Heart of a Psalmist - Worshipping Christ Through The Psalms

After the defeat of the Ethiopian army Asa and the nation made an agreement with God; “Then they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and soul …They shouted out their oath of loyalty to the Lord with trumpets blaring and horns sounding.” (2 Chron. 15:12, 14) The nation was filled with the shout of praise to the Lord who had fought their battle for them. There is a three-fold progression found in these verses: Shout… Sing… Tell … Our celebration should inevitably translate into telling the story of the good news of Christ. The words ‘shout joyful praises’ were the same commands given to Joshua at the walls of Jericho: “When the people heard the sound of the horns, they shouted as loud as they could. Suddenly, the walls of Jericho collapsed…”(Josh. 6:20) There is power in our praise that breaks the spiritual defenses of our enemy. Praise finds its source in his glory alone. While our emotions can vary, the glory of his name remains the unchanging constant of the universe. That is why praise is always appropriate no matter what we are experiencing or how we feel.

“Say to God, ‘How awesome are your deeds! Your enemies cringe before your mighty power. Every- thing on earth will worship you; they will sing your praises, shouting your name in glorious songs.’” (3,4)

After the stunning defeat of the Ethiopians the Scripture says of the nation of Israel; “And the Lord gave them rest from their enemies on every side.” (2 Chron. 15:15) Their enemies did cringe in respect of God’s power. In verses 1 and 2 we were commanded to praise his glorious name for who he is and now we are commanded to worship and praise him for his mighty deeds. This is the second ‘wing’ of praise lifting the believer into the heavenly realms. Verses 1 and 2 are sung to the world while verses 3 and 4 are addressed directly to God. The writer translates his experience of worship into the future prophesying that someday the whole earth will experience the same manifestation of God’s power and presence.

II THE PRAISE OF HIS PEOPLE - 5-12

“Come and see what our God has done, what awesome miracles he does for his people. Come, let us rejoice in who he is.” (5,6)

The psalmist invites the world to see what God has done in crushing the massive army of this major international power. The verse ends with the foundational thought of rejoicing in ‘who he is’ assuring us of an unending source of joy. If we only praise him for what he does, we will be discouraged when things are not going well for us.

“ “For by his great power he rules forever. He watches every movement of the nations; let no rebel rise in defiance.“ Interlude (7)

God saw the Ethiopians rise in defiance of his nation and he defeated them by his own great power. Through the prophet Azariah God speaks directly to King Asa and the nation; “The Lord will stay with you as long as you stay with him! Whenever you seek him, you will find him. But if you abandon him, he will abandon you.” (2 Chron. 15:2) As we seek him daily we remain under his powerful and benevo- lent governance and protection.

“Let the world bless our God and sing aloud his praises.” (8)

This is an invitation by Israel for the nations to join the chorus of worship that will flood the world. There is a clear choice between the rebellion of verse 7 and the blessing of verse 8.

“Our lives are in his hands, and he keeps our feet from stumbling.”(9)

Here is the amazing testimony of God’s people, though we experience many difficulties in life God will hold us in his hand and not let us stumble. Prior to the defeat of the Ethiopians Israel was in terrible condition: “For a long time, Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach them, and without God’s law. But whenever you were in distress and turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him out, you found him. During those dark times, it was not safe to travel. Problems troubled the nation

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