Both Jesus and Paul speak of Jesus by looking at Moses and the Prophets. Where do we see Jesus in the Psalms, and how does that affect our worship?
At the end of Acts, Paul continues to show that Jesus is the Messiah from Moses and the prophets. It is the same that Jesus does from the end of Luke while on his way to Emmaus. Let’s look at some of those Scriptures over the coming weeks. Today I would like to look at some prophecies in the Psalms: and why they are so important and valuable to all of us. As I was reading Reflections on the Psalms by CS Lewis, I was quite taken by his insights into the topic of Praise.
Why praise? Why is it so important? – Let’s look at it from a non-Christian perspective:
Many have said to me, why would I want to go to heaven? Sitting around and playing harps all day.
How we view people who always want to be admired, constantly be assured of their virtue, or intelligence, how good they are at what they do? We look down at the clouds that meet the demands of dictators and gratify their egos. So, what do we think of a god who demands praise from his followers?
How are we to equate that with being humble of heart? 50:14,15
Or it appears as though the Psalmists try and negotiate with God: if you do this for me, then I will do this for you. 54:1,6
Or the blackmail technique: If you don’t defeat my enemies, then I will go down to Sheol, and who will praise you then? 30:9
Or why does God demand we praise him? Or encourage others to motivate us to praise him? Does he really need it? Is he like humans, wanting to to be number 1 and all the world to know it? 119
In all of these negative approaches to Scripture, we fail to see the value and the importance of biblical praise. Let me begin with a couple of my experiences. When the kids were little, Jan had to stay at home a lot. I traveled to May wonderful and exotic countries. The truth is, I only wanted to be there long enough to finish the work I came to do. I had no interest in sightseeing. Why, because Jan wasn’t there to enjoy it with me. Now, when we are just the two of us, I have very rarely traveled without her, and when we go places, we love to try new foods, see new things, examine the similarities and differences in culture and appreciate it together. So our trip to New Zealand, or Manu other places lives on in our hearts, not because of the pictures, but because of our identification and expression of our admiration.
This makes praising God different from seeing him as a benevolent dictator who wants to rob us of life and joy.
Why does God demand our worship? As the all-sufficient one, why does he demand we go to church and not forsake the assembling of ourselves together? Because in the corporate worship he communicates his presence to mere mortals. It is not for his sake, but for our sake that praise is most needed. God is not so vain that he needs our complements, but it is us who need to get to know him, appreciate him, and understand his magnificent ways. When we praise, and examine his laws, his character, his virtues, his will, his thoughts, his desires, our hearts are flooded with his wisdom, his understanding, his joy, and we become partakes with him in these divine experiences.
Often we only look at praise as being a complement, approval, or giving honor where it is due. But look around us. Look at where praise happens: who do you praise? Your lover, your walks in the countryside, a good book, your favorite football club, a friend, your home, a picture, our lives overflow with enjoyment when we praise. When we criticize, it falls flat and into arguments. Praise is what brings about encouragement and the best in all of us. It really begins when we can praise God.
That is why in the Psalms we have so many clear indications of God’s great plans and purposes. Hidden in dual meanings of the text, but which point directly to Jesus and his work and his joy and his salvation.
It starts in Psalm 1 with a view of the glory of heaven – trees with fruit every month revelation 22:2
“On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” Revelation 22:2
Compare with this: “Blessed is the person who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the Law of the Lord, And on His Law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season, And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.” Psalms 1:1-3
Then we see Jesus as the good shepherd in Psalm 23 and in John 10:11
In Psalm 22 we see the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus: “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my help are the words of my groaning. All who see me deride me; They sneer, they shake their heads, saying, “Turn him over to the Lord; let Him save him; Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.” I am poured out like water, And all my bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It is melted within me. My strength is dried up like a piece of pottery, And my tongue clings to my jaws; And You lay me in the dust of death. For dogs have surrounded me; A band of evildoers has encompassed me; They pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones. They look, they stare at me; They divide my garments among them, And they cast lots for my clothing. ¶I will proclaim Your name to my brothers; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You. All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, And all the families of the nations will worship before You. For the kingdom is the Lord’s And He rules over the nations.” Psalms 22:1, 7-8, 14-18, 22, 27-28 - compare with Jesus in Luke 23:33-48 Bible
In Psalm 24 we see the triumph of Jesus over sin, death and the devil for all time, and his receiving the crown of glory with all authority in heaven and earth for the salvation of all who will call upon him.
“Lift up your heads, you gates, And be lifted up, you ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in! Lift up your heads, you gates, And lift them up, you ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in! Who is this King of glory? The Lord of armies, He is the King of glory.”
Psalms 24:7, 9-10 see Phil 2:9-11 and Eph 1:20-23
“For this reason also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11 NASB2020
“which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and made Him head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” Ephesians 1:20-23
In Psalm 2 we see him as the conquering king over all: “Why are the nations restless And the peoples plotting in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers conspire together Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, ¶He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them. “I will announce the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have fathered You. ‘Ask it of Me, and I will certainly give the nations as Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth as Your possession.” Psalms 2:1-2, 4, 7-8 and see Matt 28:18-20
“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”” Matthew 28:18-20
When that becomes clear to us, that God wants this known among all peoples everywhere, that his love surpasses all other loves, then the door that leads us into that courtyard is the door of praise. Our lives explode with the joy of worship and all finds its place of worth and value within the presence of the Lord. As we begin to live in praise, we start to praise one another, it changes our attitudes, it builds us all up, we become less critical of one another. It brings healing to our souls, our bodies, our approach to life.
We praise what we value! And we want others to enjoy it with us. We have to tell others about it, and we want to tell those who will appreciate it the most! The reason we do that with others is that praise with others completes the enjoyment! Our delight is something is incomplete until it is expressed! The worthier the object of our praise, the more intense our delight will be! As imperfect our attempts of worship are, we do glimpse it at times when God breaks through into our lives and the flow of praise erupts, as we join even for a brief moment the wonder of heaven and glimpse a bit of the love God has for us. What we begin to experience in our own prayer closets, let us bring in joy as we worship him together. Let us consummate our enjoyment of Jesus and the Father by Tell it to him, and to each other!