Praise the Lord!

Psalms 100 & 150 (June 14, 2009)

1) The Text

Psalm 100
1Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth. 2Worship the LORD with gladness; come into his presence with singing. 3Know that the LORD is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name. 5For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

Psalm 150
1Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty firmament! 2Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his surpassing greatness! 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 clanging cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! 6Let everything that breathes praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!

2) The Context

Psalms is a collection of collections. The psalms were written over many centuries, stretching from the days of Solomon's temple (about 950 BC) to after the Exile (about 350 BC.) Psalms are of five types: hymns of praise, laments, thanksgiving psalms, royal psalms, and wisdom psalms. Within the book, there are five "books"; there is a doxology ("Blessed be ... Amen and Amen") at the end of each book.

Psalm 100: Perhaps this psalm was composed for use during the Festival of Booths, the autumn harvest thanksgiving for cereal crops and grapes. At that time, the Israelites also gave thanks for God’s protection during their years of wandering in the desert. Vv. 1-3 form one hymn and vv. 4-5 is another. All people everywhere (“all the earth”, v. 1) are invited to praise God, to be joyful in him. Why? Those processing to the Temple would, in “The Lord is God” (v. 3), be reminded of the first of the Ten Commandments. (That he is the only god is implied.) The covenant brought the people into a special relationship with God. V. 4 was probably spoken by the priests: they invite the faithful to enter the Temple to give thanks and praise. Both the Temple and royal palaces had “gates” (v. 4) and “courts”, so God the king, present in the Temple and reigning from there, is envisaged. God is goodness; he is eternally compassionate and faithful to those who keep his law and follow his ways. In the original context, his goodness was specifically his concrete acts of love promised in the Sinai covenant and shown to Israel.

Psalm 150: The psalm is a closing doxology both for the fifth book of the Psalms (Psalm 150:107-149) and for the Psalter as a whole. Temple musicians and dancers are called to lead all beings on earth and in heaven in praise of God. The psalm proclaims to whom praise shall be given, and where (Psalm 150:1); what praise shall be given, and why (Psalm 150:2); how praise shall be given (Psalm 150:3-5), and by whom (Psalm 150:6).

3) Interpretation

Psalm 100 was a call to worship. Actually, it was two calls to worship: 100:1-3 was a general call outside the Temple walls onto the outer courtyard, while 100:4-5 was a call to worship inside the Temple and a preparation for a sacrifice of thanksgiving.
100:1-3 was a call to joy. The leader would cry out to those in the Temple court, including those righteous Gentiles who came on pilgrimage to worship God (these non-Jews represented “all you lands” in 100:1b). 100:1b-2 was a three-time exhortation for celebration. 100:3 explained the reason for the joy; God was the creator of not only all people, he formed a unique people to be his own.

100:4-5 was a call to thanksgiving. These verses could have been the shout made at the thanksgiving sacrifice, a full immolation of a male farm animal or bird on the Temple altar. The act of worship blessed the name of God (and, thus, invoked his power); the blessing reminded the worshiping audience of God’s covenant with his people (expressed as “love” and “faithfulness.”)

The two parts of Psalm 100 reminds us that joy and thanksgiving are the proper attitudes for worship. We are to be happy when we present ourselves to God. We are to be thankful when we are in his presence. Other attitudes are possible (sorrow, need, intercession, surrender, peace, etc.) but joy and thanksgiving should be our primary focus.

The Lord is here. Be happy and give him thanks.

Psalm 150 says that we must shout to God. We must sing to him and make music. The Jews spoke Hebrew and wrote their psalms in Hebrew. The word hallelu is in every verse of this psalm in the Hebrew Bible. Many Christians still use the Hebrew word *hallelujah. This means: hallel (praise) – u (you) – jah (the Lord) or “Praise the Lord.” LORD is another name for God. It is his covenant name. A covenant is when two people, or groups of people, agree. Here, God agreed to love and send help to his people. His people agreed to love and obey God.

4) Thought Exercise

By what means do you praise the Lord?

How can we strengthen our covenant with God?