Praise Him in Song

Thursday, November 23, 2023

Praise Him in Song Submitted by Kay Crumley

The Hebrew words in this devotional are about praise using our voices and musical instruments.  We are to worship Him with joyful songs of praise. Our joy is in Him, not defined by circumstances. Joy is an attitude of the heart determined by confidence in God. To find that kind of attitude we must spend time in a relationship with Him. Real, genuine joy is a byproduct of having a strong and intimate relationship with Christ. When I am joyful, I sing, at least in my mind, as I go about my daily business.  Scripture teaches us to use our voices as well as instruments to express our joy and thanksgiving.   

 

Zamar – music to express joy, singing and playing instruments.  An example is to celebrate in song and music extending our hands in praise and thanksgiving. 

Psalm 150 

³Praise him with trumpet sound; 
    praise him with lute and harp! 
⁴Praise him with tambourine and dance; 
    praise him with strings and pipe! 
⁵Praise him with sounding cymbals; 
    praise him with loud clashing cymbals! 
⁶Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! 

Praise the Lord! 

This passage lists at least seven different musical instruments to use to praise the Lord. Then add to that orchestra dancing and singing.  That is an expression of praise I would love to be a part of.  This is the final chapter of Psalms.  He is calling us to praise Him with all we have.  The first two verses tell us to praise Him in His sanctuary, in His might heavens for His mighty deeds and His excellent greatness.  No instrument or voice is to be quiet but to sing Hallelujah to His Holy name.   

 

Paul, in this passage, is encouraging the church to be imitators of Christ because of His sacrifice for us.  He lists things we are to avoid being a part of and tells us to walk in the light rather than in darkness.  He concludes that with these verses.  We do not need to be drunk to have the freedom to celebrate. 

Ephesians 5 

¹⁸And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, ²⁰giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. 

Instead, we are to be filled with His Spirit, be under His influence.  Then we can gather with other believers in celebration of Whose we are.  We are to sing to the Lord thanking Him for everything He is, has done, and will do.  Then we are to submit to serving one another in Godly love.  Worship must become a lifestyle and regularly fill our tanks and the tanks of others with a Godly perspective. We are to be filled with the Spirit, not some cheap substitute. 

 

Halal – praise Yaweh, used 165 times in the Old Testament.  An example of that word paints a picture of a bright flashing praise that draws everyone's attention. It is the root word for Hallelujah.  

David brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem in a way that honored God and he was celebrating that move. 

2 Sam 6:14-15 And David danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the horn. 

Dressed as a priest, rather than the king that he was, David honored the God that he served rather than the people who called him king.  He worshiped God with abandon, whole heartedly. 

Now we see David, in Psalm 109, pleading with God to intervene as he is under attack from wicked people.  He wants his enemies to know that God will be his deliverer so that God will receive the glory. Even before he has been rescued, he confidently ends with this praise of thanksgiving. 

Psalm 109:30 With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord; 
    I will praise him in the midst of the throng. 

David is boasting in the assurance that his God will intervene.  He knows God’s character and in sure of help in his time of need. We can have the same confidence in Him because His promises are true. 

 

Tehillah – glory or hymn of song of praise, used 57 times, half of those in Psalm. Examples of this kind of praise would include singing to the Lord with extended hands. 

In Psalm 40, David had been rescued from the “miry pit” and God had placed his feet on the rock, on solid ground.  David had cried out to God and He answered.  Now, in verse 3, he has a new song, a new praise to offer to God his redeemer. 

Psalm 40:3 He put a new song in my mouth, 
    a song of praise to our God. 
Many will see and fear, 
    and put their trust in the Lord. 

He is confirming that God was the one who provided victory and He alone deserves the recognition and praise.  That should result in others trusting in God and thus bringing glory to Him alone.  We must look for the hand of God as He hears and answers our prayers so that we can praise Him and share His faithfulness to others as we glorify Him.   

 

Psalm 100:1-2 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! 
    Come into his presence with singing! 

We are to engage in our worship of God with a sense of excitement.  Worship is not just an intellectual experience but is filled with emotion as we respond to all the things He has done. We are to serve Him, to give back some of what He has given us in service to His kingdom.  Come to Him singing with exuberance for who He is, He is Creator, Sustainer, Healer, Provider, and Author of all creation.  How can we not praise and worship Him with a thankful heart.