More on Worship
Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the name of the Lord; praise Him, O ye servants of the Lord. Psalm 135:1
In Children’s Sunday School, we told the children that we were going to teach them how to sing in the Jewish language – Hebrew. Then we all sang this very familiar chorus. “Hallelu, hallelu, hallelu, hallelujah, Praise ye the Lord. Hallelu, hallelu, hallelu, hallelujah, Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the Lord. Hallelujah, Praise ye the Lord. Hallelujah, Praise ye the Lord. Hallelujah, Praise ye the Lord.”
“Hâlal” (haw-lal’) is the Hebrew word for “praise” while “yâhh” (yaw) is the word for “Lord.” In our text verse, the word translated “Lord” in the phrase, “the name of the Lord” is the proper name Jehovah.
In our text verse, the psalmist instructs us to shout “Hallelujah,” and there is good reason.
- In Psalm 135:3 – Because of His goodness. Praise the LORD; for the Lord is good: sing praises unto His name; for it is pleasant.
- In verse 4 – Because of His wisdom in choosing Jacob unto Himself. We could say, based on His choice in choosing us as well – Because of God’s grace.
- In verse 5 – Because of God’s greatness. For I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.
There are three good reasons to worship the Lord Jehovah and with some understanding of Who He is, it is with delight that we praise His name no matter what our circumstances might be. He is continually managing all of His creation and bringing about all of His plans and purposes.
There is one problem. The instruction is for the servants of the Lord. There are those who are not His servants who sometimes go through the motions of worship, and it is not accepted by God. They attend churches where the Gospel is not preached and yet find themselves in a service referred to as “worship.” All that is called worship is not worship.
Perhaps the earliest record of worship in God’s Word appears in Genesis 4 where there are two worshippers and two different forms of worship. One is accepted by God while the other is rejected by God. Both Cain and Abel bring sacrifices before God in worship, perhaps with the knowledge that worship is not optional. Do you understand this truth — WORSHIP IS NOT OPTIONAL. In our text, we are instructed to worship, but Cain worshipped according to his way while Abel worshipped God’s way.
Both offered a sacrifice to the Lord but only Abel’s met the requirement of sacrifice of shed blood (Hebrews 9:22). By faith, Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of His gifts (Hebrews 11:4). He offered shed blood as a sacrifice rather than something of his own hands. Cain’s sacrifice was rejected, and he was furious clearly revealing that he did not consider himself a servant of God. Abel desired to give his best while Cain simply gave as was the custom. God recognized the spiritual standing of both when they worshipped.
Consider your own worship today. Would it be acceptable in the sight of God? Does it recognize that God is supreme? When you worship Him, are you truly honoring Him Who created you? Is your relationship with Him what it ought to be when you worship? Do you truly worship or just go through the motions?
I have often wondered how God received Abel’s sacrifice. Did He consume it with fire as He did on other occasions in scripture? There seems to be some clue here that Abel’s relationship with God was far different than Cain’s. Obviously, his faith was evidence in his obedient offering.
For us, there is always a right way to worship God and a wrong way. If there is unconfessed sin in our lives, there is no possible way we can worship God. We can go through the motions, but our worship then will be no more received by God than was Cain’s.
Psalm 135 begins and ends with praising the Lord. It may have been written by someone returning to Jerusalem from Babylon which would reveal a heart filled with thankfulness. It could have been written earlier when the Temple was dedicated unto God. Either way, there was jubilant praise of God. Verse 8 indicates that there might have been a sense of returning from Babylon as a likeness of God’s people when they were first brought into the Promised Land from Egypt.
Consider when and how you came be trust the Lord as your own personal Savior. Look back and consider God’s grace in your life since that day. You will find many reasons to praise and worship our God Who has made every provision for your spiritual birth and your eternal heritage. Spend some extra time praising Him this morning.
George Stiekes serves as a Lay Pastor at Bethany Bible Church in Hendersonville, NC. See here for a more complete bio of brother Stiekes extensive ministry. We republish his material by permission.