We all know that praise is an essential part of prayer and is often associated with music. In fact, the first hymn sung at our Memorial Meetings should always be a hymn of praise. Furthermore, following the example of the Lord’s Prayer, our prayers should begin and end with praise. But what actually is praise? What does the word mean?
Praise
There are nine Hebrew words translated as praise in the Old Testament and six Greek words in the New Testament. This number of words, with fine shades of meaning between most of them, gives us some idea of the importance of the subject of praise. We will not here list the words, but if we make a compilation of their meanings we can summarise praise as thanksgiving, worship, and the verbs to bless, laud, give glory and honour, applaud, commend, speak well of, and celebrate in song.
So praise is fundamentally to thank and worship (give worth to) by rehearsing God’s doings in prayer or song. Real praise can only be given when it is sincere and without hypocrisy. A proud man cannot praise another; a self-centred man feels the world owes him a living. Such a man does not appreciate God’s gifts because they are taken as a right. One of our failings is that we generally take the gifts of the Eternal Spirit for granted. We need to count our blessings one by one and then sincerely thank our Divine Father for them. This is praise to the One in whom we live, and move, and have our being. This need for sincerity in our praise is expressed in Psalm 95 verses 1–7. Then David appeals to us not to be hard-hearted, and not to err in our heart because we do not know His ways (v8–11).
Paul says, “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name” (Heb13:15). So our praise must be sincere, based on a sound knowledge of God, and continual.
The music of the psalms
The English word psalm is a translation of the Hebrew mizmor meaning “music”, or by implication, “a poem set to music”. But note that the music is first. Similarly the Greek word psalmos means “a set piece of music”. It is not an ode (the word translated as “song” in the book of Revelation), which is words sung.
Hebrew poetry is lyrical, that is, accompanied on a lyre. When playing his instrument the player must pour his soul into the music, otherwise the music is dead. Consequently, when a musician plays, the music not only expresses his emotions, but also affects his emotions. Out of these heart-felt emotions thoughts and words begin to flow. This is why the psalms read so differently to the other books of the Bible, with the exception perhaps of Lamentations and Songs of Solomon. This is why psalms do not generally rhyme by sound, but by ideas repeated and developed.
The Book of Psalms has been called the hymnbook of Israel, but it is more than that. With a hymn the words generate the music. With a psalm the music generates the words.
‘Psalming’ means to sweep the strings with the hand; the product is a psalm. We can easily imagine David playing on his harp or lyre and, as the music takes hold of his inner emotions, the words of praise come, unforced, into his mind. We have just such a case when Elisha called for a minstrel to sooth his troubled mind, “until the hand of the Lord came upon him,” and he was able to give Yahweh’s Word to king Jehoshaphat (2 Kings 3:15).
Ideas in the psalms are presented in parallel form, following not rhyme but rhythm. (In fact all Hebrew scripture is written with a rhythm, a meter, that Tyndale, in his translation, cleverly preserved. That rhythm is also preserved to some extent in the King James Version, which is why it is so memorable. Because modern translations lack this feature they are less easily remembered). Grasping this structure helps us to appreciate the psalms and gives us a feeling for praise. So praise is not just intellectual, nor is it like the insincere thanks of a disappointed child who has just received handkerchiefs for a birthday present. True praise arises out of the emotions of the heart based on an understanding of our Father’s will and character.
If you pause at this point and read Psalms 95 and 96 in the light of these comments, you will see how the psalmist’s thoughts develop out of the music even though you can’t hear it. You will probably see the psalms in a new light.
These two Kingdom psalms begin with praise that is not just a sentimental rapture; it is governed by reason, “for Yahweh is a great God, and a great King above all gods” (Psa 95:3).
“O sing unto Yahweh a new song:
sing unto Yahweh, all the earth.
Sing unto Yahweh, bless his name;
shew forth his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the heathen,
his wonders among all people.
For Yahweh is great, and greatly to be praised:
he is to be feared above all gods.”
Having begun with a song of praise in verses one and two, the psalmist develops his praise by rehearsing what he is praising God for. In the same way, we don’t just say, “Thank you.” We say what we are thankful for. He continues in verse 7:
“Give unto Yahweh, O ye kindreds of the people,
give unto Yahweh glory and strength.
Give unto Yahweh the glory due unto his name:
bring an offering, and come into his courts.
O worship Yahweh in the beauty of holiness:
fear before him, all the earth.”
This is how to praise and worship. Actually the words ‘praise’, ‘worship’ and ‘glory’ are in essence the same thing. For example, picking up from the words just cited above, we read, “Give unto Yahweh the glory due unto his name; worship Yahweh in the beauty of holiness” (Psa 29:2). Also, “Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters” (Rev 14:7).
Psalm 96 continues in verse 11 with an acrostic of the memorial name:
“Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof.
Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein:
then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice before Yahweh:
for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth:
he shall judge the world with righteousness,
and the people with his truth.”
So these psalms are songs of praise that rehearse Yahweh’s goodness out of a thankful heart. And when David says, “Harden not your heart, as in the day of provocation” (Psa 95:8), we learn that we can choose for ourselves whether we will be hard-hearted or soft-hearted. It follows that the hard-hearted cannot truly praise Him, only the tender-hearted.
David, the sweet psalmist of Israel
David records that, “The Spirit of Yahweh spake by me, and his word was in my tongue” (2 Sam 23:1–2). Through music the voice of the Great Musician of the universe came to him and inspired him. David praised “Yahweh our Lord”, singing, “how excellent is thy name in all the earth”, as his hands moved over the strings of his harp. Like Daniel, he kneeled before his God to bless Him and in his psalms he invites us to do the same: “O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel [Heb barak] before Yahweh our maker” (Psa 95:6). “Sing unto Yahweh, bless [Heb barak, from a root to bow the knee, to kneel] his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day” (Psa 96:2).
In the future we will have the great privilege of joining with David in singing praises, “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… Amen” (Rev 5:12).
The psalms are regarded as being divided into five books. David wrote all the psalms in the first book, Psalms 1–41, and many others. True, in our Bibles Psalms 1 and 2 are anonymous, but they are attributed to David in Acts 4:25. Psalm 10 is also anonymous, but Psalms 9 and 10 are actually one psalm penned by David. Proof that they are one psalm is that they are both acrostic, and it is only by joining them together that the acrostic is completed. The other anonymous psalm is Psalm 33, but it is attributed to David in the Septuagint translation, and this is obviously correct.
Another psalm of David is Psalm 65. It opens with the words,
“Praise waiteth [literally, ‘is silent’] for thee,
O God, in Sion:
and unto thee shall the vow be performed.
O thou that hearest prayer,
unto thee shall all flesh come.”
Here prayer and praise are equated. But more importantly, praise is now silent in Zion but is ready to burst forth when the Son of David appears to deliver his people. Israel will look upon their deliverer and say, “Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest” (Matt 21:9); “Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord” (Matt 23:39; citing Psa 118:25–26).
In that day even nature itself will sing praises to him, for the psalm concludes:
“The pastures are clothed with flocks;
the valleys also are covered over with corn;
they shout for joy, they also sing.”
And it will not be just Israel who will sing his praises, it will be all the earth, for the next psalm says:
“Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands:
Sing forth the honour of his name:
make his praise glorious…
All the earth shall worship thee,
and shall sing unto thee;
they shall sing unto thy name…
O bless our God, ye people,
and make the voice of his praise to be heard:
Which holdeth our soul in life,
and suffereth not our feet
To be moved.”
These words come from the same David that danced and sang before the Ark as it came to Zion:
“Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing:
thou hast put off my sackcloth,
and girded me with gladness;
To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee,
and not be silent. O Yahweh my God,
I will give thanks unto thee for ever.”
Psalm 30:11–12
Blessing
Blessing is to receive God’s favour. But blessing is a two way process; man also blesses his Maker. Noah said, “Blessed be Yahweh Elohim of Shem” (Gen 9:26); Melchizedek said, “Blessed be the most high God” (Gen 14:20); Job said, “Yahweh gave, and Yahweh hath taken away; blessed be the name of Yahweh” (Job 1:21); Moses said, “When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless Yahweh thy God for the good land which he hath given thee” (Deut 8:10).
David also blessed his God. For example in his acrostic Psalm 103 he wrote:
“Bless Yahweh, O my soul:
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name…
Bless Yahweh all his works in all places of his dominion:
bless Yahweh, O my soul.”
(see also 1 Chron 29:20; 1 Kings 8:54–61)
This idea of blessing God continues into the New Testament. Zacharias, filled with the Holy Spirit said, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people” (Luke 1:68); Simeon “blessed God” (Luke 2:28); the disciples, “returned to Jerusalem with great joy: And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen” (Luke 24:53). Paul and Silas even “sang praises unto God” when suffering dreadfully in the deepest prison, so that the prisoners heard them (Acts 16:25).
Praise to Yahweh is reasonable – He has made us! Somehow we are better at praising men than God Who fills heaven and earth by His spirit. Nevertheless praise is the highest delight of those who do it regularly, as indeed we should.
David invites us to join him in praising Yahweh when he said:
“I will bless Yahweh at all times:
his praise shall continually be in my mouth…
O magnify Yahweh with me,
and let us exalt his name together.”
The Hallelujah psalms
There are twelve of these psalms. All begin and end with the word “hallelujah” and all are anonymously written. The first two are Psalms 105 and 106. But, you say, Psalm 105 does not begin with “Hallelujah”. True, for somehow the translators have put the word at the conclusion of Psalm 104 instead of at the beginning of Psalm 105. Psalm 105 is how God has treated Israel; Psalm 106 is how Israel has treated God. The first is Yahweh’s grace; the second is Israel’s disgrace!
The next Hallelujah psalms are Psalms 111 and 113. Note that the “Hallelujah” that concludes Psalm 111 has been mistakenly put at the beginning of the next psalm. Psalm 111 describes the man who fears Yahweh; Psalm 113 describes Yahweh Who is to be feared, and praised!
Then we come to Psalms 116 and 117. Here again the “Hallelujah” has been put at the end of Psalm 115 instead of at the beginning of Psalm 116. Psalm 116 is thought to be the psalm sung by the Lord and his disciples in the upper room. Certainly the words are most appropriate for that occasion, for the song is of gratitude for deliverance from death. It is also a psalm that could be read very effectively by someone immediately before their baptism. Psalm 117, the shortest psalm, is a song of praise to be sung by a choir.
Psalm 135 stands alone as a Hallelujah psalm and yet it is obviously a pair with the following psalm. It is a most remarkable call to praise Yahweh. This psalm is full of God. The name is used fifteen times in the psalm and another four times in the abbreviated form ‘Yah’. ‘Adon’ occurs once and ‘Elohim’ once. So God is referred to by name 21 times in 21 verses – 38 times in all.
The final five Hallelujah psalms are psalms 146 to 150. It has been said that these five psalms are like the sun shining from a cloudless sky. Life is trouble free and happy. They form a wonderful finale to the collection of psalms.
Psalm 147 says, “praise is comely,” and so it is. “Sing unto Yahweh with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God… Praise Yahweh, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion… Hallelujah.”
Psalm 150 is the final paean of musical praise. It carries us in spirit even beyond the millennium to the time when God is all and in all.
“Let everything that hath breath
praise Yahweh.
Praise ye Yahweh.”
In summary
To praise is to extol Yahweh’s great qualities with rejoicing and song. Let us give glory and honour to Him and anticipate the day of glory when we shall sing, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come” (Rev 4:8).
“Amen; Alleluia. And a voice came out of the throne saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. And I heard as it were the voice of a multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth” (Rev 4:8; 19:4–6)