Heart of a Psalmist - Worshipping Christ Through The Psalms

• His love for the whole world- “The whole earth has seen the salvation of our God.”(3) Now this wonderful gift of God’s son is available to all the nations of the earth! “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believed in him would not perish but have eternal life.” (Jn. 3:16)

II MAKE A JOYFUL SYMPHONY - 4-6

The praise expressions that were once confined to the musical Levites in Jerusalem are now re- leased to the ends of the earth. It is no longer Jerusalem alone that experiences the shouts of joy and songs of praise, but wherever the Lord is received as Savior and King, the silence of spiritual darkness is broken. Several levels of musical instruction are given in this gem of praise: • The Musical Shout- “Shout to the Lord, all the earth;”(4) This is the same word used to describe the shout that brought down the walls of Jericho in the days of Joshua. It is not merely a ‘yell’ but a can- ticle shout; lifting the voice with musical pitches in extreme volume! “When the people heard the sound of the horns, they shouted as loud as they could.” (Josh. 6:20) • Singing Joyful Praises- “…break out in praise and sing for joy!”(4) A joyful theme requires a joy- ful song. Christ is risen, ascended and reigns forever. We must ‘break out’ of old patterns that inhibit the freedom that comes with the joy of the Lord. • Sing with Strings- “Sing your praise to the Lord with the harp,” (5) Most ancient religions were ritualized in silence. King David instituted the singing of praises accompanied by stringed instruments that is the pattern for modern worship today. • The Developed Melody- “…with the harp and the melodious song,” (5) Much of the music in the ancient world was presented as a droning chant until the Lord began inspiring peoples hearts to hear and express melodic music. Melodies lift up our spirits and carry the words in our memories. • The Trumpets- “…with the trumpets and the sound of the ram’s horn.” (6) The trumpets were for the priests alone and were used to signal the people of Israel: • Direction- “Make two trumpets of beaten silver to be used for summoning the people…” (Num. 10:2) This is a picture of being guided by the clear trumpet call of the Spirit as He illuminates the word and guides our lives. • War- “When you…go to war against your enemies, you must sound the alarm with these trum- pets so the Lord your God will remember you and rescue you from your enemies.” (Num. 10:9) Trum- pets have a strong musical character and are well suited for spiritual warfare. • Celebration- “Blow the trumpets in times of gladness too… The trumpets will remind the Lord your God of his covenant with you.” (Num. 10:10) Trumpets can be the happiest of instruments also! The ram’s horn or cornet was a rounded horn and more common than the exclusive silver trumpets. It was used in celebration and calling God’s people to observe the Sabbath. These ceremonial instru- ments are taken out of the hands of the Levites by the New Testament and placed into the hands and hearts of those who consecrate themselves to play for the Lord. • The Joyful Symphony- “Make a joyful symphony before the Lord, the King!” (6) One of the beau- tiful things about the Lord’s music is that it is diverse, a variety of instruments playing together to bring him glory. Just as he has made many different peoples, he has ordained the sounds of the nations to join in perfect harmony to make up the greatest composition of the ages; praise to his Son! As its sovereign creator, Jesus loved nature. He used each element of creation mentioned in this psalm to portray spiritual, redemptive truth to us. Three of the four parts of creation also represent mankind: • The Sea of Life- “Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise!” (7) As he walked calmly on the stormy sea, he invites us to walk by faith giving him shouts of praise. “About three o’clock in the morn- ing Jesus came to them, walking on the water.” (Mt. 14:25) • The Living Earth- “Let the earth and all living things join in.” (7) All of the inanimate and animate world have lessons of praise for us! Even the molecular structure of the elements bring honor to him by their orderliness and beauty. All living things that have the ability to articulate sound join in the redemp- tive symphony of praise to God. “My dove is hiding behind some rocks,…Let me see you; let me hear your voice. For your voice is pleasant and lovely.” (Song of Songs 2:14) III SHOUT HIS PRAISE - 7-9

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