Seven Commands
Seven Commands
Today’s Reading: Psalm 96-100
Psalm 100:1-2 “Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful singing.”
Psalm 96-100 shares a common theme. In each of these Psalms, the writer extols the praise of God’s reign over the world. There is no nation, no people, no part of the world or the universe that is outside the realm of God’s sovereign oversight and control. However, His rule over the universe is both absolute and perfect. To oppose His reign is to face His judgment (97:3-5). To submit to His control is to discover the joy of His protection and deliverance (Psalm 98). However, unlike human leaders, His rule is perfect and a source of joy for He cares for His people. When we look at all the confusion and challenges of this world, we have hope because we have one who is in control of our lives. So how should we respond to God?
The Psalmist in Psalm 100 calls upon us to respond to God with seven different commands. The first is that we are to join all creation in shouting joyfully to the Lord. When people attend a sporting event and their team scores, there is a collective and spontaneous shout of joy. This spontaneous shout of joy is how we are to respond when we see the activity of God. When we read of God’s activity, when we seek His control of the world, we should shout for joy because he remains enthroned in heaven.
The second command is more intentional and purposeful, that we are to serve the Lord with gladness. One of the great privileges God gives us is the joy of serving Him. This should never be out of a sense of duty, but out of a sense of great enjoyment and pleasure. This command is then parallel to the third command. We are to enter into the presence of God. The service of God was conducted in the temple, where God was present. Serving God and joy joined together.
The fourth command is an invitation to know God. This is more than just an invitation to learn about God. The word know refers to an intimate knowledge gained through a personal relationship. This is grounded on the fact that He is our creator. The Psalmist reminds us that because God created us individually and personally, we belong to Him and He cares for us.
Along with the invitation to know God, the Psalmist gives us the invitation to enter into God’s presence with worship. Worship is not about our experience or the music of the “worship” team. Worship is the recognition of God and the acknowledgment of His character and goodness towards us. It is much more reflective. We tend to make worship about our personal experiences and the emotions they evoke in us. But this places us as the focus of worship. But worship is not about us; it is about reflecting on the faithfulness and lovingkindness that God has towards us. It is the humble acknowledgment of God. This is seen in the last two commands, “give thanks” and “bless His name.” The first is to acknowledge and express gratitude to God, not just for what He does for us, but for who He is. The command to “bless” is to verbally proclaim the excellence of God’s character. It is to proclaim Him to others.
The last verse, being with the word “for”, provides the motivation for our worship. The reason we are to worship is because of His love and faithfulness towards us. The greatest act of worship is not clapping or raising our hands when we sing a chorus. This is part of worship. The greatest act of worship is when we proclaim God’s character to those we encounter. We share God’s love for us so that they might respond to His offer of salvation. Worship is a lifestyle and proclamation rather than just an event once a week in church.
Today’s Reading: Psalm 96-100
Psalm 100:1-2 “Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful singing.”
Psalm 96-100 shares a common theme. In each of these Psalms, the writer extols the praise of God’s reign over the world. There is no nation, no people, no part of the world or the universe that is outside the realm of God’s sovereign oversight and control. However, His rule over the universe is both absolute and perfect. To oppose His reign is to face His judgment (97:3-5). To submit to His control is to discover the joy of His protection and deliverance (Psalm 98). However, unlike human leaders, His rule is perfect and a source of joy for He cares for His people. When we look at all the confusion and challenges of this world, we have hope because we have one who is in control of our lives. So how should we respond to God?
The Psalmist in Psalm 100 calls upon us to respond to God with seven different commands. The first is that we are to join all creation in shouting joyfully to the Lord. When people attend a sporting event and their team scores, there is a collective and spontaneous shout of joy. This spontaneous shout of joy is how we are to respond when we see the activity of God. When we read of God’s activity, when we seek His control of the world, we should shout for joy because he remains enthroned in heaven.
The second command is more intentional and purposeful, that we are to serve the Lord with gladness. One of the great privileges God gives us is the joy of serving Him. This should never be out of a sense of duty, but out of a sense of great enjoyment and pleasure. This command is then parallel to the third command. We are to enter into the presence of God. The service of God was conducted in the temple, where God was present. Serving God and joy joined together.
The fourth command is an invitation to know God. This is more than just an invitation to learn about God. The word know refers to an intimate knowledge gained through a personal relationship. This is grounded on the fact that He is our creator. The Psalmist reminds us that because God created us individually and personally, we belong to Him and He cares for us.
Along with the invitation to know God, the Psalmist gives us the invitation to enter into God’s presence with worship. Worship is not about our experience or the music of the “worship” team. Worship is the recognition of God and the acknowledgment of His character and goodness towards us. It is much more reflective. We tend to make worship about our personal experiences and the emotions they evoke in us. But this places us as the focus of worship. But worship is not about us; it is about reflecting on the faithfulness and lovingkindness that God has towards us. It is the humble acknowledgment of God. This is seen in the last two commands, “give thanks” and “bless His name.” The first is to acknowledge and express gratitude to God, not just for what He does for us, but for who He is. The command to “bless” is to verbally proclaim the excellence of God’s character. It is to proclaim Him to others.
The last verse, being with the word “for”, provides the motivation for our worship. The reason we are to worship is because of His love and faithfulness towards us. The greatest act of worship is not clapping or raising our hands when we sing a chorus. This is part of worship. The greatest act of worship is when we proclaim God’s character to those we encounter. We share God’s love for us so that they might respond to His offer of salvation. Worship is a lifestyle and proclamation rather than just an event once a week in church.
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