Intelligent Worship -- Praise God -- Part 7

 There are 12 parts to this series. Praising God is Part 7.

PRAISE GOD

(NLT) Psalm 68:8

Praise God, all you people of Israel; praise the LORD, the source of Israel’s life. 

PRAISE: The word 'praise' in this verse is from the Hebrew word 'barak' (pronounced baw-rak'), meaning to kneel down or lie prostrate before, whether one is on bended knee or laying flat in honor to the LORD God. Also, means 'bless'. 

The words 'praise, praising, praised' are used 303 times in the Scriptures. There are seven basic words of praise to know.

1. Barak: to kneel or bow down, to lie prostrate on the ground
2. Halal: to shine clearly, radiate
3. TeHillah: song of praise, a hymn
4. Shabach: to shout triumphantly
5. Towdah: choir of worshipers, sacrifice of praise
6. Yadah: hold out or lift up hands
7. Zamar: to make music, either by hand or musical instrument

I'll give you seven basic Scriptures, each one referencing one of these praise words.

1. Barak: Judges 5:2 "Praise ye the LORD for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves."
2. Halal: Psalm 63:5 "My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise Thee with joyful lips."
3. TeHillah: Jeremiah 17:14 "Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; Save me, and I shall be saved, For You are my praise."
4. Shabach: Psalm 63:3 "Because Thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise Thee."
5. Towdah: Jeremiah 33:11 "The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise (yadah) the LORD of hosts: for the LORD is good; for His mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the LORD."
6. Yadah: Genesis 29:35 "And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise the LORD: therefore she called his name Judah; and left bearing."
7. Zamar: Psalm 21:13 "Be exalted, O LORD, in Your strength; we will sing and praise Your power." 

Psalm 150 is one of the smaller psalms but worth remembering. The word 'praise' is used three times in the first verse and twice in each of the next five verses. This word 'praise' is the word 'halal', which means to shine. When we enter the presence of the LORD with our praise and worship, we shine because we are so filled with JOY for our GOD that we cannot help but shine! We love to be in His presence! 

Psalm 145:1 "David's Psalm of praise. I will extol Thee, my God, O King; and I will bless Thy Name for ever and ever." 

Extol: exalt, lift up

Bless: Barak: kneel or bow down

These are words that are easily committed to memory, especially if you've studied the Word time and again like I have. I'm one of those people that has to know what a word means in order to use it properly. Not only is my concordance close by, but my dictionary is a fingertip away. And the Holy Spirit of God is always with me, leading me and guiding me into the deeper truths of God's Word, revealing a little bit more each day. 

Do you love to be in God's presence? If not, what are you going to do to change that attitude? Now is the time to repent of our sins to God, to ask His forgiveness, to allow the Holy Spirit to move in our hearts and bring us into God's saving grace through God's only begotten Son Jesus Christ. 

Yes, this message has been preached by many for a couple thousand years. But our timetable is not God's timetable. When He's ready to bring His church, His people, up from the earth, I hope whoever is reading this is included. 

A. Acknowledge that we are sinners

B. Believe in our hearts that Jesus Christ is God's only begotten Son, that He died on the cross for our sins, and that He rose from the dead and walked out of the grave

C. Confess out loud that Jesus Christ is Lord

Heavenly Father,

I confess my sins to You. I acknowledge that my way of living has violated Your Word and I ask that You forgive me. I believe that Your Son Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins, that He rose from the dead and walked out of the grave. I recognize my need for salvation through the blood of Jesus and that I need Your Holy Spirit to empower me to become the me You see and not the me I am. 

Thank You, Father, for saving me, for forgiving my wicked ways and for giving me Your Holy Spirit. Lead me and guide me in Your Word as I read it daily. Give me understanding as You fill me with Your wisdom. 

In Jesus' Precious and Holy Name, Amen.

To Bless God vs To Be Blessed By God - BARAK

Differentiating Between Being Blessed By God and Blessing God

Whereas the word Bless when used towards mankind is usually read as "Blessed is the man, the one, are they", when the phrase is on the other foot, we read "Blessed be the name of the LORD" or "Bless the LORD". 

To be blessed by God is to receive from God. To bless God is to give to God. 

When God blesses us, His Word tells us and those who know us that we are happy in God, that we are to be envied by those who know us. Our relationship to God through Christ should cause others who do not have this relationship to be hungry and thirsty for what we have. 

When we bless God, we are worshiping God. There are several different aspects of worship we must consider when we are directed to Bless God. The first is:

BARAK

For instance, in Job 1:21, when Job chooses to worship God instead of resorting to woe and commiseration, it is not that he is not devastated upon the loss of his children and his wealth, it is that He knows all of his blessings came from God and God is still God: 
And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD.” 

In that verse BLESSED is translated from the Hebraic word BARAK, which means to kneel. Job knelt before the LORD and worshiped God. While there are many times, this definition occurs, it is important to note that it is not only people who kneel before God, but all His hosts and all His works, as well (Psalm 103:22).

And, even more than our physical self kneeling, our soul is bless God in this way -- Psalm 104:1 Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, You are very great; You are clothed in splendor and majesty.

Even the enemies of God will kneel before Him. Romans 14:11 For it is written, As I live, says the LORD, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue confess to God. And, again, in Philippians 2:10, 11 'That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is LORD, to the glory of God the Father.'

When Paul is suffering for the cause of Christ, he reminds the church in Ephesus not to feel bad for him, because "For this cause (his tribulations) I bow my knees unto the Father of our LORD Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named." Ephesians 3:14, 15. Paul knelt before God in worship for the opportunity to suffer for Him! This should be how we face trials and tribulations in this world: on our knees with humility and praise, as Paul reminds them and us in the rest of the Book of Ephesians. 

My Redeemer Lives by Nicole C. Mullin