The Inspiration for Worship
Psalm 95: 1-7
Just as with many of the Psalms, this particular Psalm is believed to have been sung by the Israelites as a song of worship. It was likely sung during the Feast of Tabernacles where the people constructed booths made of brush and dwelt in them to remember and celebrate the good hand of God as He led them through the wilderness and supplied their needs. (We don’t celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, but we would do well to remember where we were when God came to us, what He brought us from, and where He is leading us to!)
As this Psalm was sung, it was literally a call to worship. It served as a means of getting the people in tune with the Lord and their hearts prepared for worship. It brought inspiration to the people and encouraged heart-felt worship. I have learned that inspiration is vital to worship. I am convinced that much of the lack of worship in our day is due to a lack of recognition of God. We need to see Him in His glory and ourselves in our humanity. If we can get those in their proper perspective, I have no doubt that we will be inspired to worship. I want to examine the principles set forth in this Psalm as we consider: The Inspiration for Worship.
I. The Song of Worship (1-2)
A. A Song of Rejoicing – It is clear in both of these verses that this was a song of rejoicing. If, in fact, it was sung during the Feast of Tabernacles one can understand their jubilation; but even if it wasn’t, the people were singing a song of rejoicing. This should come as no surprise. The people of God had every reason to rejoice – belonging to the Lord is reason enough!
Worship isn’t limited to rejoicing, but it sure does help. There may be times when we are called upon to worship the Lord while going through a valley, but even then, the people of God ought to have a song of rejoicing within their hearts. Life may not always turn out as we desired, but even on our worst day, God is good! Nothing life can bring will ever change the fact that God has been good to me. I am confident that we all can find reason to rejoice today. If worship is our hearts and focus being consumed with God, worship will lead to rejoicing.
B. A Song of Redemption (1) – The people sang of the LORD, the Rock of their salvation. They lived on the other side of Calvary, but even then, they were mindful of the redemption of God. They were well aware that apart from Him, life was hopeless. They were reminded of the Exodus from bondage and the victory God had given. They sang of their Redeemer.
That certainly thrills my heart today. I remember a time in my life when I was much like the nation of Israel suffering in bondage. There was no hope within myself of ever being set free. I needed a Redeemer and He came in my time of need. I was set free from the bondage of sin and placed within His grasp. He brought me into a land of plenty and continually supplies my need.
The saved have a song to sing. We of all people ought to sing of our Redeemer. We have been purchased from the slave block of sin. We have been placed in the body of Christ. We have the blessed hope of an eternal inheritance. This world can’t offer or produce a song like ours.
C. A Song of Reflection (2) – The emphasis of this stanza was thanksgiving unto the Lord. Surely the people had reason to be thankful for all that God had done for them. He had met their needs in the past and He continued to care for them and guide them in the present.
We live in a day of little thanksgiving. We have been blessed beyond measure and yet we are so ungrateful. I fear many have reached the point that they expect to receive the blessings of God and live as if they almost demand it. We ought to be a people of thanksgiving, singing a song of reflection. What if today’s blessings were dependent on yesterday’s thanksgiving? There would likely be few blessings. May we never be guilty of withholding our thanksgiving to God.
II. The Sovereign of Worship (3-5) – The song of worship served as a call to worship, setting their affections toward the Lord, their Sovereign.
A. His Preeminence (3) – The LORD is a great God. Who is like unto our Lord? There are none like Him. There are none that compare to Him. It is beyond the human tongue to express or the human mind to comprehend all that God is.
He is a great God. This implies greatness, large in magnitude and extent, in intensity, and in importance. Our God is high and lifted up. Man seeks to worship something, but none are worthy except the true and living God. None can rival or challenge His greatness.
He is a King above all gods. We can rejoice that there are none to whom our Lord must answer. There are none whom He must consult to accomplish His divine will. Of all the kings who ever reigned, the governments who ever ruled, the armies who ever marched, there are none like our King. He rules upon the throne of heaven, declaring His will upon creation. His Word and His will shall never be refuted or overturned! He is worthy of worship.
B. His Presence (4a) – The people were aware that God held all things in His hands. He held the mountain peaks and the deep valleys. Is.40:12 – Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?
He is a God like none other, holding all things in His hands, and yet there is an application of beauty within this text. God holds the deep places in His hand as well. He holds the valleys of life that we endure, those places where it seems we are all alone and often forsaken. Even in our darkest moments, God is there. He has each of us in His mighty hand and we could never get beyond His presence. John 10:28-29 reveals that we have been given eternal life and no man can pluck us from the hand of Christ or God the Father. David pondered the awesome presence of God in Psalm 139:7-10.
C. His Power (4b-5) – As the people sang and worshiped God they were reminded of His almighty power. Once again consider Isaiah 40:12. Can you imagine a God like ours? The peak of Everest is over 29,000 feet. There are depths in the ocean that Everest could be hidden within. Three quarters of our world is covered in water and God measured the waters in the hollow of His hand. It is all His creation. He meted out the heavens with a span. He weighed out the mountains in a scale and the hills in a balance. He sets us kings and dominions. He tells the sun when to shine, the winds when to blow, and the rains to come. He is the sovereign Creator, creating man from the dust of the earth and breathing life into him.
What a mighty God we serve and yet He is mindful of you and me! That ought to bring about worship within our hearts. We serve the Almighty God. What could we possibly face that is beyond His power to control?
III. The Submission of Worship (6-7) – Surely after all of this, our hearts ought to be prepared for submission in worship. Submission includes:
A. Our Adoration (6a) – O come, let us worship and bow down. This was a willful act of submission and humility. It involved reverence and adoration for the God of glory. The people were compelled to worship the Lord and even encouraged others to worship.
Worship is a voluntary act. You can be led in worship. You can even be encouraged to worship. (Seeing others worship encourages me to worship.) But worship is an individual choice. There must be a stirring from within, an adoration for God that compels us to worship Him. Many do not worship in our day because they don’t adore the Lord as they should. Something else has stolen the place in their heart that should be reserved for God. We can’t worship if we don’t adore Him!
B. Our Appeal (6b) – let us kneel before the LORD our maker. The people understood their dependence upon the Lord. They knew if their intercessions were to be heard and answered, they must be brought before God in submission. They were acknowledging that they couldn’t but God could. He was their only hope and means of life.
We must bring our appeal before the Lord in submission. There is only so much that man can do to comfort and help. God alone has the power to work in our lives and meet our needs. He is the one to whom we need to make our intercessions known. Cry out and seek the Lord. Many live as if they need nothing or no one, yet we too must realize that we can’t but God can.
C. Our Association (7a) – For He is our God. What a realization! The God of heaven is my God. I have been made acceptable unto Him through the blood of His Son. I have access to His throne. I have been adopted into His family, never to be disinherited. The Almighty Sovereign is my God. I am not trusting in a counterfeit or an imposter. I am serving the true and the living God. I am His and He is mine! Ps.48:14 – For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.
D. Our Allegiance (7b) – We belong to Him and there is none other who deserves our worship or our allegiance. I have been bought with a price. I am no longer my own. I don’t have the right to live as I please. My life has been given to the Lord to use as He wishes. He is the desire of my heart and the focus of my life.
John 10:27 – My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. We must follow the Lord and submit our lives to Him if we are to achieve worship. A lot of folks can’t worship because they can’t follow. I want to follow the Good Shepherd and worship Him. I have never had a desire to depart from the fold. There have been times when I have strayed, but I can assure you that I don’t want to live apart from my Lord. This world has nothing to offer. I wouldn’t trade what I have in Jesus for all that the world could afford. That assurance makes we want to worship Him. My allegiance is to the Lord.
Conclusion: I pray this passage has challenged and inspired us to worship the Lord. Surely, He is worthy of our worship. Has He not been good to you? Are you saved by His grace? If so, you have more than enough reason to worship. My desire is for Fellowship to be known as a place where God’s people meet to worship Him on a regular basis. I want us to learn to worship the Lord in a way that pleases Him. Is there something that is hindering your worship? If so, why not come and get that settled so that you can worship Him?
