A Swelling Chorus of Praise

Transcription

1 1 A Swelling Chorus of Praise Psalm 150:1-6

2 2 A Swelling Chorus of Praise Commentary by Clyde M. Miller Text: Psalm 150:1-6, 1. Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. 2. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. 3. Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, 4. praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, 5. praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. 6. Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD. Introduction: I. This psalm is a most wonderful conclusion to the book of Psalms, which in Hebrew carries the title Praises.

3 3 II. The psalm is obviously liturgical and alludes to the various performances of the priests and Levites and possibly the people in the worship assemblies. III. The psalm answers four basic questions about praise: A. Where should praise be given (Psalm 150:1)? 1. Psalm 150:1, Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. B. Why should we praise (Psalm 150:2)? 1. Psalm 150:2, Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. C. How should we praise (Psalm 150:3-5)? 1. Psalm 150:3-5, Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. D. Who should we praise (Psalm 150:6)? 1. Psalm 150:6, Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.

4 4 IV. The opening and closing Hallelujah!, Praise the Lord, form a proper conclusion to the final five psalms in the Psalter. Commentary: Psalm 150:1, Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens I. Where should God be praised (Psalm 150:1)? A. The verse employs synonymous parallelism, which means that his sanctuary and his mighty heavens are the same. B. The psalmists often picture God as symbolically dwelling in the earthly sanctuary in Jerusalem (Psalm 20:2; 63:2; 68:24; 78:68-69; 80:1; 99:1; and 132:13-14), but they also recognize that he dwells in the heavens (Psalm 2:4; 14:2; 20:6; 33:13; 80:14; 85:11; 102:19; 103:19; 115:3; and 123:1). 1. Psalm 20:2, May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion. 2. Psalm 63:2, I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. 3. Psalm 68:24, Your procession has come into view, O God, the procession of my God and King into the sanctuary. 4. Psalm 78:68-69, but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loved. He built his

5 5 sanctuary like the heights, like the earth that he established forever. 5. Psalm 80:1, Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock; you who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth. 6. Psalm 99:1, The LORD reigns, let the nations tremble; he sits enthroned between the cherubim, let the earth shake. 7. Psalm 132:13-14, For the LORD has chosen Zion, he has desired it for his dwelling: "This is my resting place for ever and ever; here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it. 8. Psalm 2:4, The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. 9. Psalm 14:2, The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. 10. Psalm 20:6, Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed; he answers him from his holy heaven with the saving power of his right hand. 11. Psalm 33:13, From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind;

6 Psalm 80:14, Return to us, O God Almighty! Look down from heaven and see! Watch over this vine. 13. Psalm 85:11, Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven. 14. Psalm 102:19, "The LORD looked down from his sanctuary on high, from heaven he viewed the earth. 15. Psalm 103:19, The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all. 16. Psalm 115:3, Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him. 17. Psalm 123:1, I lift up my eyes to you, to you whose throne is in heaven. C. It is not clear if angels (Psalm 148:1-2), or men who are here exhorted to praise God. 1. Psalm 148:1-2, Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD from the heavens, praise him in the heights above. Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his heavenly hosts. 2. The latter understanding seems preferable.

7 7 Psalm 150:2, Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. I. Why should God he praised? A. The Hebrew word translated for (Hebrew, b e, not kiy, might also be rendered in," meaning in keeping with, or according to, to correspond with the second line which uses a different particle, k e. 1. In any case, both lines seem to assign reasons for praising God. 2. For acts of power, or mighty deeds, see Psalm 106:2; and Psalm 145:5,12. a. Psalm 106:2, Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the LORD or fully declare his praise? b. Psalm 145:5 and 12, They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works, so that all men may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. 3. For greatness, see Psalm 145:3. a. Psalm 145:3, Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.

8 The word surpassing turns the phrase into a superlative. Psalm 150:3-5, Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. I. How should God be praised (Psalm 150:3-5)? II. The most complete list of musical instruments used in Israel's worship to be found anywhere in the Old Testament is given here. A. Perhaps each group began to play upon their instruments at the time they were announced, so that the effect would be an ever-increasing chorus of praise. 1. The trumpet here is the Hebrew shophar, the ram's horn or goat's horn, not to be confused with the silver trumpet (Numbers 10:2). a. Numbers 10:2, "Make two trumpets of hammered silver, and use them for calling the community together and for having the camps set out. 2. The shophar might be used for giving signals (Judges 3:27; 1 Kings 1:34,39; and Isaiah 18:3), but was also employed in worship (Psalm 47:5-7; and Psalm 98:6).

9 9 a. Judges 3:27, When he arrived there, he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went down with him from the hills, with him leading them. b. 1 Kings 1:34 and 39, There have Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him king over Israel. Blow the trumpet and shout, 'Long live King Solomon! 'Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the sacred tent and anointed Solomon. Then they sounded the trumpet and all the people shouted, "Long live King Solomon!" c. Isaiah 18:3, All you people of the world, you who live on the earth, when a banner is raised on the mountains, you will see it, and when a trumpet sounds, you will hear it. d. Psalm 47:5-7, God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the LORD amid the sounding of trumpets. Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise e. Psalm 98:6, with trumpets and the blast of the ram'shorn shout for joy before the LORD, the King.

10 The silver trumpets were blown by the priests in the worship assemblies (Numbers 10:10; 1 Chronicles 15:24; 16:6, 42; and 2 Chronicles 5:12; 29:26). a. Numbers 10:10, Also at your times of rejoicing your appointed feasts and New Moon festivals you are to sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, and they will be a memorial for you before your God. I am the LORD your God." b. 1 Chronicles 15:24, Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah and Eliezer the priests were to blow trumpets before the ark of God. Obed-Edom and Jehiah were also to be doorkeepers for the ark. c. 1 Chronicles 16:6 and 42, and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests were to blow the trumpets regularly before the ark of the covenant of God. Heman and Jeduthun were responsible for the sounding of the trumpets and cymbals and for the playing of the other instruments for sacred song. The sons of Jeduthun were stationed at the gate. d. 1 Chronicles 5:12, All the Levites who were musicians Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun and their sons and relatives stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen

11 11 and playing cymbals, harps and lyres. They were accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets. e. 2 Chronicles 29:26, So the Levites stood ready with David's instruments, and the priests with their trumpets. 4. The shophar was apparently generally not used in conjunction with other instruments except to increase their noise (1 Chronicles 15:28; and 2 Chronicles 15:14). a. 1 Chronicles 15:28, So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouts, with the sounding of rams' horns and trumpets, and of cymbals, and the playing of lyres and harps. b. 2 Chronicles 15:14, They took an oath to the LORD with loud acclamation, with shouting and with trumpets and horns. c. Apparently, the shophar was not generally blown by laymen (but see 2 Kings 11:14; and 2 Chronicles 23:13). i. 2 Kings 11:14, She looked and there was the king, standing by the pillar, as the custom was. The officers and the trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoic

12 12 ing and blowing trumpets. Then Athaliah tore her robes and called out, "Treason! Treason!" ii. 2 Chronicles 23:13, She looked, and there was the king, standing by his pillar at the entrance. The officers and the trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets, and singers with musical instruments were leading the praises. Then Athaliah tore her robes and shouted, "Treason! Treason!" 5. The lyre ( psaltery, KJV) is a stringed instrument made of wood, with gut strings that were plucked with the hand, or an instrument of ivory or metal. 6. The harp, kin{r, is a small stringed instrument, which was portable (Psalm 137:2). a. Psalm137:2, There on the poplars we hung our harps. 7. The tambourine is a percussion instrument usually played by women (Exodus 15:20; Judges 11:34; and Psalm 68:25). a. Exodus 15:20, Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine in her

13 13 hand, and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing. 8. For the religious dance, see Psalm 149:3. a. Psalm 149:3, Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with tambourine and harp. 9. Strings seems to be a generic term that might be applied to a variety of instruments. 10. Resounding cymbals were apparently made of brass and had a low-pitched sound (1 Chronicles 15:19; and 16:5); the clash of cymbals had a shrill sound. a. 1 Chronicles 15:19, The musicians Heman, Asaph and Ethan were to sound the bronze cymbals; b. 1 Chronicles 16:5, Asaph was the chief, Zechariah second, then Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed- Edom and Jeiel. They were to play the lyres and harps, Asaph was to sound the cymbals. Note: The Levites played the harps, lyres, and cymbals (1 Chronicles 15:16; and 2 Chronicles 29:25). Whether the other instruments were restricted to priests and Levites is not clear.

14 Chronicles 15:16, David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their brothers as singers to sing joyful songs, accompanied by musical instruments: lyres, harps and cymbals Chronicles 29:25, He stationed the Levites in the temple of the LORD with cymbals, harps and lyres in the way prescribed by David and Gad the king's seer and Nathan the prophet; this was commanded by the LORD through his prophets. Psalm 150:6, Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD. I. Who should praise the Lord (Psalm 150:6)? A. Everything that has breath could include animals (Psalm 148:7 and 10), but it is not certain that they are intended to be included here (see Psalm 145:21). 1. Psalm 148:7 and 10, Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds. 2. Psalm 145:21, My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD. Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever.

15 15 II. Some have thought that this psalm provides a doxology to Book V of the Psalter (Psalm 41:13; 72:18-19; 89:52; and 106:48). A. Psalm 41:13, Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen. B. Psalm 72:18-19, Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds. Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen. C. Psalm 89:52, Praise be to the LORD forever! Amen and Amen. D. Psalm 106:48, Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Let all the people say, "Amen!" Praise the LORD. E. It could easily serve as a doxology not only to the last section but also to the entire book. Application: I. The New Testament instructs us to sing and make music in our hearts to the Lord (Ephesians 5:19), and to admonish one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to God (Colossians 3:16). A. Ephesians 5:19, Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. KJV

16 16 B. Colossians 3:16, Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. C. No sanction is given for mechanical instruments to be used in New Testament worship. D. Human voices are capable of providing resounding praise to God far beyond that of mechanical instruments. 1. Our minds and hearts can be undivided in our concentration on the sentiments of the lyrics of our songs. 2. This is sufficient to please the Lord.

17 17 Questions Psalm 150:1-6 (Questions based on NIV text.) 1. the. 2. the in his ; in his. him for his of ; him for his. him with the of the, him with the and, him with and, him with the and, him with the of, him with. 3. that has the. 4. the. 5. Psalm 150 is a to the

18 18 of, which in carries the title. 6. Psalm 150 is obviously and alludes to the of the and and possibly the in the. 7. What four basic questions does Psalm 150 answer about praise? 8. The and!, the, form a to the in the. 9. Where should God be praised?

19 What does the Bible say about God s symbolically dwelling in the earthly sanctuary in Jerusalem and also dwelling in the heavens? Give a detailed answer. 11. Why should God be praised? 12. List acts of God s power and instances of his demonstrating his surpassing greatness. 13. With what is God to be praised? List and define, describe each thing named in verses 3-5.

20 Who should praise the Lord? Exactly what is included in the phrase, everything that has breath? 15. What type music was used in the church in the first century of the Christian era?