my place of running

running in the woodlands

True Worship: Themes within Psalms

The book of Psalms is one of the largest books in the Bible. It is a compilation of various authors with various messages. One of the most influential and important characters of the Old Testament, King David, wrote a substantial amount and rightly so. David was a skilled musician and poet and the Psalms are a declaration of this. While David wrote many of the Psalms, other authors wrote what was on their heart as well. Some of these authors included the sons of Korah, Ethan, Haman, Asaph, Moses, and Solomon. These were all great examples of worshippers of God. They were honest with Him. They loved Him. They, at times, questioned Him. Whatever their hearts may be, there is no question that they worshipped Him. This paper on the book of Psalms will point out a couple of themes for the over all five books of Psalms, including a theme of crying out to God, the work of God, and man’s response to God.

            Book 1 of Psalms begins in chapter one and ends in chapter 41. These Psalms are all Davidic psalms. The first chapter gives an overview of the whole message of the Psalms. This first chapter discusses the righteous man in verses 1 through 3. The righteous man is blessed or happy and his delight is in the law of the Lord. In verses 4 through 6 the wicked man is discussed. The wicked man cannot stand and will fail in the wind. In both of these sections, the work of God is shown towards each individual. The Lord will make the righteous man firm in his foundation and he will prosper but the wicked man will not be able to stand in the judgment nor in the assembly of the righteous. The reason this may be a summary of the message of Psalms is because it testifies to the order of the whole book. Book 1 is a compilation of poems and songs that cry out to God for salvation. David is crying out to God to save him from his enemies. He says that the way of the wicked are prevailing and that the righteous man is suffering and he cries out to God to do something about this. This rising against God can be seen within the first verse of the second chapter, “Why are the nations in an uproar and the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His Anointed…” There is an evil that is rising in the hearts of men and they are planning against the God of heaven. The nations are beginning to turn from the Holy God. “O Lord, how my adversaries have increased! Many are rising up against me. Many are saying of my soul, ‘There is no deliverance for him from God’…Arise, O Lord, save me, O my God!” (Ps. 3:1-2, 7a). These are but just the beginning of the cries of David throughout Book 1. David cries out for grace, he cries out for deliverance, he cries out for refuge. Over and over again, the reader can see that David cries out to God. It is a good example showing the need to cry out to God in times of need, in times of trouble, in times of evil. Book 1 ends with hope as David proclaims, “But You, O Lord, be gracious to me and raise me up, that I may repay them. By this I know that You are pleased with me because my enemy does not shout in triumph over me. As for me, You uphold me in my integrity and You set me in Your presence forever” (Ps. 41:10-12). Book 2 begins in chapter 42 and ends in chapter 72, and is a continuation of cries of lament over enemies.

Book 3 begins in chapter 73 and ends in chapter 89, and book 4 begins in chapter 90 and ends in chapter 106. These books declare what God has done. He is working among the righteous and the wicked. He is the One who answers the cries of our hearts. He is the One who takes care of the righteous and the wicked in a way that is according to His will. They also declare who He is among His works. Book 3 opens up with “Surely, God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart!” (Ps. 73:1). This is an opening statement showing who He is and to whom is goodness is bestowed upon. Many other psalms within these books show how God has worked within creation. He is the God who works deliverance (Ps. 74:12). Psalm 78 is a declaration to the people to tell of the works of God to their children, “We will not conceal them from their children, But tell the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and His strength and His wondrous works that He has done” (v. 4). They declare His dwelling places according to Psalm 84: 1. This is also the beginning of Book 4 as it states, “Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were born or You gave birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God” (Ps. 90: 1). The psalmist declares his faithfulness and lovingkindness (Ps. 92:2). Over and over again, in book 4 God is declared as reigning and His attributes are declared. These are great examples to show how to declare the glory of God. When we cry out to God, He will work. It may not always seem that He is at the time but when one looks back at the circumstances, the results can be seen and God can be glorified for what He has done and who He is!

Book 5 begins in chapter 107 and ends in chapter 150. This book’s them is the appropriate response to God. It is a time to show obedience to the Lord as well as a time of thanksgiving and praise to God. There are many mixtures of the authors within Book 5 and each give an appropriate response to God for who He is and what He has done within their own lives, the lives of the nations, and throughout creation! It is a time to use different musical instruments and their voices. It is a time to show reverence and obedience through diligent study of His word. The first verse of Book 5 declares that there should be a time of thanksgiving and honor for the Lord. It states, “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His lovingkindness is everlasting. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has redeemed from the hands of the adversary and gathered from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south” (Ps. 107:1-3). Time and time again, the psalmist declares within Book 5 that he will sing praises to God (Ps. 108:1,3; 109:30). The people of God are to give thanks to their God or what He has done in their lives. “Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart, in the company of the upright and in the assembly. Great are the works of the Lord; they are studies by all who delight in them” (Ps. 111:1-2). This is a great verse to show how obedience is a proper response to God. There cannot be obedience to the Lord though if there is not an understanding of what is expected by God. It is clear within Book 5 that careful study of God’s word is a proper response to Him. All of chapter 119 is a declaration about this response. The first few verses give a great example of what is expected from the book

Psalm 119: 1-8

“How blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord. How blessed are those who observe His testimonies, who seek Him with all their heart. They also do no unrighteousness; they walk in His ways. You have ordained Your precepts, that we should keep them diligently. Oh that my ways may be established to keep Your statutes! Then I shall not be ashamed when I look upon all Your commandments. I shall give thanks to You with the uprightness of heart, when I learn Your righteous judgements. I shall keep Your statutes; do not forsake me utterly!” (emphasis added)

It is clear here that a correct response to God is to know His word and to know His commandments. It is not enough to just know them, though. It is necessary to keep them and walk in them according to what they declare. This is the whole message of chapter 119 and is a great example for the believer in how studying God’s word is an act of worship. The ending of Book 5 is Psalm 150 and is a declaration for His people to praise Him in celebration. It is a call to bring out the musical instruments. It can be assumed that a time of celebration with music and dance is an appropriate response to God.

            The psalms are filled with so much truth and the themes can be endless if they are studied diligently. The themes of crying out to God (Book 1 and 2), God at work (Book 3 and 4), and man’s response to God (Book 5) are just a few examples of what can be seen within the psalms. What is neat is to think of all three of these themes within the context of salvation and the regenerate heart. If a believer is a true believer, he has seen the enemy and it has been his own sinful heart. He cries out to God for salvation and God hears his cry. It is the work of God that is declared as God brings salvation to the heart that cries out. The man has become renewed and has seen what God has done within His own heart and through out time. He must have an appropriate response to the God has saved his soul. He wants to know God and do the things of God and declare His glory. This book is a great example of the story of salvation and of the renewed heart!

True Worship: Joshua--Preparation

 Sometimes it is easy to forget that Joshua had forty years of preparation before he became the leader of Israel. If you study the life of Joshua before he became Israel's fearless leader, you can see that each step and each battle was in preparation for him.  Even in his first battle against the Amalekites, God had a plan to prepare Joshua for the future. Exodus 17:14 says, "Then the LORD said  to Moses, 'Write this in a book as a memorial, and recite it to Joshua."

 Joshua was there through it all with Moses. He was by Moses' side when he was on the mountain with God obtaining the ten commandments (Ex. 24:13). He was in the temple with Moses when God met him (Ex. 33:11). Everything about his relationship with God and with Moses was preparation for Joshua's worship as the leader of the Israelite nation. His first step as their leader was obedience. 

 As Whaley mentions in his book, there will always be obstacles in our worship. Joshua's first was to cross the Jordan (Josh. 1:2). He knew already though that water could not stop his God as he had seen the Red Sea parted. God told him to do it, so he did it. Once crossed, his next obstacle was Jericho. God had given him some pretty crazy plans but he obeyed. His worship was committed to obedience to God. 

 Obedience is a step to holiness and God requires it for worship of Him. As they were about to take Jericho head on, God required that they set themselves apart by circumcising all the males (Josh. 5:2-9). This was to show that these people were His people. They were set a part from all others. They were God's people. Joshua would obey for he knew that this land was given to them by God. It was to be their home. Their land to worship God Almighty. 

 As the years had gone by and the people had established themselves in the land. The people had not fully obeyed God by not utterly destroying all they came in contact with during their battles. The result was the intermarriage of cultures and gods. The life was fading from Joshua but he had to make sure that the people knew who His God was and who he was going to serve. This was his last stand for worship to God by choosing to serve Him and Him alone. 

 All of these choices and acts of worship were reinforced by the fact that Joshua had years of preparation with Moses. He knew who God was and what He could do. His confidence was found in His God and not on his experience. The same needs to be seen in our own lives. So many times we don't take the time to allow God to prepare us for what is coming. We rush ahead and are impatient. If only I can be more like Joshua and allow God to prepare my heart in leading myself and others in worship toward the Lord.

True Worship: Confidence-A Confession.

“Leading worship begins with the way I live my life, not what I do in public”—Bob Kauflin “Worship Matters”

“Let me know You love me and let that be enough”—Switchfoot

A couple years ago I had a friend tell me that I reminded her of Joshua in the Bible. That statement made me feel proud. At the time, I was more confident in who God has created me to be than I had my whole life. I was living in Guatemala with plans on working with an International ministry. The plan was to travel to different Spanish speaking countries and teach people how to study the Bible inductively. At the time, I was on top of the world not because of who I thought I was but mostly because I was more confident in whom God is. My lifestyle was living a life pleasing to Him. I loved living in a third world country and I loved speaking Spanish. I felt like God was with me mostly because I was drawing near to Him. I felt like Joshua…at the time.

There are characters within the story of Joshua. It’s the rest of the people of Israel. These people fed off the confidence of Joshua but once he was gone, their confidence faded quickly and they found other gods to try and meet their needs. They became full of themselves but unfulfilled. They lacked the glory of God’s presence because of their sin.   After a summer of training, I had a distraction. Something came in between me and my worship of God. I chose not to continue with my training in the Spanish ministry not based on what I felt God desired but what I wanted. It is during those times that you rush into things without thinking things through that lack of confidence begins to grow. Needless to say, with my lack of faith and my lack of desire to grow in God’s word and relationship, I fell into sin.

            I wanted to start this sentence say, sin is a funny thing, but its not really funny at all. Also, let me preface this with saying that my sin was necessarily anything that one should go “Oh my gosh!” It was just a continuation of following my own desires. Besides, its wrong to qualify sins anyways, sin is sin. Where sin dwells though, God cannot. I do not believe that God has ever left me nor will ever forsake me, but I do believe that I can’t experience the fullness of God when sin dwells in our hearts. Before the Israelites were to go into the land of Canaan with Joshua they were to take time to purify themselves. They were to set themselves a part. There are times in our lives that we have strayed from the heart of God and there are times we need to recognize this and take the time to purify ourselves as well.

            All this to say is that I am not a Joshua. There is one account in the Bible of Joshua sinning against God. I feel more like King David. I have many sins. I know though that I can recognize those sins and turn from them. I am not perfect nor will I ever be perfect. Many people who read this note may know many of my sins and I may have ruined all chances to share what God has done and is continuing to do in my life. I can’t say that I have that same confidence that I did before and I can’t say my lifestyle has been at %100 full on following God. I am recognizing that though. Worship is a lifestyle. It is what you find your worth in. I see it two ways, you both find your worth in God and his love and commandments and are fulfilled or you find your worth in something else and still feel like life is lacking…