1 Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!
2 Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence
with singing.
3 Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us,
and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Psalm 100 bears the title: "A Psalm of Thanksgiving."
Some translations say: “A Psalm of Praise”. It is a psalm that encourages the
people of Israel to come into the presence of Jehovah with joyful singing (vv.
1-2), with submissive spirits (v. 3), and with thankful hearts (vv. 4-5). And my
friend, that is the way all believers should enter into His presence, every day
and every moment of every day!
We can easily understand the people of Israel shouting
joyfully in praise to their great God (vv. 1-2). They were God’s chosen people,
and He took them from being a small family in a foreign land and called them to
a special land to become a powerful and mighty nation. But the psalmist here
also calls for all the nations of the earth to praise Him. This is a recurring
theme in the "royal psalms" (Psalms 97:1, 6; 98:2-4, 7; 99:1-2), for
it was Israel's responsibility to introduce the Gentiles to the true and living
God.
God’s people have always been a joyful people. They have
fullness of life because they have found their fulfillment in Jehovah. Jesus
said that “He came so that His sheep might have life and experience it more
abundantly” (John 10:10). We as Gentile believers are now included in His
fold, and we also can shout joyfully and sing songs of praise to our great Lord,
Savior, and Redeemer.
Today, the church has been commissioned to take the good
news into all the world (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15), and it will be a glorious
day when God's people gather at His throne from "all nations, tribes,
peoples and tongues" (Rev. 7:9). But our shouting ought to lead to serving
Him, for He is the only true God (Deut. 6:13; 10:12; Josh. 24:15-24). Worship
leads to service with gladness (v. 2), and true service is worship. If we sing
in the Spirit and with understanding, our songs are received in heaven as
sacrifices to the Lord.
In verse 3, God’s people are not only to be joyful, but
they should be submissive. “Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has
made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.”
The verb "know" means "to know by
experience." It also carries the meaning of "acknowledge."
What we have experienced in our hearts we openly confess to others and bear
witness of our glorious God. (See 1 Kings 18:39.) The phrase "made
us" means much more than "He created us," for He also
created the nations that do not know Him. It means "Jehovah constituted
us as a nation, as His chosen people." (Psalms 95:6-7; 149:2; Deut.
32:6, 15; Isa. 29:23; 60:21.)
The phrase "not we ourselves" can also be
translated "and we are his." This connects with the next
statement, "We are his people..." (see Isa. 43:1). The image
of God's people as a flock of sheep is frequently found in Scripture (74:1;
77:20; 78:52; 79:13; 80:1; 95:7; Gen. 48:15; 49:24; Num. 27:17; Isa. 40:11;
John 10; 21:16-17; Heb. 13:20-21; 1 Peter 2:25; 5:1-4). This verse is a simple
statement of faith: Jehovah is God, Creator, Redeemer and Shepherd, and we are
submitted to Him. If the sheep do not submit to their shepherd, they will stray
into danger.
Hebrews 13:15-17 summarizes this for all believers today: “Therefore
by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the
fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But do not forget to do good and
to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. Obey those who rule over
you, and be submissive, … Let them do so with joy and not with grief…”.
My friend, may God help us today to be joyful, submissive,
and thankful as we proclaim with gladness the goodness of our Great Jehovah, Lord
and Savior, and of our Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ!
God bless!
