A LOOK AT PSALM 100

In this post we are going to take a look at Psalm 100.  I am old enough to remember learning this psalm in elementary school.  How sad to think that such would not be allowed today.

Psalm 100:1-2 “Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.  Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.”

The Hebrew for joyful noise states “to split the ear with sound, shout.”  I love music, and I love to sing and play the piano.  I think it is wonderful that David, the musician, is encouraging everyone everywhere to praise the LORD boldly whether or not they can carry a tune or play an instrument perfectly.  I think, just as regarding our perception of beauty, the LORD has a much different perspective.  He looks for beauty that is of the heart, and He appreciates music that is from the heart.  The expression of praise is music to God’s ears when it springs forth from a heart of love and gratitude.

It is significant to note that this psalm is addressed to “all ye lands”—not just the nation of Israel.

Some translations use the word worship instead of serve, which is correct from the Hebrew; but it also means “to work, to labor.”  It’s easy to associate gladness (joy, glee, pleasure) with worship, but we are also to be joyful as we do the work of the Lord.  The Hebrew for singing included the idea of triumph or success.  This made me think of Joshua 1:8:

"This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success."

That led me back to defining working for the LORD.  It is obeying God according to His will as revealed in the word of God.

Psalm 100:3 “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.”

The word God is “elohim” (plural in the Hebrew), a reference to the Trinity—Father, Son and Spirit.  The psalmist identifies God as our Creator, “He that made us.”  This truth is stated simply and forthrightly as a fact—not open for debate. God created us for His pleasure, for special relationship to Him.  If we acknowledge Him in faith and serve Him, we are “His” people and the sheep of His pasture.  He wants to take care of us as tenderly as the Shepherd cares for His sheep.  He wants us to recognize how weak and helpless we are without Him.  He wants to feed us with spiritual food to help us grow and become strong in the Spirit.

Psalm” 100:4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.”

Note that we are called to “enter” His gates and His courts.  We know from the words of Jesus recorded by John that there is only one way to access His presence—and that is by grace through faith in Him. 

John 10:7&9 “Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.  I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”           

John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”   

Only those who acknowledge God as Lord and Savior would be willing to come into His presence with praise and thanksgiving.  To “bless His name” is to adore and honor Him.

Psalm 100:5 “For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”

Even as the psalmist invites the world to join him, he sets the example by closing this psalm in praise and thanksgiving to his LORD.

“the LORD is good” – He is the only One that is truly good.

Matthew 19:17 “And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.”

Mark 10:18 “And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.”

Luke 18:19 “And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.”

His mercy (kindness, pity) is everlasting (without end).

Lamentations 3:22–23 “It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness.”

His truth is also everlasting; it will never change.  Jesus is the embodiment of truth (as stated in John 14:6 above), and He will never change.

Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”

A MEDITATION ON PSALM 32

Psalms 32:1–11 “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.

My heart rejoices with David to know that my sin is forgiven so thoroughly that it never existed in the eyes of God.  I liked the way I heard James Merritt phrase it:  “He locks our sin in the vault of grace and throws it in the sea of mercy.” 

We all can relate to wishing that we could keep a sin hidden, but the child of God realizes that is pure foolishness.  David had an intimate relationship with God. He knew that God knew he had sinned—He just didn’t want to confess it to Him.  That immediately set the stage for a huge struggle with his guilt—to the point that he was moaning and groaning and experiencing great depression.  He finally got to the point that he could no longer produce any tears.

Another good quote from Merritt:  “Sin was the wound; silence was the infection.”

“thy hand was heavy upon me” – I thought that was a very telling expression.  David’s relationship was so close to the Lord that he recognized his guilt as the hand of God pressing him to repent. 

Today’s society/culture has  conditioned us to believe that there is always something or someone else we can blame for depression and other mental or emotional conditions.  David knew he was trying to hide sin.  Because of the undermining of God’s word today as well as the lack of knowledge of God’s word, people sometimes don’t even recognize their sin.

It finally reached the point that David could take it no longer; he confessed his sin to God.  The Hebrew for confess includes the idea of “bemoaning with wringing hands.”  This describes an attitude that is an acknowledgement of sin with repentance—true regret with intent to change.

God never rejects His servant who comes to Him with true repentance and a desire for restored fellowship.

2Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin….”

1John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Psalm 32:5-6 ”I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.”

David declares that it is natural for those that pursue godliness to naturally turn to God in prayer in their time of need.  He also implies that there is a time when God cannot be found.  I think David is expressing this thought from a human perspective.  We think God is able to “be found” when we are experiencing times of blessing and meaningful fellowship with God in worship and prayer.  On the other hand, when the Lord permits those times that test us to refine and grow our faith, times when we don’t feel like God hears us, we think He can’t “be found.”  Job is the perfect example.  Although David has experienced those times when he couldn’t find God, he knew that God was still worthy of his faith; he could count on God to bring him through whatever trial or testing he was experiencing.

David’s wording immediately brought to mind those beautiful verses in Isaiah.

Isaiah 43:1-3:  “But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour.”

Psalm 32:7-8 “Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah. I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.”

David is very confident of God’s protection and preservation in the midst of trouble.  What does it mean for God to surround you with songs of deliverance?  I would like to think more of it being a special gift of the Spirit to the servant of God that allows him to sing the praise of His Savior throughout the time of trouble because of the strength of His faith.

Suddenly, the prayer changes from a time of David talking to God to a time of God talking to David.  I believe that is what prayer is all about—a time of two-way communication.  God is telling David that He cares about Him as an individual—just as He cares for each one that places their faith in Him.  He wants us to have good success in life; He wants to give us spiritual understanding and wisdom to make application with that understanding.  The Hebrew for “instruct” stated to “guide wittingly”; it means to guide by design. God has a special design or purpose for my life.

The Hebrew for the word “teach” included the phrase “to flow as water.”  Today, we believers can expect to experience God’s teaching through the working or flow of the Spirit in our life.

John 7:37-39 “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified. The word teach also refers to taking aim, instruction with specific purpose. 

The word guide includes the idea of training the heart (character) in conjunction with the mind (intellect).

Psalm 32: 9-11 “Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee. Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about. Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.”

You can’t reason with a horse or a mule.  You have to train them to a conditioned response through repetitive training.  God is saying that He doesn’t want us to be like conditioned animals—like robots.  He wants fellowship with those who come to Him through choice in response to His love and faithfulness.

When the wicked reap the consequences of their actions, they will find no comfort or relief; they can only expect sorrow and anguish.  Those who trust in the Lord, however, can always expect to experience God’s mercy (kindness, favor) to carry them through to a place of deliverance.  It reminds me of the following verse in John:

John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

The Lord specifically states that those who follow Him will experience tribulation/trouble.  The key is that He will deliver us through that experience.  Not only that, we will benefit from that experience if we keep our focus on Him.

Romans 5:3-5 “… but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.  

As usual, David ends his Psalm praising the Lord.  He exhorts the servant of God to be glad and rejoice.  I liked the thought that Webster added to the word glad—wearing a gay or bright appearance.  As servants of God, our joy should be reflected in our countenance; people should be able to see the peace and joy that permeates our being.  To “shout for joy” is to boldly and confidently praise God before others.  That brings some other verses to mind.

Hebrews 13:15 “By him [Jesus] therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”

Matthew 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

GOD WATCHES OVER ISRAEL

Though there is continually much in the news regarding threats to the nation of Israel, scripture is clear in declaring that God watches over Israel.

Psalms 121:4 “Behold, He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.”

One day in the foreseeable future, Jesus, the very Son of God, will reign as King of kings over the whole world from the throne of David in Jerusalem.

Isaiah 9:6–7 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.”

Luke 1:32–33 “He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.”

Revelation 19:11-16 “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war….and his name is called The Word of God….And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

The plans of men, even men who have sold their souls to Satan, are no match for Almighty God.  His purposes will be accomplished and His will fulfilled in His perfect timing.

Isaiah 46:9–10 “Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:”

Isaiah 45:22–25 “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. Surely, shall one say, in the LORD have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed. In the LORD shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.”

Isaiah 14:24 “The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand….”

I pity anyone who chooses to disregard this truth.

KEY VERSES REGARDING THE RAPTURE

There are some verses that are used a lot to provide comfort at funerals that speak of the future of the believer in the presence of God--and that is a very comforting truth.   I believe the primary point Jesus is making in these verses, however, concern His return to take the body of believers home to the presence of the God the Father.

John 14:1–3 “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

Jesus is speaking of a time that He will “come again” and “receive” believers into His presence.  We know that absent from the body is present with the Lord...

2 Corinthians 5:6–8 “Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”

...but this “receiving” is of the believers with their immortal bodies that are fit for heaven.  Paul explains a bit more in his letter to the Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 15:51–53 “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”

In these verses Paul declares that he is revealing a “mystery,” a truth that had been basically hidden until this time of revelation.  He explains that there is a time coming when all men of faith—both dead and alive—will receive their incorruptible bodies that are fit for heaven and eternity.  He declares that this transformation will happen “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.”  Later, in his letter to the Thessalonians, he reveals even more.

1 Thessalonians 4:15–17 “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

In these verses we learn that this transformation will involve the Lord descending from heaven and all people of faith--both dead and alive--meeting the Lord in the clouds to remain in His presence forevermore.

1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.”

We know that this transformation precedes His return to earth to reign as King of kings because scripture declares that we will return with Him at that time.

Colossians 3:4 “When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.”

COME LORD JESUS!

GROW IN FAITH AND IN THE LOVE OF GOD

Coming to the end of our journey through Jude…

Jude 19 “These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.”

“These” (still in context regarding those “certain men,” the false teachers in verse 4) are the men who will divide the body of believers and cause splits in churches.  They do not have the indwelling Holy Spirit (the believer’s compass, counselor and companion).  These mockers will base their choices and beliefs on things that are sensual—according to their physical senses and desires rather than according to spiritual sense and desire as led by the Holy Spirit.  I can’t help but make a connection with the growing emphasis in the professing church today on personal experience over the word of God, e.g., prayer mantras, walking mazes, holy laughter, barking like dogs, being slain in the spirit, etc.

Jude 1:20-21 “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”

After the long, detailed words of warning, Jude closes with words of advice and encouragement.  “Build up yourselves on your most holy faith.”  For our faith to grow and be strong, we must nurture it with the Word of God and fellowship with the Lord.  Part of our fellowship should include “praying in the Spirit.”  This refers to prayers that are centered in God’s will concerning God’s choices in our life and that include praise and worship for the Father and the Son.  Our prayers should also include repentance for the areas in which we fail and recognize as sin before God. 

Jude also encourages the believers to “keep themselves in the love of God,” to be as Christ-like as possible in their responses and actions toward others.  The only standard acceptable for defining these responses and actions is God’s word.

We are to live in hope, confidently looking for the mercy of the Savior as we look forward to eternity in His presence.  I can see this with two areas of emphasis:

1) The fact that He provided the way of salvation is mercy in itself; it allows the believer to escape the punishment deserved by his sin. 

2) Being taken into eternity out of the struggle with the sin nature and the war with spiritual forces of evil here on this earth will be a mercy in itself!  To experience the blessedness of an eternity with Christ—certainly not what we deserve!

Jude 1:22-23 “And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.”

As God shows us mercy, we are to show mercy to others.  There will be those who doubt, and we are to show them love and understanding as Jesus did Thomas (John 20).  We are to lead as many to the truth as possible which will “pull them out of the fire” of hell.  Others are so deep in sin that even though you want to be merciful, you need to be careful not to let them bring you down to their level.

This is a call for the Christian to exercise discernment. 

Matthew 7:15–20 “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”

The last part of verse 23 caught my attention.  Scripture tells us that we are to avoid even the appearance of evil. 

1Thessalonians 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.

Matthew Henry states it this way, “Avoid all that leads to sin or that looks like sin.”  The reference to a spot in the garment brings to mind the thought of leprosy, and there was an interesting quote in Easton’s Dictionary that I think is appropriate to ponder here.

“Leprosy was ‘the outward and visible sign of the innermost spiritual corruption; a meet emblem in its small beginnings, its gradual spread, its internal disfigurement, its dissolution little by little of the whole body, of that which corrupts, degrades, and defiles man’s inner nature, and renders him unmeet to enter the presence of a pure and holy God’ (Maclear’s Handbook O.T).”

Jude seems to be saying that some people need to hear fire and brimstone preaching that will scare them into accepting God’s gift of salvation.  The Joel Osteen’s of today seem to have no understanding of this truth.

Jude 1:24-25 “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.”

As Jude closes, he uses words of wonderful truth and encouragement.  He gives praise to the One who is “able to keep you from falling.”  We are secure in our position in the Savior.  He will present us to the Father “faultless.”  This truth reminds me of a beautiful promise in Philippians. 

Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ….”

When we are seen through the cover of the shed blood of Jesus, we are perfect. 

2 Corinthians 5:21 “For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

Romans 3:24–26 “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.”

I need to remind myself of that more often.  It’s easy to get bogged down in our shortcomings when the need is to stay focused on not quitting, to keep on trying.  It’s a wonderful incentive to know we are being seen through the blood of Jesus. 

Because of that, He will present us with great joy—His sacrifice was not in vain.  Though rejected by many—that sacrifice will provide eternal life and fellowship for so many of His special creation. 

There is only one true God.  Though man may try to equate others to Him, they will never measure up.  He is our Savior—the one who provided a way for us to escape the hell we deserve.  He is deserving of all glory (perfection in His nature and holiness), majesty (His position of kingship), power (His absolute control of the laws and created things/beings of the universe) and dominion/authority (the position of righteous judge).  We have this all represented through the Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 

This same Jesus was before all, is now and will be evermore.  This is too much for us to really comprehend.  We may understand the words, but can we really fathom the full truth of which they speak. 

Amen.  (It’s true; I believe it.)