God has impressed upon me to begin my day with Praise of Him. The reasons for praising God are as infinite as God Himself.
The general outline of the text is as follows:
The What: “Rejoice in the LORD” (verse 1a)
The Who: “O ye righteous” (verse 1b)
The Why: “For praise is comely for the upright” (verse 1c)
The How:
- “Praise the LORD with harp” (verse 2a)
- “Sing unto him with the psaltery” (verse 2b)
- “And an instrument of ten strings” (verse 2c)
- “Sing unto him a new song” (verse 3a)
- “Play skilfully with a loud noise” (verse 3b)
The What: “Rejoice in the LORD” (verse 1a)
The Psalmist relates this as a command; not “if you feel like it”; but “do it.” It is your response to the blessings of Grace and Mercy from God to you.
“Rejoice” is active. It denotes an action on the part of the Child of Grace who is in an understanding of the state of gladness. The response to gladness is to rejoice; to make known the inner joy, not in self-works, or self-sufficiency, but “in the LORD.”
The Child of God can in no way rejoice in himself; for Jonah 2:9 says, “Salvation is of the LORD.” This salvation is both physical and spiritual; as Jonah found out; as he cried out in hell, or Sheol, or the grave, or in death. In Jonah 2:1-10, Jonah describes his experience in “the belly of hell,” or the grave; as he died in the belly of the fish that had swallowed him; “… out of the belly of hell cried I…” (Jonah 2:2b).
When a person receives regeneration by the Spirit of God (Romans 8:14-16), there is no doubt in the saved sinner’s mind that “…whereas I was blind, now I see” (John 9:25b). The blind man knew (to know by experience, ginōsko), that it was nothing within himself, or in his power, that gave him eyesight. But he was revealed it was by the Power of God alone (John 9:35-39).
“And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.” (John 9:39)
The Who: “O ye righteous” (verse 1b)
This rejoicing in the Lord can issue forth only from those who stand in the Position of Righteousness (or “rightwiseness”) in Christ. Christ is the end of the law for righteousness (Romans 10:4). You are only righteous (or declared righteous) in the Justification of Christ that He performed for you on the Cross as your Substitute.
“Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: (Romans 3:24)
“Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;” (Romans 3:25)
“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:” (Romans 5:1)
“By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:2)
“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Here, on the Cross, in the Atonement of Jesus Christ for sinners (you and me), Christ Reconciled us to God; Redeemed us from the bondage of sin; by the Ransom Price of Himself as the Burnt Offering, the Sin Bearer (John 1:29):
“The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29)
“In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;” (Ephesians 1:7)
In this process, you were justified (or declared righteous) before God through the Atonement of Christ for you (your sin debt, your punishment). (See Isaiah 53:1-12; especially verses 10-11.) This is called Judicial Justification. This happened on the Cross, before you were even born (Romans 5:6, 8-10).
Then in time, the Holy Spirit comes and regenerates the sinner; wherein the sinner has witness by the Spirit that he is a son of God, clothed in the Righteousness of God. This is called Experiential Justification. That is, the regenerated sinner knows, by experience, that he is righteous.
The Why: “For praise is comely for the upright” (verse 1c)
The Psalmist gives the reason why the righteous are commanded to “praise” or “rejoice” in the Lord, “For praise is comely.” The word “comely” means “having a pleasing appearance, attractive, handsome”; synonyms are “beauty, loveliness, prettiness.”
The Psalmist says that praise beautifies the upright. It causes the righteous (or the upright) to have a pleasing appearance to God and to others that view him.
It is natural for praise to issue from a Child of Grace. It is natural, or congruent with the saved sinner’s new nature. He now is “…a new creature: old things are passed away (his love for the world of lust and sin); behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). That is, now, in Christ, the converted sinner has a new nature, “…which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:24). Therefore, it is natural for the new man to walk in holiness and righteousness; and his fruit shall reveal his new nature, his new will, his new desire to please Christ, and not his flesh.
It is therefore, incongruent for the New Creature in Christ to go back to walking in sin and unrighteousness. (See Romans 6:4-22.) It doesn’t fit him anymore, for now he is “in Christ” and Christ in Him. (See 1 Corinthians 6:9-20; especially 19-20.)
“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19)
“For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Corinthians 6:20)
The How:
- “Praise the LORD with harp” (verse 2a)
- “Sing unto him with the psaltery” (verse 2b)
- “And an instrument of ten strings” (verse 2c)
- “Sing unto him a new song” (verse 3a)
- “Play skilfully with a loud noise” (verse 3b)
The Psalmist relates to us in Psalm 32:2-3 that we are to praise God with:
Musical instruments – he only lists the stringed instruments. However, it is not my purpose in this devotion to discuss which instruments to use or which ones not to use. The primary focus here is to “play skillfully with a loud noise.” If you play skillfully, it will not be offensive to the ear, but pleasing to God and others. The idea here is to express praise and rejoicing in the use of musical instruments. It is not the musical instrument, as much as the expression. Not all can skillfully play an instrument. So, can only musicians praise God? No, but the Psalmist is showing it is one way (not the only way) to express the Joy of the Lord coming from the spirit of the Regenerated Man. It is the expression that the Psalmist is pointing to.
“Sing unto him a new song” – before a person is converted, his song is “all about me.” But when he is converted, he has new song; it is “all about Him.” The pattern is set for us in Revelation 5:12-14; the song the ones around the Throne are singing is, “Worthy is the Lamb”:
“Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.” (Revelation 5:12)
“And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.” (Revelation 5:13)
“And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.” (Revelation 5:14)
Praise God, the Regenerated by the Spirit of God have a New Song. It is a song of praise and worship; one of admiration and adoration; and one of surrender and submission.
Singing is another way to open the mouth and audibly praise Him, by singing a New Song of Praise and Victory to Christ.
True enough, not all can carry a tune. But all can sing the New Song, if they have come from death to life; because this song is to the Lamb of God and not to man. God has perfect ears; where man has judgmental ears. God hears our Song of Praise, as well as our cries for help in times of trouble.
Therefore:
“Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.” (Psalms 33:1)
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