Everybody, Praise the Lord

Dr. James Boice: If we're not eager to praise God, if there aren't times in our lives when we want to make a loud and joyful noise unto Him without reservation, it could be that we really don't know Him as well as we think we do.
Guest (Male): Welcome to The Bible Study Hour, a radio and internet broadcast with Dr. James Boice, preparing you to think and act biblically. The Psalter ends with a call for everyone, everywhere, at all times, and by all means, to praise the Lord. We're not to hold back or to offer worship that's quiet and weak. Join Dr. Boice as he brings our study of the Psalms to a close with the call of Psalm 150 to praise our God and to praise Him loudly.
Dr. James Boice: Well, we've come at last to Psalm 150, to the very final psalm. And it's time to make noise, real loud noise. Not all worship should be noisy, of course, I'm sure you're aware of that. If we're to be guided by the Psalms alone, we know that not all of our worship should be lonely. Some of the psalms are psalms of lament, but they call for heart-rending sorrow by God's people. Other psalms call for quiet reflection on the character of God and the acts of God in history, all of which are great. But there is also time for joyful celebration. When David brought the ark up to Jerusalem, the place that he'd prepared for it, the arrival of the ark was announced by trumpets, and David accompanied the procession by exuberant dancing. When the walls were finally rebuilt in the day of Nehemiah and they had a great celebration of dedication, they got all of the trumpeters and other instrumentalists together. They had two great choirs, they proceeded all around the walls of the city, finally meeting at the temple and having a great, joyous, loud worship service. And the singing was so loud and triumphant that we're told in Nehemiah that it could be heard outside the walls of the city for many miles around. C.S. Lewis talks in one place in his reflection on the Psalms about what he calls the exuberant quality of Jewish worship. He calls it an appetite for God. He said love of God isn't strong enough, something even more exuberant than that in Jewish worship. And then in a paragraph that I referred to earlier way back at the beginning of these studies years ago, he wrote this: "This worship has all the cheerful spontaneity of a natural, even a physical desire. It is gay and jocund. They are glad and rejoice. Their fingers itch for the harp, for the lute and the harp. Wake up lute and harp. Let's have a song, bring a tambourine, bring the merry harp with the lute. We're going to sing merrily and make a cheerful noise. Noise, you may well say, mere music is not enough. Let everyone, even the benighted Gentiles, clap their hands. Let's have clashing cymbals, not only well-tuned but loud and dances too." So what I want to say is let's be done with worship that is always quiet and weak. As I travel around in services, I am sometimes in churches, I wonder if they know God at all, because the services are so dull. They're so gloomy, everybody seems so unhappy. You would think that they were always having funerals. But then I come to a service like this and I find the people of God who know God rejoicing to praise him as the great God he really is. If you are not anxious to praise God, if there are not times in your lives when you want to make a loud noise to God, perhaps it's because you don't really know God at all. If you do know God, well, hallelujah. Now Psalm 150 is the last of these final psalms and let me just put it in context. It's the obvious climax of the collection, as well as of the last five praise psalms. Look at it this way: Psalm 146 is a psalm in which an individual Israelite praises God for his grace, power, and faithfulness to the needy. Psalm 147 is a psalm in which the inhabitants of Jerusalem are urged to praise God for their regathered blessing and security in the years following their exile. In Psalm 148, all creatures in heaven and on earth are told to praise God as their creator and as the redeemer of his people Israel. In Psalm 149, the saints are invited to praise God since they have been saved from their enemies and because they look forward to the blessings of the final judgment. And now at last, in Psalm 150, every creature that has breath is exhorted to praise God everywhere and with every means available, and do it loudly. A number of years ago when my middle daughter, Heather, was just a teenager, she came to me one day and asked me if I thought her music, the teenage music of the time, was loud and repetitive. I felt that I was being set up, and I was. But I said, "Yes, I guess I would have to say that your music is loud and repetitive." And she said, "Well then, please explain the Hallelujah Chorus." Well, I told that story here once and our musicians immediately got in touch with me and they explained that the Hallelujah Chorus is not mere repetition. It actually advances musically toward the great crescendo, and it does it beautifully, brilliantly. But on the other hand, it is loud. It has to be and it is repetitive because we are told to praise God again and again. Now that's what Psalm 150 is like. It's no mere repetition of an idea. It tells us where to praise God, why to praise God, how to praise God, and who should praise God. That's the outline of the psalm, but it does repeat that praise idea. The psalm says praise the Lord three times, it says praise God once, and it says praise Him nine times more. It's even more striking in the Hebrew. The greatest number of words occurring between two of the 13 hallelujahs in the psalm is four, and that only occurs once. In most cases, only two words occur between them. So what we are told 13 times over is "Praise the Lord." I've been referring to the Lutheran commentator Leupold many times in the study because he's one of the best and he writes of these last psalms: "The note of praise swells out more and more strongly toward the close of the book, finally to break out in this great crescendo which is full-toned and jubilant." Or here's what Alexander McLaren writes, saying it's even more than this: He says the psalm is more than an artistic close to the Psalter, it's a prophecy of the last result of the devout life, which of course is where the Psalter begins. And in its unclouded sunniness as well as in its universality, it proclaims the certain end of the weary years for the individual and for the world. Everything that hath breath shall yet praise Jehovah. Now let's look at the psalm. First question we have is: where should this be done? Where should everything that has breath praise God? Well, the first verse gives us a comprehensive answer to that question, and it says, "in his sanctuary" and "in his mighty heavens." Now the words "his sanctuary" have been understood by some writers to mean the heavenly throne room or heaven itself, in which case the two phrases of that first verse are an exact parallel. We're to praise God in the heavenly sanctuary and we're to praise him in the mighty heavens. But I don't think that's what it's talking about. And the reason I don't is that the list of musical instruments that follows in the main body of the psalm contains some that we know were used in the Jewish temple worship. And this suggests that we should refer sanctuary to the earthly temple here. In other words, it's best to see verse one as calling for the praise of God on earth, that is in his sanctuary, and in heaven. The words literally say "in his mighty firmament." In other words, what we're being told to do is praise God everywhere. The angels are doing it there and the people of God are to do it here. Now we don't have a literal earthly sanctuary here. No church building is a real sanctuary. Nothing holy about the building. The church of God are the people of God and the sanctuary of God in our time, but we do have that. We have the people of God and we do have our bodies, which the New Testament calls temples of the living God. And so we are to praise God with our bodies in every way we can and everywhere we go. The angels are praising God everywhere they go, that's their chief occupation, and we're to imitate them, we're to do the same. Frances Havergal was touching on this in one of his hymns when he wrote about a century ago these words: "Lord, thou needest not, I know, service such as I can bring, and yet I long to prove and show full allegiance to my king. Thou in honor art to me, let me be a praise to thee." Now just as "in his sanctuary" and "in his mighty heavens" means that God is to be praised everywhere, so the phrases in verse two embrace everything for which God should be praised. We start out asking where should God be praised, now we ask why should God be praised? And here's the answer: It's God's acts of power and his surpassing greatness. Now his acts of power refer primarily to his works in creation and redemption. We understand what that's about because many of the psalms focus on that. We've studied it again and again. God's surpassing greatness refers to God's attributes. And many of the psalms talk about that. We've studied it again and again. Things like sovereignty, holiness, omniscience, immutability, love, grace, goodness, compassion, justice, truth, and wisdom. God is to be praised both for who he is and for what he has done. Now that's what all these psalms have been teaching all along, of course. They're encouraging us to get to know God so we can really praise him. And so we come to the very end and the obvious question to ask is this: do you know God? Have you come to know God through a study of the Bible, so when you come to church, you can really praise him because you have some understanding of his character and his deeds? It's only the people who know God who can praise him, and the people who know God really do. Now what a marvelous flow of thought this psalm has. After telling us where to praise God in verse one and reminding us why we should praise him in verse two, the next three verses, exactly half of the psalm, tell us how God should be praised. And the answer is: with everything you've got. If you have a trumpet, use that. And we use it. If you have a lyre, a tambourine, a stringed instrument, a flute, or cymbals, use them. If all you have is a harmonica, use that. We did it here once on a Sunday morning. It was played from the music loft up there by a musician from the Philadelphia Orchestra. We don't know all the instruments the ancient Jews had. We don't even know if this list is meant to be comprehensive, but it is a pretty broad list and it's suggesting that anything you have can be used to worship God and you should use it. It's interesting to think about these instruments a little bit. The trumpet that's mentioned there is actually the shofar or the ram's horn. And it makes a tremendous noise. It carries a long, long way. That's why when they praised God in Jerusalem in Nehemiah's day, they could hear it outside the walls. Tambourines are generally linked to dancing in verse four, that's the way they're described because they were used largely by the women when they danced. Verse five mentions two kinds of cymbals. The words are not merely a repetition there. The first is referring to a little instrument, perhaps like castanets. The second was larger, hence its translated a resounding cymbal. We'd probably say a crashing cymbal, and we have those. These instruments embrace all branches of musical instruments. You've got wind instruments, stringed instruments, and percussion. Or let me look at it another way: Trumpets in the Old Testament were blown by the priests, harps and lyres, sometimes translated psalteries in the old versions, were played by the Levites, and tambourines were used by women and by other people. So the call to praise God is really addressed to priests, Levites, and the people, that is to everyone. Everyone is to use whatever they have to praise God. Now here we really have to deal with a controversy. Isn't it a pity that you always have to deal with controversies, but there is an obvious one and we need to do it. We also have to offer some cautions. The controversy has to do with people who think that it's wrong to use any instruments in worship, or to use any songs other than psalms, and with those who on the other side would use anything at all. Now let me just treat that issue. First of all, those who forbid the use of instruments in worship: these are people who exclude the use of instruments on the grounds that the Bible doesn't authorize them, as they say, and we have to stick strictly to what the Bible prescribes. There's a word for this approach, it's called the regulative principle. And in itself, it's a very good one. It simply means that God is not to be worshipped in absolutely any way at all, but rather as he describes himself as needing to be worshipped. Now the problem then is not with the principle but the way it's applied, or I would say the way things are read into it. In some parts of the church, this is understood to mean that only psalms may be sung because we have psalms in the Bible and we don't have hymns, or at least our hymns. Hymns and choruses are thought to be human compositions only, which means that they should be rigorously excluded. In other parts of the church, sometimes overlapping with the first, instruments are excluded from worship services and for the same reasons. It's pointed out that instruments were not used in the early church, although I'm not sure we can really know that. Christians apparently just sang psalms together. Well, what shall we say to this? One thing you have to say is that this is a matter that certainly should not divide Christians, because it comes in the same category as the things that the Apostle Paul writes about in Romans 14, where he says each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. And a little bit later in that same chapter, "Let's make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification." That's the way it should be handled. And yet, you have to have reasons for thinking as you do or doing what you do. And although we respect others for their diverse opinions, it doesn't mean that we don't have any reasons for the opinions that we hold. So let me ask the question: Why do most Christians use instruments in worship, and why do we sing compositions in addition to the psalms? Well, as far as exclusive psalmody is concerned, I've already suggested a defense of additional compositions by what I said last time about singing a new song. We were studying Psalm 149 and I said it's always appropriate to sing new songs when these are based on experiences of God's grace. I'm not saying that any music is worship music. A secular song isn't worship, but if we've learned something about the character and grace of God, it's certainly not wrong to sing about it using new songs and even new music, even contemporary music. I pointed out that the elders sing a new song in Revelation, Revelation 5:9, and the same idea is there in the 14th chapter, verse 3. And perhaps in defense of what we do, it's even possible to refer to what Paul says in Ephesians. He writes in the fifth chapter, "Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Well, what about instruments? That's the other matter. Certainly Psalm 150 alone should have a definitive bearing on the question. I know the argument on the other side. Let me share it with you. It goes like this: In the temple worship in Israel, musical instruments were used only when the sacrifices were being offered. Today, since the sacrifices of Israel have been abolished by the completed sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, the music that was associated with the ancient sacrifices should be abolished too. Well, that's the argument, but it seems to me as special and I would say unpersuasive reasoning. I ask the question: Were instruments really only used when the sacrifices were offered? How could we possibly know that? Didn't David worship God playing on his harp and singing presumably some of the psalms that he'd composed? And what about this psalm? It tells us to praise God with a variety of instruments and it says nothing at all about sacrifices. And what about the worship of God in heaven according to Revelation? There are harps in heaven, and trumpets, and there's singing, and words if you read the book of Revelation that are not mere repetitions of the psalms. How can we deny that Psalm 150 endorses the use of new songs and instruments in worship? But now let me look at the other side of it. There are those who would employ everything in worship, and here's where I have to offer some cautions, especially along a pragmatic line. Not all music does the right things for most people. Let me give an extreme example: bump and grind music would hardly be appropriate. It suggests a burlesque show rather than the worship of God. Hard rock suggests a nightclub or a disco setting for most people. That's hardly appropriate in worship. Not that under certain circumstances that kind of music couldn't be used, but it doesn't do what it ought to do in our time. And quite different but by the same reasoning, for some people in some places of the world, orchestral instruments suggest the orchestra or the concert hall, which to their way of thinking is a secular thing, and so for people like that you wouldn't want to use the kind of instruments we do. The other important matter is how the instruments are used and for what purpose. Are they effective in directing our thoughts to God? That's what worship is about after all. Or do they focus our thoughts on the one who is playing them instead? Let me suggest that one measure of whether they contribute to worship or direct our thoughts to the performer instead is whether the congregation applauds when the music is finished. If people applaud, the chances are they are really applauding and thinking about the performer rather than thinking about God. I wouldn't say that's 100 percent true in every situation, but most of the time. This is one reason the use of instruments is best linked to singing, because instruments improve our singing and they enhance and carry forward emotionally the thoughts that we express. It's hard to think of a congregation applauding itself for singing a hymn at the end of its particular part in the service. Roy Clements, the English Baptist pastor that I've quoted from time to time, endorses variety in worship, but he also knows that if worship is to be true worship, it has to be God-centered and it has to engage the mind. He says it simply won't do to come and do my own musical thing in church and call that praise. And here's some more of his comments: "All too often the pop singer, the beat guitarist, the jazz drummer of today are idols. And Christian groups can be affected with the same kind of worldly pride. The applause and admiration of others can quickly become an intoxicating drug that mars those who want to stand up and sing for Jesus. Worship in music has to begin and end with hallelujah, with 'praise the Lord.' And for that reason, it's not the professionalism of the performance that counts, though it's right to do our best. It's not the genius of the composition or the profundity of the words that matter. Because if that were the case," he says, "the tambourine player would be a bit limited, wouldn't he? No," he said, "it's the intended audience that counts and the audience is God. It is the one whom we are intending to see glorified in what we are doing that determines whether the music is real music in praise of God or not." Now the final answer that Psalm 150 gives to the questions you and I might want to ask about worship is to tell us who should praise God. And this answer is as comprehensive as those that have been given to the other questions. What was the first question? It was "Where should we praise God?" and the answer is everywhere, in heaven and on earth. Second question is "Why should we praise God?" and the answer is because of everything God is and everything God has done. Third question is "How should we praise God?" and the answer is with everything you've got. And now here's the final question: "Who should praise God?" and the answer is everybody. The Psalmist says, "Everything that has breath, praise the Lord." Now that's exactly what's going to happen according to the Bible. At the moment, at the moment in history in which we live, God is insulted, blasphemed, denied, and ignored by the vast majority of the people that live on the surface of the planet. We see Christ rejected. But one day, we're told, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father. And as far as the saints are concerned, what we read about in Revelation is this: John says, "I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and all that is in the sea and in them, singing 'To him who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory forever and ever, Amen.'" What a great choir. What a great song. What a great privilege. And it will be ours if we placed our faith in Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who has indeed taken away the sin of those who trust him. Well, we've come to the end. Psalm 150. At Tenth Church, as you know, on Sunday mornings, we read through the Psalms consecutively. And when we get to the end, what we do is just go back and start again at the beginning. And what I would suggest is that that would be an appropriate way to follow up on the study of Psalm 150 today. We come to the very end. It tells us to praise the Lord. And the thing to do is to go back to the beginning to Psalm 1, where it talks about the blessedness of the one who comes to know the Lord as he or she studies the Bible. "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the way of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers, but his delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law he meditates day and night." You know, you can't praise God without doing that, because the praise of God, the worship of God, is acknowledging and glorifying God for who he is. And unless you know who he is, you can't praise him, and the only way you'll ever know who he is is by studying the Bible. So if you want to praise him, you've got to go back and do what Psalm 1 says. But it works the other way, too. When you begin with Psalm 1 and study the Bible and find out who God is, you end up always praising him. One writer suggests that our hymnbooks probably have it wrong. Most of them begin with hymns that praise God and they end with songs about marriage or patriotic songs of the family or something like that. And this particular writer suggests that our hymnbooks should not only begin with hymns of praise to God, but they ought to end with hymns of praise to God as well. The Psalter doesn't even end with a doxology, though it could. And it doesn't even end with an "Amen", though I suppose it could end with an "Amen" just as well. Instead, it ends with a call to praise God, which is itself our great doxology and our "Amen". It's a way of saying that this matter of praise is something that is not only to be done everywhere by everybody with all means, it is also to be done at all times. And it will be done, indeed, forever and ever and ever. And so the psalm ends by saying, "Let everything that has breath, praise the Lord." And then it says, "Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord." Our Father, we thank you for your word in which we by your grace and the work of your Holy Spirit in interpreting the words of the text to our hearts, come to know you. We thank you for that great privilege of all the privileges that we have as your creatures: life and breath and health and joy, all of the things that make up our life, every good gift that comes from you. The greatest of all is that we might know you, or as our Lord said, "This is eternal life: that they might know you and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." And our Father, if we do know you as you've enabled us to know you, we want to praise you, and praise you with all our heart. Amen and Amen.
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