In our FOUNDATIONS FOR LIFE series, we come to the book of Psalms. And the reason that we begin here is because (Although there are different ways to approach any given study about God) there is a tendency to separate that study of God from worship. And that is OK, if we are content merely to know ABOUT God. But if we want to know God Himself, we need to connect our study of God with worship. Our study of God must be punctuated with adoration and praise and prayer. An author I have been reading on this...
In our FOUNDATIONS FOR LIFE series, we come to the book of Psalms. And the reason that we begin here is because (Although there are different ways to approach any given study about God) there is a tendency to separate that study of God from worship. And that is OK, if we are content merely to know ABOUT God. But if we want to know God Himself, we need to connect our study of God with worship. Our study of God must be punctuated with adoration and praise and prayer. An author I have been reading on this subject said something about this that has stuck with me. He said: [I suspect I can find out more of what you really believe if I can listen to you pray awhile than in any other way. When I hear you witness, I hear you saying something you think the people around you expect you to say, but when you are alone with God and express yourself freely, then you begin to reveal what you really believe and who you really are....The Psalms portray Israel at prayer. And it is when we pray that we find out what we really believe, what our theology actually is. Furthermore, true theology ought to end in prayer. If theology is the study of God, the knowledge of God, and if God is God, then the end of the study ought to be worship. If it is not, if it has been only a study about a subject and our thoughts on that subject, that is idolatry; I have made God a thing. It does not matter how accurate my thought is; if it does not bring me to Him as a living Person, I have only found a substitute for Him, a knowledge of something other than God. When one comes to know the true God, the only response is, in the language of the Old Testament, fearful worship.”]
Now the reason that I want to highlight this for you is because (as the title of our message today indicates) we want to encounter God. And that happens through worship. It is within the context of worship that we come to a true "knowing" relationship with the Lord of heaven and earth. Go ahead and look with me at the Psalm 146.
Psalm 146 (NIV)
1 Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord, my soul.
2 I will praise the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
3 Do not put your trust in princes,
in human beings, who cannot save.
4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
on that very day their plans come to nothing.
5 Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God.
6 He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them--
he remains faithful forever.
7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,
8 the Lord gives sight to the blind,
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
the Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the foreigner
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
10 The Lord reigns forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord.
No Praise Allowed!-- [A woman who “enjoyed her religion” visited a very staid and formal church. “Amen” she said, as the preacher brought out a point with which she agreed. “Madam,” said the usher standing nearby, “Please try and restrain yourself. We don’t allow that in this church.” In a few moments she was so carried away by the sermon that she shouted, “Amen, praise the Lord, hallelujah!” The usher rushed to her side: “Madam! You must quiet down immediately or leave!” “I didn’t mean to disturb ... but I am just so happy since I found the Lord,” she explained. “You may have found the Lord,” retorted the usher severely, “but I am quite sure you didn’t find him here!”]
Having Praise In Your Heart— I read a story the other day of a man who [attended the services of one of the great churches of the past and had never witnessed a place that was so dead. Do you know what the problem was? People were not coming to church with praise in their hearts. They did not come to the service with thankfulness in their hearts to God. They did not enter His gates with thanksgiving.] When we find the Lord, it’s hard to keep quiet. Anybody who has truly been touched by God; who has truly encountered Him, their life will ALWAYS erupt in praise. Well, this is what happened to the Psalmist in our passage today, which is why he writes in…
Psalm 146:1-2 (NIV)— 1 Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, my soul. 2 I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
“The Great Hallel”-- Now (just to give you a little context for our passage this morning) this psalm is [the first of the last five in the book of Psalms. In Jewish tradition these five psalms are grouped together. They are called “The Great Hallel.”] And what does that word “hallel” mean? (WAIT) Yes, [the Hebrew word hallel means praise.] And [So we find it in English in “hallelujah,” meaning “Praise the Lord.” These five psalms all begin with that injunction, “Praise the Lord.” Furthermore, all five end with it as well. The hallelu is a plural imperative, commanding a group of people, “Give praise!” … {And so} This group of psalms is called a “hallel” because they begin and end with that call to praise.]
Leaving God With Gratitude— Now one scholar points our that [“…the reason we have the Great Hallel at the end of the Psalms is because it was a Hebrew conviction that when you come to God, no matter why you come, you ought to leave Him with gratitude, with thanksgiving, with praise, with adoration in your heart. No matter what it is you bring when you come, when you are in His presence, His greatness ought to be such that when you finish your time with Him your problems have been reduced in size in relation to Him and you can walk out, no matter what you face, with praise.”] And so, as one commentator observes: [It is not that the psalmist said to himself, “I ought to sit down and write a prayer,” but that he met God and could not do anything else. So the poetic expression that you find here is not something that was written in praise of God in order to get to God. Rather, it is something that was written because the writer had met God. And when we really meet Him, unless it is an encounter of complete judgment, if we meet Him in grace, always the end of that meeting with the gracious God will be an experience of joy and of praise.]
WHEN HELLEN KELLER DISCOVERED WORDS— Some of you know (at least a little bit) about the story of Helen Keller. It is a truly remarkable story of transformation and grace, simply because a woman named Anne Sullivan poured into Helen Keller’s life and helped her (though blind and deaf) to learn to communicate and read; and thereby lifting her out of her silent darkness. [The 21-year-old Anne Sullivan came to Tuscumbia, Alabama on March 3, 1887. From the moment she arrived she began to sign words into Helen's hand, trying to help her understand the idea that everything has a name.] And this was extraordinary difficult at first. But Anne writes of a breakthrough moment she had with Helen. She writes: [We went out to the pump-house, and I made Helen hold her mug under the spout while I pumped. As the cold water gushed forth, filling the mug, I spelled "w-a-t-e-r" in Helen's free hand. The word coming so close upon the sensation of cold water rushing over her hand seemed to startle her. She dropped the mug and stood as one transfixed. A new light came into her face. She spelled "water" several times. Then she dropped on the ground and asked for its name and pointed to the pump and the trellis, and suddenly turning round she asked for my name. I spelled "Teacher." Just then the nurse brought Helen's little sister into the pump-house, and Helen spelled "baby" and pointed to the nurse. All the way back to the house she was highly excited, and learned the name of every object she touched, so that in a few hours she had added thirty new words to her vocabulary. Here are some of them: Door, open, shut, give, go, come, and a great many more.
P.S.--I didn't finish my letter in time to get it posted last night; so I shall add a line. Helen got up this morning like a radiant fairy. She has flitted from object to object, asking the name of everything and kissing me for very gladness. Last night when I got in bed, she stole into my arms of her own accord and kissed me for the first time, and I thought my heart would burst, so full was it of joy.] Now […after Helen Keller’s teacher, Anne Sullivan, had given her the names of physical objects in sign language, Miss Sullivan attempted to explain God and tapped out the symbols for the name “God.” Much to Miss Sullivan’s surprise, Helen spelled back, “Thank you for telling me God’s name, Teacher, for He has touched me many times before.” {She said that she knew of him already, groping in the dark after him.} Helen Keller knew something of God’s signature from nature, but it was wordless.]
YHWH: A Hallelujah Psalm Built on God’s Name-- A name can change a lot in a relationship. And the psalms are important in that they highlight for us the personal nature of our encounter with God. And that is why the most important word in this Psalm (though it is covered up in our English translations by the word LORD in all caps) is “YHWH”. This psalm is built around that personal name for God. Hallelujah (what this Psalm opens and closes with) doesn’t exactly mean “praise the Lord”. Because [yah is the short form for the name “Yahweh” in the Old Testament. This is the name that God gave to Moses at the burning bush when Moses wanted to know with whom he was talking. God gave Moses His personal name, and that name was probably pronounced, as best we know, Yahweh.] This is a personal name, not a title. And so when we realize this, this word “hallelujah” becomes a very close and personal form of praise. Now we usually use the word “God” in our prayers (which is a general title; what He is rather than who He is to you and to me. But did you know that God’s name [“Yahweh occurs in the Old Testament about 6,800 times, while Elohim, “God” only appears about 2,600 times. So, the preponderance of references to the Deity in the Old Testament use the personal name.] And what this should tell you and me is that yes, God knows you by name. But apparently God wants you to know Him by His name too. Because our relationship with God (unlike any other religion) is characterized by a personal encounter. That is why by next week, I would like each of you to purchase a Hebrew Bible and learn Hebrew. Or, if that’s too hard (as I suspect it is) begin marking in your Bible all these places where the name of God is mentioned. Maybe just put a little “N” next to His name and remember (every time you see it) how close of a relationship God wants to have with you. This is why [The Hebrews were the the people of the name. And the Bible, the Old Testament, is the book about the One whose name we know.] They knew God in a way that no other nation did because He was a God who abided with them in intimate relationship. And the same is true for us. In Jesus Christ, you and I know God; His Holy Spirit abides in us. And we can relate with God (in a way) face to face (presence to presence) without a priest; without an additional sacrifice. His presence is open to us. That enough is reason for us to erupt in praise. So today, take advantage of the face that God’s presence is open to you. And give Him thanks for that incredible gift He has given to you and to me. Amen.
