Page 16 - Florida Sentinel 10-1-21

Praise God With Joy Psalm 100 (KJV)
SCRIPTURES
Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is ever- lasting; and his truth endureth to all genera- tions.
The 100th Psalm is a very familiar psalm to regu- lar church goers. It is fre- quently sang or repeated in many of our Christian churches today. This psalm reveals the proper way for believers to show reverence and devout appreciation for God as we enter into His holy presence in worship.
Many scholars think that this psalm was sung by an- cient Israelites during both the feast of weeks celebrated in mid-year, and the feast of ingathering celebrated at the end of the Jewish year (see Exodus 23:16; 34:22). Whether that’s true or not, we do know one thing and that is that Psalms 100 is a call for all lands, or nations to praise God, especially today’s Christian churches.
Psalm 100 opens with a line pointing to the major theme of the entire psalm. It is often called the title of the psalm. The phrase is: “For giving grateful praise. Shout for joy unto the Lord, all the earth.” The psalmist declares that this psalm is to call forth all the earth to praise the Lord. Shouting in the psalm most likely means a literal shout. However, as the years passed, shouting is not the way many worship. Still, it is important to ex- amine the motivation for shouting. Shouting means to emote the overwhelming remarkable joy that dwells within the heart. We do not have to shout. But, it is im- portant to express the abounding joy and gratitude we feel in relation to God.
The hymns and songs of worship offer us a vehicle for expressing our heart. Whatever the vehicle, let our expression emerge from a genuine, grateful heart.
The psalmist calls to shout unto the Lord! God alone is worthy of our praise. This does not infer that we cannot praise indi- viduals who have done something remarkable for
us. It is important to express praise in our home, among our friends, and in the Church. The people and in- stitutions in our life are gifts from God. The foundation of our praise is and should be God. All things have been working toward the good of those who love him, who have been called ac- cording to his purpose (Ro- mans 8:28).
Psalm 100 was in- spired by God. This does not mean God dictated each word. Poets write out of inner inspiration. They can be moved by something seen, heard, and experi- enced, and, using their words and images they write. Their inspired writing allows us, as closely as pos- sible, to share the experi- ence. In the Psalms, the authors are moved by God’s Spirit. This can occur when the author is overwhelmed by what God has done and revealed.
God’s Spirit moved upon the author, and this inner stirring and illumination prompted the author to pen this song/poem. Therefore, though the authorship re- mains unknown, we are
blessed because we know God inspired all involved.
This week’s lesson is a call for all people to come and worship the LORD for whoHeisandforwhowe are to Him. As the sheep of His pasture, we can rest as- sured that He will care for us with both His rod and His staff (see Psalms 23). When we accept the call to worship the LORD, we should see it as a call to sep- arate ourselves from worldly ways and worldly people. Remember, we are the sheep of His pasture and the sheep must follow the Shepherd in order to be safe. For that, God is wor- thy to be praised in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs (see Ephesians 5:19).
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