Today is a special day as we conclude our chats in the Book
of Psalms. We started our chats on Psalms on September 14, 2022. Our chat today
will be the 538th one as we have gone through this wonderful book of
praise and worship these past couple of years.
Remember the psalms began in chapter one describing the “Blessed
man” or the person who “does not walk in the council of the ungodly, Nor
stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his
delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. He
shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its
fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does
shall prosper” (Psalm 1:1-3).
For sure the “blessed person” is the one who seeks the LORD
with their whole heart and desires an intimate relationship with Him through
His Word and the Holy Spirit. The “blessed person” will always be found praising
and worshiping the LORD! It seems to be so fitting that the very last psalm is a
great reminder and summary of what genuine and true worship and praise is
really all about!
True praise always focuses on the LORD and our awesome God
(v. 1a). The place of worship is found any place that God’s people meet
together, in the sanctuary, the tabernacle, the temple, the synagogues, and the
church. But also, in the heavens where not only the angels and saints that are
already there, but the moon, sun, the stars, and everything in them praise the
LORD (v. 1b).
In verse 2, we find the eternal themes of praise and worship,
“His mighty acts” and “His excellent greatness”. The Old
Testament is a record of "the mighty acts of God" as performed
for the nation of Israel, the chosen people of God. Especially notable are the
exodus from Egypt, the conquest of the Promised Land, the expansion of the
Davidic kingdom, the deliverance of the Jews from Babylon, and the restoring of
the nation. In the four Gospels we see the acts of God as done by Jesus Christ,
the Son of God, and in the Acts and Epistles, we have the record of the Holy
Spirit's mighty acts accomplished through the people of God.
The acts of God reveal the character of God, His holiness,
love, wisdom, power, grace, and so on—what the psalmist called "His
excellent greatness". The nation of Israel had a calendar of special
feasts to help them remember who God was and what God had done (Lev. 23), and
there is nothing wrong with the church having a similar calendar for the great
events in the ministry of Christ. However, we must beware lest the routine use
of the calendar becomes more important than the meaning of the days, or that
the observing of these days is a means of salvation (Rom. 14:1-15:13; Gal.
4:8-10; Col. 2:16-17). We cannot plumb the depths of all that God is or all
that He has done (Psalms 106:2; 145:4, 11, 12). This is why our eternal
worshiping of God will never become boring!
Finally, the psalm ends with describing the means of worship:
Musical Instruments and Human Voices (vv. 3-6)
When it is used correctly, by God's grace and for God's
glory, the human voice is the most perfect musical instrument in the world, but
we find no prohibitions in Scripture against using manmade instruments in the
worship of God. Instruments will be used in heaven (Rev. 5:8; 8:6-12), and
there will also be singing (Rev. 5:9-14; 6:12; 11:16-18; 15:1-4; 16:5-7;
19:1-9).
The psalmist seems to be describing an orchestra that has
string instruments, percussion instruments, and wind instruments. But the final
verse sums it up. Whether you can play an instrument or not, no matter where
you live or what your ethnic origin, male or female, young or old, "Let
everything that has breath praise the Lord!" After all, that breath
comes from the Lord (Acts 17:25), and if things that do not have breath can
praise the Lord, surely we can, too! Praise the Lord!
Lord, thank you so much for the Book of Psalms that brings
us into Your holy presence!
God bless!
