Praise

$Christ\'s Return$

Praise

Psa 150:1" Praise ye Yahweh. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. Let every thing that hath breath praise Yahweh. Praise ye Yahweh. "

What an icredible exaltation. These words are filled with the excitement anf fervor of someone who is truly walking in the presence of The One True God, The Everliving, Yahweh. What makes this verse even more profound is that it was written by a warrior, David, a man who had met bears and lions in combat, faced the giant Goliath, led the armies of Israel into battle after battle. David was a seasoned warrior, who had slain possibly thousands of the enemies of Israel and Yahweh. But here we find no macho ramblings, none of the sad bravado that so many surround themselves with in our day and time. No, David's attention was on his Creator, not on his own prowess in battle. For David recognized something a great many would do well to learn.

Psa 144:1 [[[A Psalm] of David.]]" Blessed [be] Yahweh my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, [and] my fingers to fight: My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and [he] in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me."

David knew that his success came from The Father. It was Yahweh that had made him the man he was, so it was Yahweh that deserved ALL PRAISE. "Let every thing that hath breath praise Yahweh." This is made even more amazing, when you realize tht these words were written by a king no less. David, the warrior king of Israel, ruler of the thirteen tribes of Israel, king of the covenant people of Yahweh God. He sat upon a the throne of a great nation, rapidly becoming an empire in it's own right. Armies marched at his command, and a dynasty was promised to him. Yet he built no memorials to himself like his predecessor Saul had. His greatest memorial, would be the dozens upon dozens of songs, or psalms, that he wrote in worship and praise to his God, Yahweh Sabaoth.

Now let us look for a moment at this Israelite praise and worship. David says we are to praise Yahweh with the trumpet, with the psaltery and harp, with timbrels AND DANCE. With stringed instruments and organs, with cymbals, LOUD and HIGH SOUNDING cymbals. David wasn't afraid to make a racket. Understand that we are not talking about sensuality here. This was no carnal display or rock concert. But it was an exhuberant and zealous celebration of Yahweh. It was praise, it was joy, and it's sole focus was to lift up the One True God.

Psa 149:1" Praise ye Yahweh. Sing unto Yahweh a new song, [and] his praise in the congregation of saints. Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: let the children of Zion be joyful in their King. Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp. For Yahweh taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation. Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds.Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.[Let] the high [praises] of God [be] in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand; To execute vengeance upon the heathen, [and] punishments upon the people; To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye Yahweh."

Here again we see it, that Joy that David is exhorting us towards."Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: let the children of Zion be joyful in their King." Again this is not wanton partying or carnalality. We are being told to rejoice IN HIM THAT MADE US! We are being told to be JOYFUL IN OUR KING! And David wasn't referring to himself, he was referring to the True King of Zion. He is even encouraging them to sing aloud on their beds. In the privacy of our own homes, not just when we are in the view of others, so then He that sees in secret can reward openly. Now a lot of people like to quote the second part of this passage," [Let] the high [praises] of God [be] in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand; To execute vengeance upon the heathen, [and] punishments upon the people; To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints." To many, this imagery is full of the very macho mystique they love, yet which ironically, David himself never bestowed upon himself. But these militant minded terrorist in waiting forget the first part of the passage. Who are the ones with a two edged sword in their hands? The ones with the high praises of Yahweh in their mouths. Who is executing vengance upon the heathen? The ones who are joyful in their King and praising Him in the dance. Who is binding kings and executing judgement? The ones who are singing aloud upon their beds.

Still feel like Rambo?

Oviously we do not always feel exhuberant. We are often distressed, often feel alone. Often our situations press upon us, and no one would probably blame us if we gave in to anxiety, worry or fear. But David had something to say about these times as well.

Psa 22:1 [[To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David.]]" My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? [why art thou so] far from helping me, [and from] the words of my roaring? O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.But thou [art] holy, [O thou] that inhabitest the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded. But I [am] a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, [saying], He trusted on Yahweh [that] he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him. But thou [art] he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope [when I was] upon my mother's breasts. I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou [art] my God from my mother's belly. Be not far from me; for trouble [is] near; for [there is] none to help. Many bulls have compassed me: strong [bulls] of Bashan have beset me round. They gaped upon me [with] their mouths, [as] a ravening and a roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones: they look [and] stare upon me.They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture. But be not thou far from me, O Yahweh: O my strength, haste thee to help me. Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog. Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns. I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee. Ye that fear Yahweh, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel. For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard. My praise [shall be] of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him. The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise Yahweh that seek him: your heart shall live for ever. All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto Yahweh : and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. For the kingdom [is] Yahweh's and he [is] the governor among the nations. All [they that be] fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul. A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to Yahweh for a generation. They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done [this]. "

True enough that this also a prophecy pointing to the suffering of the Lamb of God, Yahoshua, but this was also the suffering of David at one point in his own life. In this passage he is mocked, his strength is gone, and he even feels more like a worm than a man. Yet what does he say?" Ye that fear Yahweh, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel."

David offerred up what is called a sacrifice of praise. We see it again in the book of Jonah: Jon 2:9" But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay [that] that I have vowed. Salvation [is] of Yahweh." Here Jonah was in a mess due to his own sin and disobeidiance. He had tried to run from Yahweh's command, but ended up in the belly of some great fish. Finally at the end, Jonah saw his own foolishness and reconcecrated himself to the Father, and offerred up a sacrifice of praise unto Him. The result? Jonah was vomited up onto a beach and lived.

You see there is a principle that simply cannot be avoided. Praise and worship put us in the direct Presence of Yahweh God through His Holy Spirit. For further proof, let's look at what is commonly called,"The Lord's Prayer".

Mat 6:9" After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. " I know that a lot of people have been taught that they are to recite this prayer, but that just isn't the truth. If Yahoshua were truly telling people to recite the next words, then He would be setting them up to do exactly what He had just told them NOT to do.Mat 6:7 "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen [do]: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking." Rather, He was telling us to pray,"After this manner", hence like this, using this pattern. Now I not am getting into the whole of the pattern here, but you notice that the first thing He says is, "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. " We are being told to enter into our prayer, first and foremost, with praise.

Psa 100:3" Know ye that Yahweh he [is] God: [it is] he [that] hath made us, and not we ourselves; [we are] his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, [and] into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, [and] bless his name. " See the pattern developing yet? Many times we enter into prayer as if barging into a room unannounced. Why is this pattern here? Psa 22:3" But thou [art] holy, [O thou] that inhabitest the praises of Israel. "

He inhabits the praises of Israel. Let that sink in for a moment. There is something magnificent about that concept. That is why praise is one of the keys to unlocking the covenant between Yahweh and His Israel people.

Psa 103:1" [[[A Psalm] of David.]] Bless Yahweh, O my soul: and all that is within me, [bless] his holy name. Bless Yahweh, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good [things; so that] thy youth is renewed like the eagle's."

Three times here, David says Bless Yahweh. Then he makes a curious statement...." and forget not all his benefits:" What benefits? First there is forgiveness for our iniquities. Second, he speaks of healing from sickness and disease. Redemption, mercy; these are "benefits" of our covenant with Yahweh God, as well as a host of other benefits.This has nothing to do with the "prosperity gospel" that plagues our world today. This is a simple statement of scriptural fact. Of course, obeidiance to the word of Yahweh and submission are key to this as well, but the principle of praise goes hand in hand with these.

Now, I want to look at something. Our Israelite people, are in a more desperate condition right now than at any time in history. We are besieged by false religion and teaching, carnality and sensuality, worldliness. corruption of our governments, corruption of the Word of Yahweh, corruption of the Law of Yahweh, doctrines of devils and every thing else that you can imagine. As a result, many ( if not MOST ) Israelites are bound in a multitude of ways by demon ( yes I said demon ) spirits. Depression, despair, anxiety, hopelessness: they are all descending upon our people like a great storm. Why? Because the devil has come down to us having great wrath, for he knows that his time is short, and he makes war with those who have the testimony of the Messiah and obey His commandments. His war is with us, but everyone suffers. As this age draws to a close, the events will only grow more and more intense, and thus each and every one of us, will be subject to attack, not only by the physical enemies of Yahweh God, by the demonic host themselves. Now watch a principle of praise.

2Ch 20:1 "It came to pass after this also, [that] the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them [other] beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle." Here we see Judah on the brink of being overrun by all her enemies, but the king called for a fast and prayed, and in desperation he cried out"...2Ch 20:12 O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes [are] upon thee. And all Judah stood before Yahweh, with their little ones, their wives, and their children."

Yahweh answered the king, and in one of the most stunning military upsets in history, Yahweh revealed the power of praise.

2Ch 20:20 "And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in Yahweh your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto Yahweh, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, PraiseYahweh; for his mercy [endureth] for ever. And when they began to sing and to praise, Yahweh set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten. For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy [them]: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another. And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they [were] dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped. "

Who did the king set at the front of his army? The archers? The calvary? No, he set singers, that went out before the army, and they sang praises to Yahweh and the beauty of holiness, and as a result Yahweh Himself fought against their enemies so that the soldiers were on "clean up duty" when they arrived. Let's look at another example.

Act 16:16" And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying" Now this is a well known story, in which a girl possessed by a demon spirit, a psychic, a diviner, call her what you will, followed Paul and Silas around for several days proclaiming that they were servants of the Most High God who showed unto them the way of salvation. She was actually giving credibility to their ministery. This proves that even a demon can preach a sermon. And, as I have said at other times, far too many so called pastors and ministers today would welcome her proclamation. But not Paul. Paul just plain didn't like demons. He didn't want their help, didn't want their endorsement, he didn't want them around period. So he cast out the demon. Which infuriated her masters who no longer had a meal ticket, which resulted in the following.

:Act 16:23 "And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast [them] into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks." So for doing absolutely NO wrong, Paul and Silas were not only arrested, but they were severely beaten, and not just thrown in jail, but were thrown into the INNER prison (see:under the jail.) and kept chained. Now what do you suppose would have been the reaction of most today? Well, they would have contacted their lawyers to initiate lawsuits for wrongful imprisonment, contacted the local media to report the police brutality, perhaps contacted the local believers to start a letter writing campaign and petition; or worse, they could have given in to self pity. They could even have turned against Yahweh . After all, they were doing nothing more than what He had commanded them, but rather than protect them from harm, they had landed square in the middle of it. They could have decided that this was Yahweh's fault and just sulked until He did something about this mess.

But they didn't do either.

"And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. "

They prayed, and sang praises unto Yahweh, so loud that even from the inner prison, the other prisoners could hear them, and as a result, Yahweh glorified Himself before them all. The long and short of it was that the Jailer and his entire household came to Yahweh through the name of Yahoshua that night, and Paul and Silas were sent on their way. But none of it would have happened if they had not sang those praises, in their darkest moment, unto Yahweh God.

When there is TRUE worship and praise, the devil is defeated. Again, I'm not talking about rock concerts or displays of sensual, carnal chaos. I'm not talking about emotional displays meant to impress someone else with our spirituality. I'm talking about genuine, from us to Yahweh praise and worship. For true praise and worship invokes the Holy Spirit of Yahweh, and that's where the victory begins.

2Ki 3:14" And Elisha said, [As] Yahweh Sabaoth liveth, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee. But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of Yahweh came upon him."

Here, once again, the king of Israel and the king of Judah (along with the vassel king of Edom) had marched off to war, but had gotten themselves into dire straits. So they went to the prophet Elisha, the student of Elijah, for counsel. Now Elisha was a prophet, given a double portion of the Holy Spirit that had energized Elijah. But for some reason, the word of Yahweh didn't just COME TO HIM. I think it was because he was looking at the idolatrous king of Israel and the king of Edom, and so his anger flared up within him, quenching the Spirit of Yahweh. That's why a minstrel had to be brought forth. So what do you think a minstrel is going to play before the prophet Elisha. I would wager that it was probably one of dear king David's psalms. And as he played the praises of Yahweh God, whatever was blocking Elisha's gift was moved out of the way, and the hand of Yahweh was upon him, and he told the three kings exactly what to do. Praise ushered in the move of Yahweh's Spirit.

Now we come to Saul, the first king of Israel. Through disobeidiance and his own arrogance, Saul had lost his annointing with Yahweh, and was now troubled, vexed, tormented by an evil spirit.

1Sa 16:23" And it came to pass, when the [evil] spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him. "

So many Israelites in these last days are tormented by the demons that occupy so much of our society today. They fight against these torments in their own strength, out of their own "wisdom", but to no avail.1Cr 1:27 "But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; "

Yes, when we do something as "silly" as open our mouths and from our hearts begin to praise the One True God, mighty things begin to happen. Yahweh hears and His Spirit leaps into action, demons struggle to maintain their grasps, but not able to endure the songs of the saints, they must flee.

Psa 92:1 "[[A Psalm [or] Song for the sabbath day.]] [It is a] good [thing] to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night, Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound.For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.O LORD, how great are thy works! [and] thy thoughts are very deep." I once had someone ask me, trying to defend a certain style of music," But isn't music meant to be uplifting?" Their point was that ALL music was meant to be uplifting. To be sure, different music can "pump you up", evoke various emotional responses, but so can various drugs. The covenant people of Yahweh do not need "pumping up" in these last days. We need less worldliness and more holiness. I would rather have music that exalts the Creator of the universe because what I NEED is the Holy Spirit of the Creator of the universe, instead of whatever spirits might be lurking in music that denies or ignores my Creator.

Luk 24:49" And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high" Now do watch closely, for the pattern doesn't change..Act 1:4" And, being assembled together with [them], commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, [saith he], ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence".Act 1:8 "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."

And after giving the disciples this command, Yahoshua ascended to be with the Father. So what did the disciples do next?

Luk 24:52 "And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen."

Praising and blessing Yahweh God, until the day of Pentecost was fully come. Most people know what happened then.

Do you see yet, what doors may be open by our praise and worship? He delights in our praise, He created us to glorify Him.

Now, we've already seen that Yahweh doesn't mind a loud outpouring of praise and worship, but look at this, Psa 47:1 "[[To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah.]] O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph. For Yahweh most high [is] terrible; [he is] a great King over all the earth. He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under our feet. He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom he loved. Selah. God is gone up with a shout, Yahweh with the sound of a trumpet.Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises. For God [is] the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding. God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness. The princes of the people are gathered together, [even] the people of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth [belong] unto God: he is greatly exalted."

Clapping hands, shouting, singing. These are not only acceptable to the Father, they are somewhat expected. So is another aspect of praise and worship.

Psa 28:2 "Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle. "

Psa 63:3" Because thy lovingkindness [is] better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. My soul shall be satisfied as [with] marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise [thee] with joyful lips: Psa 63:9 But those [that] seek my soul, to destroy [it], shall go into the lower parts of the earth."

Psa 119:48 "My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved; and I will meditate in thy statutes."

Psa 134:2" Lift up your hands [in] the sanctuary, and bless Yahweh."

Lam 2:19 "Arise, cry out in the night: in the beginning of the watches pour out thine heart like water before the face of Yahweh: lift up thy hands toward him for the life of thy young children, that faint for hunger in the top of every street. "

1Ti 2:8" I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. "

I think that we have established that lifting up our hands unto Yahweh in prayer, praise and worship has a scriptural basis. But why? Personally I believe it's because it's meant to be exactly what it looks like. A child reaching up to his daddy. Simple enough? What father can resist that one basic expression of love, need, trust from his child. That one act, expresses so much, that our Father Yahweh is actually looking for in us, and as the prophet Jeremiah put it so well:

Lam 3:41" Let us lift up our heart with [our] hands unto God in the heavens."

Praising Yahweh, nips at our flesh, pinches our egos; appears foolish in the eyes of non-worshippers, abasing ourselves while exalting Him, which is exactly what he wants. Of course, many of us have experienced what some would term as "false worship", wherein many people have turned praise and worship into a sport, a rock concert, barely falling short of the spectacle of the prophets of Baal who stood against Elijah one faithful day, and this is a legitimate concern. But how can there be a counterfeit if there is not an original. Paul said lifting up HOLY HANDS. This brings us right back to obeidiance to Yahweh's commands and submission to His paths of righteousness.

While I am quite aware that people have different personalities, some more reserved than others, that doesn't spare us our duty nor our right to worship with ALL our beings. Besides, I wonder how many who would sit somber, with arms folded at some day of Christian Israelite "lectures", wouldn't throw up our hands and scream at the top of our voices at a football or baseball game, soccer match, nascar race, concert or some other trivial pursuit.

I fear that for some, the Kingdom of Yahweh is going to be dreadfully noisey place.

Psa 103:20" Bless Yahweh, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. Bless ye Yahweh, all [ye] his hosts; [ye] ministers of his, that do his pleasure. Bless Yahweh, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless Yahweh, O my soul. "

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