaching function as well as the function of prayer as we offer them with thankful hearts to the Lord. Prayers both spoken and sung are essential in biblically faithful worship.[i]
In this passage the psalmist is in prayer, and we are given a glimpse into how he prayed, why he prayed, when he prayed, and what his prayers were about. But most of all we learn about the important interconnection between prayer and God’s Word. If your worship and your prayer life has lost life and needs reviving spiritually, this passage will help. This stanza gives us four patterns of prayer that God can use to revive our prayer lives and our worship:[ii]
The psalmist has a desperate urgency as he comes to God in prayer:
145 I cry out with my whole heart;
Hear me, O LORD! I will keep Your statutes.
146 I cry out to You;
Save me, and I will keep Your testimonies.
One of the ways to revive and breathe life into my prayer life is to recognize my desperate need for God’s help. Like we sing in the old hymn “I need Thee every hour.”
The first two verses each begin “I cry out.” The verb expresses earnestness and intensity; he prayed passionately! This earnestness is also clear in the next phrase “with my whole heart.” Spurgeon says, “Heart-cries are the essence of prayer.”
His requests are simple. In Psalm 119:145 He asks the Lord to answer him, “Hear me, O LORD!” And in Psalm 119:146 he prays, “Save me.” His first thought in difficulty was to turn to God for answers and deliverance.
Notice the purpose of his prayer. In both these requests, his earnest heart’s prayer is for help so he can obey the Word of God. He prays with desperation for the sake of dedication.
This prayer is not motivated by a desire for ease or comfort; it’s motivated by a determination to obey God more and more. We don’t come to worship or prayer so that we will get from God what we think we want, but in order to become more what God wills for us: faithful obedience.
May God help us to see our own desperate need and to pray more earnestly, so that our prayers can be more effective and our worship more pleasing to God.
147 I rise before the dawning of the morning,
And cry for help; I hope in Your word.
148 My eyes are awake through the night watches,
That I may meditate on Your word.
The psalmist rises early before dawn to pray. And he lies awake at night meditate on God’s word. In other words, he prayed constantly throughout the day and night. His life was not compartmentalized to a “time with God” and then time for everything else. Every part of life, day or night, he was God-centered, God-oriented, and God-worshipping. In v. 147 he prays and in v. 148 he meditates on Scripture, which suggests there’s a 2-part 2-way communication involved in our duty to pray constantly.
The New Testament often uses the familiar phrase “watch and pray,” (Matt. 26:41; Mark 13:33; Col. 4:2; 1 Peter 4:7). Nothing will inspire your worship on Sunday more than constant prayer and meditation on God’s word the rest of the week.
149 Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness; O LORD, revive me according to Your justice.
Here he specifically prays for revival. Notice this prayer for revival is based on God’s grace and God’s will. He prays, “according to Your lovingkindness“ and “according to Your justice.” In effect, he is praying, “God because you are full of love and grace, I want you to hear me. Revive me so that I might live based upon your truth, your decisions, your will.
He needed God to revive him because of the tough situation that he was facing due to his enemies. He says in verse 150:
150 They draw near who follow after wickedness;
They are far from Your law.
But even though his enemies were near, God was nearer, so he could:
151 You are near, O LORD,
And all Your commandments are truth.
152 Concerning Your testimonies,
I have known of old that You have founded them forever.
The wicked may “draw near,” (Psalm 119:150), but the psalmist remembers, “You are near, O Lord.” God was there first! God is never far away from those who love His law and believe His Word is truth.
MacArthur comments: ‘When you have a thought, the Lord is near to read it; when you pray, the Lord is near to hear it; when you need His strength and power, He is near to provide it. In fact, He lives in you and is the source of your spiritual life. An awareness of His presence will keep you from being anxious or unstable.”[iii]
The psalmist had this confidence in the nearness of God because God’s Word is firmly founded forever. As the old hymns sings, “How firm a foundation ye saints of the Lord is laid for your faith in His excellent Word.” May God revive our prayers and our faith in our big God, in our glorious God, in our very gracious God.
We often think of prayer as a spiritual discipline for private worship and devotion, and so it is. But prayer is also a public devotion that is to be a part of corporate worship. When we sing hymns or pray in unison, let us do so with our hearts and minds fully engaged. Today as we worship in song, let us sing our prayers earnestly, constantly, biblically, and trustingly.
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[i] https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/prayer-worship
[ii] Philip G Layton, https://sermons.faithlife.com/sermons/111313-20-reviving-your-prayer-life-by-god’s-word
[iii] John MacArthur. Truth for today : A daily touch of God’s grace. Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, p. 343.
Psalm 95
Welcome to our 5th Sunday Sing. In this special worship service we invite you to worship our great God and Savior Jesus Christ in spirit and in truth. I want to begin our worship today with a brief look at Psalm 95. This Psalm is about worship. There’s nothing more important in the Christian life than worship. God has created us to be worshipping creatures. And Christ has redeemed us to be a worshipping people. Jesus said, “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23-24). There’s nothing more important that we do than worship.
Ligon Duncan gives a very helpful outline of Psalm 95 in four words: “Come – For – Worship – Today.”[1]
“COME” – Psalm 95:1-2 give us a call to worship. “Come FOR….” – Psalm 95:3-5 give us the reasons why we are to worship God. “Come for WORSHIP…” – Psalm 95:6-7a gives us what we do when we worship God. “Come for worship TODAY…” – Finally Psalm 95:7b-11 give us a warning about neglecting worship through unbelief.
Keeping those words in mind, let’s listen to God’s word and let it teach us to worship. Psalm 95
1 Oh come, let us sing to the LORD!
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
3 For the LORD is the great God,
And the great King above all gods.
4 In His hand are the deep places of the earth;
The heights of the hills are His also.
5 The sea is His, for He made it;
And His hands formed the dry land.
6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
7 For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture,
And the sheep of His hand. Today, if you will hear His voice:
8 “Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion,
As in the day of trial in the wilderness,
9 When your fathers tested Me;
They tried Me, though they saw My work.
10 For forty years I was grieved with that generation,
And said, ‘It is a people who go astray in their hearts,
And they do not know My ways.’
11 So I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall not enter My rest.’”
The first half of this Psalm is framed by two calls to worship, both with the inviting word, COME. Psalm 95:1—Oh come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation; and Psalm 95:6—Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
“Come” is a command in both of these verses although they are two different words in the Hebrew. “Come” in Psalm 95:1 is literally to walk or carry yourselves. “Come” in Psalm 95:6 is to enter in. Both are in the plural. Do you see the picture? The psalmist is saying, “stop what you’re doing, leave what you’re doing behind, and come to God.” This is a call for us to come together with the people of God, to bring ourselves and enter into the presence of God. Psalm 95:2, “Let us come before His presence.” “Come” in this verse means to meet. Meet with God. Praise Him. Thank Him. Fellowship with Him. Commune with Him. Stop what you’re doing and leave it behind, and come.
How do we come?
With joyful thanksgiving! “Oh come, let us sing to the LORD!” There is no room in this verse for apathetically mumbling through a few songs while your mind is elsewhere! “Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.” In this psalm, which refers to Israel in the wilderness, the rock that literally saved the nation was the rock that Moses struck, which then flowed with water (Exod. 17:1-7). Paul tells us that that rock was Christ (1 Cor. 10:4). This is a gospel call. Come to Christ for salvation, for forgiveness of sins.
If Christ is the rock of your salvation, who has given you living water for your soul, shouldn’t you come before Him with great joy and thanks?[2] “Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.” (Ps. 95:2).
Then in Psalm 95:3-5 we see why we ought to come to worship:
Psalm 95:3 begins with that word “For”: “For the LORD is the great God, And the great King above all gods.” Why should we come to worship?
God is sovereign. His majesty is over all. He’s greater than any claimed god, any false god.
Psalm 95:4-5:
4 In His hand are the deep places of the earth;
The heights of the hills are His also.
5 The sea is His, for He made it;
And His hands formed the dry land.
God is the creator. He created everything and He rules the world. But even more importantly Psalm 95:6 urges us to “kneel before the LORD our Maker.” He not only made the world, He made me. And Psalm 95:7 says, “For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand.” God cares for us as a shepherd cares for his sheep.
Why should I worship God? Because He’s sovereign over all, because He made the whole universe, because He made me, and because He cares for me.
“Come” – our invitation to worship.
“For” – our reason for worship.
What is it exactly that we’re called to do? What does it mean to worship God?
In Psalm 95:6 you see three similar verbs that tell us how we are to come. “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.” The command in this verse is “come,” enter into the presence of God. The other three verbs, “worship,” “bow down,” and “kneel” describe what it looks like to come into the presence of God. All three convey the picture of us humbling ourselves before God. “Worship” means to fall flat before God. “Bow down” means to bend low or crouch down before God. “Kneel” means get down on your knees to give blessing to God.
The point is that our God is so mighty, so awesome, that we need to acknowledge that by joyfully, thankfully, humbly bowing down before Him. Worship…bow down with joy before your mighty Maker and your tender Shepherd.
So far this has been an uplifting Psalm encouraging us to come in humble worship to our great God. Then suddenly the mood changes in the middle of Psalm 95:7 and the psalmist warns “Today, if you will hear His voice: Do not harden your hearts.” What’s going on here?
The psalmist is referring to Israel’s experience in the wilderness when they tested the Lord in Exodus 17 at the waters of Meribah (rebellion, Ps. 95:8), and it refers to Moses’ own unfaithfulness at the waters of Massah (trial, Ps. 95:8) in Numbers 20. God’s people were not joyfully singing to Him, or thanking him, or worshipping Him! Just the opposite! They grumbled, complained, and quarreled. And you remember what happened as a result of their unbelief. Neither the generation of the children of Israel from Meribah nor Moses entered into the Promised Land.
The New Testament author of Hebrews cites this whole second part of Psalm 95 (7b-11) in Hebrews 3:7-11. He again quotes Psalm 95:11 in Hebrews 4:3, and verse 7b in Hebrews 4:7. Derek Kidner comments that the New Testament “forbids us to confine its thrust to Israel.” He adds, “The ‘Today’ of which it speaks is this very moment; the ‘you’ is none other than ourselves, and the promised ‘rest’ is not Canaan but salvation.”[3]
The message is you cannot worship God with an unbelieving heart. You cannot worship God if you do not take Him at His word. You cannot worship God if you do not believe on Christ, the Rock of our Salvation, as He is offered in the gospel. True worship is by faith, and unbelief is inconsistent with it.
We cannot live between Sundays unbelieving in God’s word, untrusting of Jesus Christ, unresponsive to the gospel of grace, and then come in and manufacture worship. It cannot happen. Worship must be by the Spirit, by grace, by faith in Jesus Christ, believing in God’s word, submitting our will to Him and following Christ as Lord. All of this is a part of true worship.
Come For Worship Today.
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[1] Duncan, Ligon. Come, Let Us Worship, https://ligonduncan.com/come-let-us-worship-716/. Duncan’s gives an excellent treatment of this psalm and I relied heavily on his outline and exposition.
[2] Cole, Steven. Psalm 95: Worship—or Else!. https://bible.org/seriespage/psalm-95-worship%E2%80%94or-else
[3] Kidner, Derek. (Psalms 73-150 [IVP], p. 343). Quoted by Cole.