Riding the River of the Psalms The Dock of Praise

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1 August 26/27, 2017 Digging Deeper Riding the River of the Psalms: The Dock of Praise Written by: Robert Ismon Brown Connections Pastor for Education Chicago First Church of the Nazarene, Lemont, Illinois Background Notes Key Scripture Texts: Psalms 150 Riding the River of the Psalms The Dock of Praise Introduction Calling this week s study, The Dock of Praise, is very much in line with the Westminster Shorter Catechism published in 1647 which begins with the question, What is the chief end of man? End here means goal, purpose, or ultimate intention. We might think of it as the final destination or point of arrival, not unlike the dock where vessels put in to port for their ultimate destination. The Catechism answers the question simply, Man s chief end is to glory God and to enjoy him forever. To speak of God s glory is to identify what it is about God that radiates from His character, from who He is. Praise, then, is the human activity whereby the glory of God is set on display through means that clearly reveal His person and works. Scripture places praise within the principal activities of both the individual worshipper and the worshipping community. In human terms the praise of other persons invariably singles out such qualities that exemplify good character in them. Praiseworthy actions and virtues largely summarize those features. Included are accomplishments and contributions to the common good of the community, achievements worthy of recognition but also of imitation. If I praise my children for their good behavior, I fully expect more of the same, reinforced by my praise. Praise is that sense functions as a reward. If I praise the good works of a public servant, then society benefits by continuing those efforts. Within the religious community praise lies at the heart of worship, an English word derived from the notion of worth, thus worth-ship, the acknowledgment of the worthiness of God to be recognized and also to be imitated. Supreme Deity is worthy of all praise for He is the source of all good things and is the agent of all good works. Thus the quintessential hymn in the Christian musical canon says: Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Praise is about all blessings and all creatures, omitting nothing. Blessings flow from God without limit. Praise comes from the heavenly host above and the creatures below. In order to fully encompass the full orb of the divine person and work, the created world must enlist every available instrument for the expression of praise. Moreover, this God is not just any god, but is the Triune God, existing simultaneously as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Repeating the operative term praise further contributes to the completeness of the creaturely activity involved. The poet of this hymn (Thomas Ken, 1674) borrows his pattern from the book of Psalms where the enumeration of God s unique character consists in repeated calls for praise, line after line, while still leaving unexhausted the true nature of Yahweh, Israel s covenant Lord. There is an otherness involved in the actions of praise, pointing beyond the finite self to the infinite God. Such otherness creates an honest perspective in the hearts of the worshippers that emphasizes human dependency on the Other and encourages humility in assessing the achievements of creatures in relationship to the Creator. The 19 th century theologian Friedrich Schleiermacher defined religion essentially as the feeling of ultimate dependency directed to God. When the church is caught up in the act of praise, this dependency is felt acutely with transformative power. In the mystery of faith, we become what we praise. A close connection follows between -1-

2 praise understood in this way and the Old Testament creed given by Yahweh to Israel, Be holy, for I am holy (Leviticus 11:44-45; 19:2; 20:7, 26). This is the final week in our Psalms series, and fittingly, concludes with the final psalm which is an exercise in pure praise. The selection is relatively short, consisting of only six verses in English translation, four stanzas in the Hebrew with three of them consisting of only one line. We will have opportunity to seek out other psalms which parallel the style and intent of this one but longer in content. Were we to ask, at the end of this series, Where do we end up? and where s the dock, the answer is simply, God. Praise is all about God and largely consists a series of exclamatory statements best summed up with the word Hallelujah, derived from the Hebrew idea of Hallal and Yah, together meaning Praise Yahweh! which is how the psalm ends. In praise we rally the congregation to cheer God. Scripture Texts (and others throughout) 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 timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, 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. The Biblical Roots of Praise: The Old Testament So it all begins with the story of Israel, a people formed by the conviction that Yahweh God is Creator and Redeemer. In the Old Testament, written in Hebrew and Aramaic, there are seven distinctive terms for the idea of praise. They each one lines out the layers of this thick conception in the biblical narrative. All of them are required to uncover the truth about the full dimensions of worship. In what follows we summarize the key ideas of these layers along with their associated Hebrew words. 1. Hāllal is the foundational Hebrew word for praise from which derives the compound term "hallelujah." This root means "to be clear, to praise, to shine, to boast, show, to rave, celebrate, to be wildly foolish." A few instances illustrate its use in the Psalms: Praise the Lord, praise you servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord (Psalm 113:1-3). Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty expanse (Psalm 150:1). Let them praise His name in the dance: let them sing praises with the timbrel and harp (Psalm 149:3). Beyond these examples are numerous uses throughout the OT (See Judges 16:24; 2 Samuel 14:25; 2 Chronicles 7:6; Ezra 3:10-11; Nehemiah 5:13; Psalms 18:3, 56:4, 63:5, 150:2-4; Isaiah 62:9; Jeremiah 20:13; Joel 2:26). 2. Yādah is a verb meaning, "to extend the hand, to throw out the hand, to worship with extended hand, to lift the hands." The contrary verbs mean "to bemoan, the wringing of the hands." Give thanks to the Lord, for His lovingkindness is everlasting (2 Chronicles 20:21). So I will bless thee as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Thy name (Psalm 63:1). Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men (Psalm 107:15). -2-

3 See also Genesis 29:35, 49:8; 2 Chronicles 7:3,6; Psalms 67:3, 108:3; Isaiah 12:1,4; Jeremiah 33:11 3. Towdah derives from yādah, but is a noun meaning, "an extension of the hand in adoration, avowal, or acceptance." It is praising God for "things not yet received" as well as things already at hand. Offer to God praise and pay your vows to the Most High (Psalm 50:14). Whoever offers praise glorifies me: and to him that orders his conversation aright will I show the salvation of God (Psalm 50:23). Also see Psalms 42:4, 56:12; Jeremiah 17:26; Jeremiah 33: Shābach is a verb for "to shout, to address in a loud tone, to command, to triumph." O clap your hands, all peoples; shout to God with the voice of joy (Psalm 47:1). One generation shall praise Thy works to another and declare your mighty acts (Psalm 145:4). Cry aloud and shout for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, For great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel (Isaiah 12:6). Further examples include: Psalms 63:3, 117:1, 145:4; Ecclesiastes 4:2 5. Bārak contains the ideas "to kneel down, to bless God as an act of adoration, to salute." O come let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our maker (Psalm 95:6). Then David said to all the assembly, "Now bless the Lord your God." And all the assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their fathers, and bowed low and did homage to the Lord and to the king (1Chronicles 29:20). I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. Also see Judges 5:2; Psalms 72:15, 96:2, 103: Zāmar indicates "to pluck the strings of an instrument, to sing, to praise; a musical word for the joyful expressions with musical instruments. Be exalted O Lord, in your own strength, so will we sing and praise your power (Psalm 21:13). Sing to him, sing praises to him; speak of all his wonders (1Chronicles 16:9). Awake my glory; awake harp and lyre, I will awaken the dawn! I will give thanks to you, O Lord among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations (Psalm 57:8-9). Refer also to: Judges 5:3; 2 Samuel 22:50; Psalms 61:8, 147:1, Tehillāh comes from hālal and means "the singing of halals, to sing or to laud (praise); perceived to involve music, especially singing; hymns of the Spirit or praise. The plural of this word in Hebrew is the actual title for the book of Psalms, namely, Tehillîm. Yet you art holy, O you who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel (Psalm 22:3). To grant to those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, The mantle of praise instead of the spirit of fainting, So they shall be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified (Isaiah 61:3). Elsewhere, Exodus 15:11; Deuteronomy 10:21; Nehemiah 9:5; Psalms 9:14, 22:25; Jeremiah 48:2. Stanza Overview: Psalm 150 As noted in the introduction, this psalm has four stanzas, with the bulk of material gathered in 150:1b-5, surrounded by single lines that act as exclamations and a framework for the whole. The opening and ending lines are the same, hall e lû Yah, a two-word exclamation which uses the common root form hāllal, to praise with wild exuberance, but then joined with the shortened form of the personal name Yahweh the covenant name for Israel s God. Such exclamations punctuate the poem of praise by setting the tone, creating the mood, and giving notice to the congregation that what follows is to be re-enacted with passion and vigor and animation. The hallals of Israel s worship are far from reserved but overflow with enthusiasm that cannot be contained. -3-

4 The next to last stanza (150:6) is an invitation with global scope, beginning in Hebrew with kōl, everything, all, so that nothing is excluded. The phrase that has breath should not be taken too narrowly, given the universal language which precedes it. The word for breath used in this context is n e shāmāh, and not the more common rûah found elsewhere. The latter term includes breath, wind, and spirit in its range of meaning, while the former, used here, is more limited. Based on specific usage this term n e shāmāh best translates as breath of life, since breath makes life possible. It may also focus on the breath that makes sounds possible, a meaning consistent with the invitation to use every means possible, including the human voice, to proclaim the majesty of God s glory. Then comes in 150:6 the matching stanza to 150:1 where once more the muse of Israel issues his summons, Hallelujah! Brueggemann calls this conclusion of the whole Psalter an extravagant summons to praise which seeks to mobilize all creation with a spontaneous and unreserved act of adoration, praise, gratitude, and awe. There are no bases given; no reason needs to be given. 1 Contained through these stanzas are the implied themes for which the Psalms are famous. I have summarized them here in a simple acrostic which spells out praise with verbs of dynamic and lively relationship between Yahweh and His creation: P Proclaim the works of the Lord R Reverence the person of the Lord A Adore the name of the Lord I Inspire the people of the Lord S Sing the glories of the Lord E Exclaim the heart of the Lord While the focus is entirely on God, yet the very act of praise recruits the energy of those whose actions are hereby enlisted, full of transformation and life for the worshippers. Those who choose to praise God are forever changed by the experience. As the reader may recall, the Psalter is arranged into five books or volumes by the editors responsible for selecting and compiling this massive body of poetic literature. Psalm 150 of course is at the end of the fifth book which itself contains a unit from commonly called the Hallelujah Psalms, each with a hallelujah framework. Reading these poems in succession produces a cumulative effect of escalating praise, with each psalm in the series adding momentum to the net emotional effect. Services of worship which are thoughtfully prepared may well imitate this psychology, with a sequence of praise hymns contributing to the congregation s growing acknowledgment that the Lord is in this place, among us, with us, and for us. This awareness finds expression in Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel (Psalm 22:3), a declaration that as the people of God sing the praises of God, He arrives in their midst, carried on His celestial throne, surrounded by the angels. In imitation of this royal choreography the writer of the Revelation imagines the heavenly scene of God on His throne and His creation surrounding Him full of praise: 2 At once I was in the spirit, and there in heaven stood a throne, with one seated on the throne! 3 And the one seated there looks like jasper and carnelian, and around the throne is a rainbow that looks like an emerald. 4 Around the throne are twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones are twenty-four elders, dressed in white robes, with golden crowns on their heads. 5 Coming from the throne are flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and in front of the throne burn seven flaming torches, which are the seven spirits of God; 6 and in front of the throne there is something like a sea of glass, like crystal. Around the throne, and on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: 7 the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with a face like a human face, and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle. 8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and inside. Day and night without ceasing they sing, "Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God the Almighty, who was and is and is to come." 9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to the one who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall before the one who is seated on the throne and worship the one who lives forever and ever; 1 Walter Brueggemann, The Message of the Psalms: A Theological Commentary (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing, 1984),

5 they cast their crowns before the throne, singing, 11 "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created" (Revelation 4:2-11). Such is the setting for the psalms of praise that are exemplified in Psalm 150. Praise hymns suit the arrival of the kingdom of God by proclaiming the arrival of the King. Praise is, according to the vision of John, the giving of glory and honor and thanks to the one seated on the throne who lives forever and ever. How is this act of giving performed, other than the falling down before the one who is seated on the throne? And so praise moves beyond the verbal aspect to the bodily one: the posture, the stance, whereby the worshipper gives leave to the person of God through prostration. All of which borrows from the 2 nd century BCE book of Daniel with its awesome representation of God as the ancient of days : 9 As I watched, thrones were set in place, and an Ancient One took his throne, his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames, and its wheels were burning fire. 10 A stream of fire issued and flowed out from his presence. A thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood attending him (Daniel 7:9-10). For the psalmist all creation gathered together and represented by singers and musicians are the performers of praise and Yahweh God is the audience. To give in the doxological sense is to release from our control, our glory, our honor, so that they might belong to God alone. Praise is the unselfish emptying of selves in deference to the One who holds supreme prerogatives to His own excellent attributes and His own mighty deeds. We praise God and not ourselves. Each of the first four books of the Psalms ends in a doxology, a praise expression. Psalm 1-41 Psalm Psalm Psalm Psalm :13 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen. 72:19 Blessed be his glorious name forever; may his glory fill the whole earth. Amen and Amen. 89:52 Blessed be the LORD forever. Amen and Amen. 106:48 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. And let all the people say, "Amen." Praise the LORD! 150:6 Let everything that breathes praise the LORD! Praise the LORD! Then, within the five clustered hymns devoted entirely to the praise theme ( ), there is a consistent ending for each one, Praise the Lord, from the Hebrew, hallelujah praise Yah(weh). So we have five poems within the fifth book, surrounded by the same refrain. Psalm 146 Psalm 147 Psalm 148 Psalm 149 Psalm 150 Psalm 146:1 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! Psalm 146:10 The LORD will reign forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the LORD! Psalm 147:1 Praise the LORD! How good it is to sing praises to our God; for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting. Psalm 147:20 He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his ordinances. Praise the LORD! Psalm 148:1 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise him in the heights! Psalm 148:14 He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his faithful, for the people of Israel who are close to him. Praise the LORD! Psalm 149:1 Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the faithful. Psalm 149:9 This is glory for all his faithful ones. Praise the LORD! Psalm 150:1 Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty firmament! Psalm 150:6 Let everything that breathes praise the LORD! Praise the LORD! In the next section of our Notes this week, we begin to examine the several stanzas within this, the final halleljuah framework. Derek Kidner offers a useful rhetorical device to title each of these divisions, giving us the where, why, how, and who of praise. We follow his cue in the comments which follow. 2 2 Derek Kidner, Psalms (London: Intervarsity Press, 1975),

6 The Where of Praise (150:1) The stanza opens with the hallelujah ( praise the Lord ) so that the theme of Psalm retains the focus. Refer to our opening comments for more details on the verb hāllal, to praise. Notice the reference to place: in his sanctuary. When the congregation of Israel and the church gathers, God is present and so the space around Him is holy. Thus the word sanctuary retains the idea of the holy, not only the proper attribute of God, but also the radiating effect His presence has on the location where He is present. As far back as the Exodus from Egypt, surrounded by songs of victory over the fallen armies of Pharaoh, Israel was destined to occupy the land at whose center would be the city where Yahweh would finally have His rest, His reign, and His rule. Thus the editors who re-tell the Exodus story include this foreshadowing: You brought them in and planted them on the mountain of your own possession, the place, O LORD, that you made your abode, the sanctuary, O LORD, that your hands have established. 18 The LORD will reign forever and ever" (Exodus 15:17-18). The place situates the presence of God among His people by locating His abode (house) in the sanctuary (the holy place). Our God is the Lord of space and place, the One who in Jesus Christ pitches his tent among us. The Gospel retains that understanding when speaking about the incarnation of Jesus: And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). The glory belongs to the place where the person of God takes up His residence, and for Christians and the church that space is Jesus of Nazareth whose feet walked the land of Israel alongside his followers, among the people, and on behalf of the Father in whose name he comes. He is not altogether a disembodied God, but has willed to forever be joined to our humanity, now seated at the right hand of the Father, from where he will one day come again. Jesus is the sanctuary, and so we praise him, our Savior and our Lord, before whom every knee bows and every tongue confesses (Philippians 2:11). The sanctuary is not a temple made with hands, (Acts 7:48-50; Jeremiah 7:4-11) but is the eternal one in his own person the one who is out dwelling place throughout all generations (Psalm 90:1). Through the Spirit, sent from the Father and the Son, this God even now takes up His dwelling in each of us and also among us: 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). It is fitting that the holy place is the sanctuary where the Holy Spirit occupies sacred space in the bodies of the baptized. Together in worship, the praise of God is by means of bodies, with lifted hands, bended knees, bowed heads, and lively voices. No wonder Paul gathers this rich imagery of praise together in his famous text from Romans 12: I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God -- what is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:1-2). Full devotion to God is the where of praise, located in the person of Jesus, the presence of the Spirit, and the bodies of His people. God is at once in the sanctuary and in his mighty heavens. He is among us in his immanence and above us in his transcendence. The plural of heaven is not merely a literary variation in the poetry. Heavens taps into the history of Jewish understanding of the cosmic order that imagines several spaces where the presence of God is felt. Genesis speaks of God creating heavens and earth, both the where of His presence, and thus the where of our praise of Him. Kidner remarks, Earth and heaven can be utterly at one in this. His glory fills the universe; His praise must do no less (p. 491). The visionary union of heaven and earth form the basis of everlasting praise in the last book of the Bible where the prophet sees heaven descending for a glorious wedding with earth, the Lord with his bride, the church: 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, 3 and God himself will be with them; 4 he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away" (Revelation 21:2-4). -6-

7 When the church gathers for praise on the Lord s Day, it does so in anticipation of the great wedding feast of the Son of God. And so with the psalmist, we re-enact through praise God in his sanctuary and in his mighty heavens. The Why of Praise (150:2) Yes, the people of God have reason to praise Him, although it scarcely takes the form of a logical argument or syllogism when expresses in the context of worship. That is not to say that we lack reasons for faith or a basis for the hope that it is in us (see 1 Peter 3:15): but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you. Worship is precisely an act of sanctification, the granting of sacred space in our hearts where the Christ may rule as Lord. Reasons for faith begin in the acts of praise that poetically meditate on the person of the Triune God. Only by such reasons may our praise be heart-felt because they honor the Christ within our hearts, saving, forgiving, guiding, and loving us. Pascal once wrote that the heart has reasons of which reason knows nothing. There is no better place for the soul to anchor itself than the reasons of the heart fully elaborated in the lines of poetry and the melodies of praise. In this portion of the psalm we are drawn to God s acts of power and His surpassing greatness. Once more the twin companions of praise stand out: God s works and His person. Strong superlatives support each. The power of God, commonly described by theologians as omnipotence, is not coercive, but persuasive, relying on God s ability to move human hearts by the firmness of His steadfast love and faithfulness. We respond to Him, not with certainty but with fidelity. Praise is the acknowledgment that God has indeed acted within our history for our good and His glory. For Israel, telling the story of God s dealings with His covenant people is always a reason for praise, the great why that is answered by His deeds. Throughout the Hallal psalms above ( ) there are clusters of reasons for praise expressed by the acts of power carefully detailed with strong verbs. A few examples, especially from Psalm support the claims of the poet who in them declares the works of Yahweh: 5 Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God, 6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever; 7 who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free; 8 the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous. 9 The LORD watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin (Psalm 146:5-9). 2 The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel. 3 He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds. 4 He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. 5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure. 6 The LORD lifts up the downtrodden; he casts the wicked to the ground. 7 Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre. 8 He covers the heavens with clouds, prepares rain for the earth, makes grass grow on the hills. 9 He gives to the animals their food, and to the young ravens when they cry. 10 His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the speed of a runner; 1 11 but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love. 12 Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion! 13 For he strengthens the bars of your gates; he blesses your children within you. 14 He grants peace 1 within your borders; he fills you with the finest of wheat. 15 He sends out his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly. 16 He gives snow like wool; he scatters frost like ashes. 17 He hurls down hail like crumbs -- who can stand before his cold? 18 He sends out his word, and melts them; he makes his wind blow, and the waters flow. 19 He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and ordinances to Israel. 20 He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his ordinances (Psalm 147:2-20). Notice that the works enumerated in these two psalms pay particular attention to Yahweh s helping of the marginalized and the funding of creation. We sing praise in response to what He gives. The works of God reach their highest praise when His people begin to imitate in their own lives these same works. Indeed, the fact that God does these acts of power involves the participation of His people in seeing them carried out. Great is the Lord, abundant in power (147:5). Then the poet reminds us in 150:2 of his surpassing greatness. The Hebrew word for greatness is gôdel, whose root means to grow and to cause to grow, usually applied in ordinary terms to living things. When applied to God the idea is that there are no limits to the character of God, nothing that lies beyond His capacity. -7-

8 The Lord God of Israel has limitless capacity, and in the context of our psalm is modified by the adjective rôb which means multitude, abundance, greatness. He is the God of abundance with resources beyond imagination. There is fullness in God, and so He is all in all. In this idea is summed up the whole repertoire of divine attributes, those qualities used to describe His essential being. God does not have His attributes; He is His attributes in full measure. What God does ( acts of power ) flows out of Who God is. Thus, at creation the God of all fullness fills the earth with living things that in turn fill the earth with fruitfulness. It is through the names of God that the person of God is revealed in the Bible. Our praise always reaches for the sacred name by which God is called, Yahweh, the One Who is. His name appears without predicate nouns, simply as I am with the possible predicates utterly limitless. That said, we offer below a summary list of the names which fulfill the promise of God the I am : Yahweh (Our God Is Self-Existent) Yahweh (Our God Is Faithful) Yahweh Meqaddishkem (Our God Is Holy) Yahweh Nissi (Our God Is Truth) Yahweh Yireh (Our God Is a Gracious Provider) Yahweh Sabaoth (Our God Is a Watchful Defender) Adonai (Our God Is a Loving Master) Elohim (Our God Is All-Powerful) El Shaddai (Our God Is All-Sufficient) El Roi (Our God Is an All-Knowing, Ever-Present Help) El Elyon (Our God Is the Supreme Sovereign) El Olam (Our God Is Unchanging and Eternal) Imagine a service of worship in which each name is pronounced in the congregation by the leader, followed by the consistent refrain of the people: Praise the Lord, Hallelujah. This is the intent of psalmist in this week s text when he declares, Praise him for his surpassing greatness. The How of Praise (150:3-5) With everything you have! is the poet s response to the how of praise. A whole ensemble of musical instruments joins the list proposed here. That said, the thought given to the use of such instruments is far from random. Beginning with the trumpet, (150:3a) based on the Hebrew word šophar, the psalm reaches into the shared experience of Jewish practice for use on special occasions. In this case the šophar blast announced the year of jubilee (Leviticus 25:9; Psalm 81:3) when freedom was granted from debts and servitude. From the outset the music carries the reality of life within the fabric of Israelite society where economics was embedded within religious practice. Musical instruments and their uses reflected questions of justice in a well-ordered world lived by the rule of Torah, the law of God. They marked time and identified the divinely arranged rhythms of life in the world God had made that were embodied in the feasts of Israel such as Shavuot (=Pentecost)(Exodus 19:16), Rosh Hashanah (New Year)(Leviticus 23:24), Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)(Leviticus 25:9). The šophar summoned troops for battle (Numbers 10:9). Other occasions included: to sound the alarm, convene assemblies, announce new moon, herald messages, and coronate kings. In history Israel s defeat of Jericho involved this instrument when the priests marched around the city for seven days before the walls fell. Normal practice incorporated four different types of šophar blasts: 1) Long single blast (king s coronation); 2) three short blasts (repentance); 3) nine staccato blasts (awaken the soul); 4) great long blast (depended on the long capacity of the musician!). That sequence was commonly preserved. It is likely that the poet placed this instrument first in his list to provide a robust and majestic introduction of the praise celebration, announcing the intention to sing a hymn of praise to God the King. Secondly, the harp and lyre appear together (150:3b). Two different Hebrew words identify these instruments. The first is the nebel, a lap harp with three to twenty-two strings. The twenty-two stringed Nevel, according to the rabbis, was the most perfect music in the world because at the creation of this world, the Lord of hosts sang the twenty two letters of the Hebrew alphabet, from alef to tav, while being accompanied by a heavenly harp, a Nevel. -8-

9 The second is the kinnôr, commonly associated with the music played by King David. The Hebrew lyre was trapezoid or in a triangle and had 3 to 12 sheep gut strings. This Kinnor Lyre Harp was used throughout the temple services until the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE by the Roman forces of Titus. Using the Biblical scale of ten notes, its music would swell in anthems of praise during the great festivals of the Lord. The Kinnor Harp was known as the Lyre of David and in ancient times had three to twelve strings. Whereas we do not know how many strings were on the Lyre of David, we do know its effect on the human psychic, especially when played by David to soothe the melancholy of his predecessor King Saul (1 Samuel 16:18, 23). The Kinnôr accompanied the music of the priestly choruses. The music as recorded by the sages tells that the anthems would swell as the throngs of pilgrims would flock into Jerusalem during the three great festivals of the Lord, at Passover, Pentecost, and Succot. With great power and might, the anthems sung by the multiple priestly choruses echoed in antiphony against each other across the valley of Kidron, held against the background of a thousand harps that would produce a harmonious cacophony of music floating into the stratosphere, in which the lyrics and harmony would travel all the way to Jericho a full fifteen miles away. The harpist would play according the inspiration of God. This form of playing was very common to the ancients. One of the methods of producing the prophetic gift in the Schools of the Prophets would allow the prophet to allow his hands to play freely over the harp strings and then they would be a pressure on the shoulder. To the prophet, at this time, he knew that the music was flowing from the Lord of hosts and the prophecy would be within the words of the song. Third, is the combination of timbrel and dancing (150:4a). Because of their patently celebratory style, the dance accompanied by the timbrel, was often the public response to military victories. The best example in the Bible is the case of Miriam whose acts of praise following the Exodus are recorded in the Bible: 20 Then the prophet Miriam, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dancing. 21 And Miriam sang to them: "Sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider he has thrown into the sea" (Exodus 15:20-21). Here is the three-fold expression of praise performed by a single individual in the company of others. Miriam plays the timbrel, dances, and sings at the same time, as do the others who follow her. Adding voice and movement to the liturgy of praise now involves the whole body. In a real sense, the medium becomes the message. The whole being of the worshipper unites her energies with focus on the God who won the victory. Contemporary Judaism appeals to Miriam in the formation of a feminist worship movement that is organic in the development of Jewish liturgy. In what was often a male-dominated institution, much was missing from the full expression of praise during synagogue services. From the beginning it was not so, as the Miriam narrative attests. On the timbrel, Jewish scholar Immanuel Benzinger comments: Musical instrument. In the Hebrew music of Old Testament times, as indeed in Oriental music to-day, rhythm was of much greater importance, in comparison with the melody, than it is in modern Occidental music. Accordingly instruments like the drum and tambourine, which serve principally to accentuate the rhythm, played the greatest part. The most ancient means of marking rhythm was the clapping of hands, a method which is still employed. Among the instruments of percussion, the timbrel or hand-drum ("tof") is the oldest and most popular. It is very simple, consisting of a broad or narrow hoop of wood or metal over which the skin of an animal is stretched. Sometimes small, thin pieces of metal are hung upon the rim, which jingle when the timbrel is shaken, as in the modern tambourine. The instrument is held high in one hand, while the performer beats on the drumhead with the fingers and the back of the other hand. The form of the instrument is similar to that of the modern tambourine, as is also the manner of playing on it. The Egyptians and the Assyrians possessed this instrument. The pictures of the former show it only in the hands of women; among the Assyrians it was played by men also. Among the Hebrews it was usually played by women, as an accompaniment to joyful dancing (Judges xi. 34; I Sam. xviii. 6; Jer. xxxi. 4) and to songs (Gen. xxxi. 27; Ex. xv. 20; I Sam. xviii. 6). The timbrel is an instrument which in its whole character is inappropriate for mournful occasions, being in keeping only with cheerful songs and games, such as accompany weddings (I Mace. ix. 39), popular rejoicings (e.g., the reception of a victorious general; I Sam. xviii. 6 et seq.), banquets (Isa. v. 12), and religious festivals of a joyful and popular character (Ex. xv. 20; Ps. lxxxi. 2). It is more rarely found in the hands of men. All the prophets who speak at length of music refer to the hand-drum (I Sam. x. 5). -9-

10 The tambourine apparently had no place in the Temple service, however; at least in the enumeration of the instruments of the Temple orchestra (II Chron. v. 12 et seq.) only the cymbals are mentioned among the instruments of percussion. 3 This instrument carries the message of joy and rhythm to the practice of praise. Rhythm is especially significant in the orderly flow of God s salvation history, measured out by festival and regular Sabbath observances. In conjunction with the dance, the timbrel invites the congregation to join together in the great movements of God s acting in history, both ancient and contemporary. Christian theology speaks about holy dance, first among the persons of the Trinity, and then including the worshipping community within the joyful life of God. First identified by Maximus Confessor (d. 662), the idea of the holy dance was named by the term Perichoresis, which literally means to dance around. It emphasizes the reciprocal dynamism between God and His creatures, and thus the use of bodily movement, rhythm, and musical instruments that symbolize that living relationship. Praise, accompanied by such practices, connects the attributes of God to the formation of holy character in His people. Perhaps there is no better illustration of the transformative power of praise than the use of such practices in worship. Fourth, strings and pipe. The grammar of the Hebrew text may be giving a transition in this phrase, thus, not only the strings but also the pipe. That is the medium of the instruments moves from vibrating string to breathdriven flute. The pipe (Hebrew: ûgāb) an instrument mentioned in texts like Genesis 4:21 and Job 30:31, showing the antiquity of its use. Its simplest form, the flute, used in 150:4b is an end-blown, vertical flute, or reedpipe. Some versions of this flute are easy to learn and so are readily available to ordinary worshippers who simply want to praise God. Beyond this version are more sophisticated constructions with reeds, double-pipes, and greater sound volume. It is uncertain what is intended by the poet. The antiquity and simplicity of the flute speaks to the wide-spread application within Israelite worship, thus pointing toward the desire for generous inclusion of greater participation. Fifth, cymbals and clashing symbols (150:5) 4. The final group of instruments form a nice inclusion with the first set. Whereas the šophār introduces and announces the beginning of praise with the four-fold blasts, the cymbal (Hebrew: tzîltzîlîm) provides a final, triumphant, and climactic conclusion to the shared musical experience. Perhaps we might think of this strategy in the same way the church concludes with a sung benediction. The cymbal. The ancient cymbals resembled those in use in our present day. It consists of two circular concave plates of brass, or other metal and when struck together produces a clanging sound. In Psalms 150:5, two kinds are mentioned, referring to two types of cymbals with different tone or resonance qualities (and therefore different sizes or shapes). In the Harper's Bible Dictionary ("Music", p. 670) informs us of "small bronze cymbals 4 to 6 inches in diameter, which may have been played with an up-and-down motion..." Whereas Hebrew Music in the Ancient World (section "Ancient Israel") tells us that the cymbals "are a pair of concave metal saucers clashed together either vertically or horizontally. In the accounts relating to the transport of the Ark of the Covenant, the cymbals are made of bronze. The high sounding cymbals are thought to have been the larger kind that are similar to the ones used in the military bands. They were used by the Hebrews in Divine worship as an accompaniment to the chorus of singers. Of note is that the smaller cymbal provided percussion only, whereas the resounding cymbal was larger and shaped differently so as to provide melody also. Both rhythm and melody join together in the employment of this instrument to the repertoire. We might say that the cymbal provides an eschatological theme to Psalm 150, implying that God will one day bring His great work of salvation to a grand climax and ultimate completion. God 3 Timbrel or Tabret, Jewish Encylopedia (1906), reproduced at 4 Joachim Braun, Music in Ancient Israel/Palestine, William B. Eerdsman Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan/Cambridge, U.K.); -10-

11 is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. The cymbals add this colorful feature to the orchestration of the psalm. The Who of Praise (150:6) and Conclusion The psalm ends with an evocative invitation that calls upon the congregation to join in the great paean of praise. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Suppose someone could not play an instrument and might imagine she had nothing to offer within the community s celebrations. To that reservation the poet offers encouragement: Well, you do have breath and a voice! Use these! Hallelujah! Praise is universal, and the people of God join all of creation to celebration the person and works of God. What Psalm 150 accomplishes is a concise summation of praise practices which have already been verbalized in the preceding Hallelujah Psalms ( ). We conclude our study this week with a few samples of the generous variety of those that share in this grand doxology. In so doing we also invite the reader to consider ways that these ancient texts evoke forms of expression that reflect our contemporary praise of God. Our praise unites with all creation. It may well be, that in a divided human world and a damaged physical ecology, the promise of praise given us in these psalms will inspire God s people to lead the way in fulfilling the Gospel vision which unites all things under the Lordship of Jesus. 2 Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his host! 3 Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars! 4 Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens! 5 Let them praise the name of the LORD, for he commanded and they were created. 6 He established them forever and ever; he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed. 1 7 Praise the LORD from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps, 8 fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his command! 9 Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars! 10 Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds! 11 Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth! 12 Young men and women alike, old and young together! (Psalm 148:2-12). The four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb, each holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 They sing a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slaughtered and by your blood you ransomed for God saints from 1 every tribe and language and people and nation; 10 you have made them to be a kingdom and priests serving 1 our God, and they will reign on earth." 11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 singing with full voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!" 13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing, "To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!" 14 And the four living creatures said, "Amen!" And the elders fell down and worshiped (Revelation 5:8-14). Glory to God! Amen. -11-