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Worship (Part 1)
Worship. That one word sums up everything, doesn’t it? Nothing reigns supreme over that one word when it comes to summarizing our responsibility before God and defines the purpose we were created.
I recently completed a 5-year study preaching through the Psalms at my church (Grace Community Church) and I learned more about worship in those five years that I did in the previous thirty-one years combined. There is so much I would like to share with you about my findings but I will confine it to eight blog posts. Over the next few weeks, I am going to be posting on the subject of worship and we shall consider a number of selected psalms as we go.
You will want to read Psalm 33 right now to get a flavor for today’s posting. Psalm 33 is a corporate hymn of triumph and celebration. It was no doubt meant for the congregation to sing and literally make music with.
An early church father by the name of St. Theodoret of Cyrus once said, “We can turn ourselves into a fine-sounding and harmonious instrument and sing the praises of God through all our faculties, both of sense and of intellect.” That’s what the psalmist does in Psalm 33.
So if we could all play instruments, I’d say, “Let’s strike up the band and sing this psalm.” But since we can’t form our own little orchestra, let’s see if we can understand what got the psalmist “all worked up” to write a song to be sung in the congregation. And then we can put it into practice during the next corporate gathering.
A Righteous Call to Praise (vs. 1-3) “.”
The psalmist does not waste time letting us know what his intentions are: he wants the congregation to praise God with music: “… … … … … ” (vs. 3). The psalmist has something in mind and it is to worship God in song with music.
What we now know about God is that he often calls for loud and jubilant praise and the playing of instruments – not because God is hard of hearing, but because the psalmist knows it is natural for people to rejoice loudly in that which they find most delightful. Christians are to rejoice at all times, but they rejoice even greater in the things they delight. In this case, what David finds delightful is God.
Not everyone has been favorable towards instruments in the corporate gathering: John Chrysostom, Charles Spurgeon and Justin Martyr also shared concerns about them, but there are a number of reasons that using instruments in the corporate gathering is permissible and even recommended.
The Greek word or refers to singing a song with the accompaniment of a stringed instrument or other instruments. And that word appears in I Corinthians 14:15, 26; Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16; James 5.13.
At the dedication of the wall after the Babylonian Captivity Nehemiah 12:27 suggests there was an orchestra – “.”
In I Corinthians 14 Paul speaks about instruments being used in the church as if it were common place.
Revelation 5:8 and 15:2 speaks of instruments being used in heaven; so they are obviously not sinful.
Musical instruments are a freedom we have in Christ to assist us in public worship. We are to do so with excellence and mastery of his instrument. The loudness of a thanksgiving song was indicated by it’s heartiness – “.”
The Rationale for Praise – His Sovereignty (vs. 4-5) “.”
This is certainly rationale to praise the Lord. The angels say the whole earth is full of His glory, which would make His glory immeasurable (Isa 6:3). And whatever God does is righteous because God does it and He is righteous. Righteousness is defined by who God is and what he does. Not only that, but he righteousness. He doesn’t just do it, he to do it!
A Response of Praise (vs. 6-22) .”
God’s desires that declaration of dependence upon Him. Or as Alexander Maclaren – the Scottish pastor from the 19th century – says, “Hands lifted empty to heaven in longing trust, will never drop empty back and hang listless, without a blessing in their grasp.”
What a song right? The German composer Johann Sebastian Bach, who was famous for signing his musical compositions (meaning “to God alone the praise”) once wrote this about music, “All music should have no other end and aim than the glory of God and the soul’s refreshment; where this is not remembered there is no real music but only a devilish hub-bub.”
Someone has written, “If you ever visit London, you’ll have no trouble spotting St. Paul’s cathedral. It’s considered to be among the ten most-beautiful buildings in the world, and it dominates the city’s skyline. The venerable structure stands as a monument to its creator–astronomer and architect Sir Christopher Wren. While St. Paul’s is his best-known achievement, an interesting story is connected with a lesser-known building of his design. Wren was given charge of designing the interior of the town hall in Windsor, just west of central London. His plans called for large columns to support the high ceiling. When construction was complete, the city fathers toured the building and expressed concern over one problem: the pillars. It wasn’t that they minded the use of pillars–they just wanted them in greater numbers. Wren’s solution was as devilish as it was inspired. He did exactly as he was told and installed four new pillars, thus meeting the demands of his critics. Those extra pillars remain in Windsor town hall to this day, and they aren’t difficult to identify. They are the ones that support no weight and, in fact, never even reach the ceiling. They’re fakes. Wren installed the pillars to serve only one purpose–to look good. They are an ornamental embellishment built to satisfy the eye. In terms of supporting the building and fortifying the structure, they are as useful as the paintings that hang on the walls.”
Don’t allow yourself to fall into the temptation of offering up songs without meaning; fill them words like Psalm 23. Strike up the guitar and the piano and let’s go praise God for His workings in our lives!
Theodoret, pgs. 202-203.
Liddell and Scott, pg. 2018.
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