Praise Our God, All Ye His Servants

 

Praise 15

 

 

And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, 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 great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

Revelation 19.1-6

 

          I have said that the scriptural emphasis on praising God is found from one end of the Bible to the other. Chronologically, the opening passage in this chapter takes place in Heaven toward the end of the Tribulation period happening on Earth. It follows immediately after the judgment poured out on the reincarnations of spiritual and physical Babylon in Revelation 17 and 18 and precedes the finalization of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. This, in turn, results in our triumphant return to Earth following Christ's train at His Second Coming. (Revelation 19.7-16) In other words, the above-quoted selection is the reaction in Heaven to God's just judgment being poured out on Earth and His soon-to-be-realized Second Coming.

          In today's meditation about praise, allow me to offer you four observations.

          First, we see here an emphasis on exuberant praise. We see here four repetitions of alleluia, the English version of the Latin version of the Hebrew term hallelujah. In the original language, it means to praise Jah (Jehovah) and implies that it should be done with a joyful exuberance.

          Our hallelujahs are not meant to be whispered; they are meant to be shouted. They are to be audible expressions of our overflowing joy in God. In fact, we see seven examples of this in Psalms, all set within the context of praising God. Shout for joy. (Psalm 5.11) Shout for joy. (Psalm 32.11) Shout for joy. (Psalm 35.27) Shout unto God with the voice of triumph. (Psalm 47.1) Shout for joy. (Psalm 65.13) Shout for joy. (Psalm 132.9) Shout aloud for joy. (Psalm 132.16) The same or equivalent ideas are mentioned in II Chronicles, Ezra, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Zephaniah.

          Our religion ought to have some happy shout in it. When the walls of Jericho came crashing down, the people of God shouted. When our Lord entered Jerusalem on the Sunday before His crucifixion, the assembled throngs shouted. Yet the same people who sit mute in church for decades will erupt with noise when their team scores a touchdown. Such ought not to be the case. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

          Second, we see here God’s just judgments on the wicked are to be praised. For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.

          There is a somewhat unspoken, widely held, erroneous idea – one I am just as prone to as the next guy – that we are to praise God primarily for His goodness to us. God is merciful, gracious, longsuffering, loving, forgiving, understanding, caring, compassionate, and… Hallelujah! But Scripture clearly models that we also praise Him just as vigorously for His anger, wrath, and judgment poured out justifiably on His enemies. When those who have peddled drugs, promoted the occult, murdered God's men, harried God's people, and generally brought death and destruction to those around them are judged for these things, the proper response from us is joy and praise.

          I am thinking here of someone like Osama bin Laden. He lived in rebellion against God. He actively sought to hurt as many people as possible. He dedicated his life to causing as much pain, agony, woe, and sorrow as possible. And I am heartily glad that he took a few 9mm rounds from an MP5 in the middle of his forehead.

          Some say such sentiment makes me one more blood-thirsty white man and no better than bin Laden. But I say God was justified in bringing His wrath down on bin Laden's head, whether He used Seal Team 6 or a lightning bolt from Heaven. Furthermore, I believe I am justified in telling God He did a wonderful thing when He did it.

          When God strikes down His enemies that have brought such harm to humanity the proper response on our part is to praise Him like we do when He pours out His grace. All of God’s acts are worth praising.

          Third, we see here that praising God is for everybody. 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.

As children learn to lisp their first prayer at their bedside, let it include praise. As senior citizens, let your speech be known not for complaints of bodily ailments but for praise. As pastors and deacons and teachers, let your leadership in praise set the tone for the rest. Let the buskids roll in on Sunday morning shouting the old standard, “Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelujah – Praise Ye the Lord!” Everybody ought to do it.

Lastly, we see here that praising God is imperative. Revelation 19.5 does not suggest that we praise God; rather, it unhesitatingly commands us to do so.

          Allow me to make one of the most important statements you have never heard: The command to praise God is the most oft-repeated in the entire Bible. Praising God is a command like obeying your parents is a command, like thou shalt not bear false witness is a command, like thou shalt not covet is a command, like love the Lord thy God is a command, like forsake not the assembling is a command, like look not on a woman to lust is a command. Praising God is not just something we do when we are in the right mood or feel especially tender toward Him. Praising God is wrapped up in the very purpose of our self-existence. Praising God is not a wish, hint, idea, or proposition but a decree, edict, law, rule, mandate, precept, and command.

          Praising God is not requested of us; it is required of us. Praising God is not optional; it is ordered. Praising God is not a suggestion; it is a summons. Praising God is not desired of us; it is demanded. Praising God is not a proposal; it is a proscription. Praising God is not a recommendation; it is a regulation. Praising God is not an opinion; it is an obligation. Praising God is not an invitation; it is an injunction. In short, praising God is not optional at all.

          As we opened today's blog post, we saw a scene yet to take place in Heaven, but I do not want you and I to wait until then to praise Him as He deserves to be praised. He is the same God right now He will be then. Let us then praise Him.

          Now.

Only the Beginning

Praise 14

 

          I was reading through Deuteronomy 3 when a phrase from verse 24 jumped out and grabbed me. O Lord God, thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness, and thy mighty hand: for what God is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might? Set that phrase within some context, and what you find will be beautiful indeed. If context bores you, give up reading now. But if you persevere for a minute or two, it will be worth your time.

          As Deuteronomy opens, we find Israel has returned to the door of Canaan after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. In the meantime, the mature Egyptian-born generation has died out due to judgment for the doubt/disobedience at Kadesh Barnea. Moses himself is about to die. He knows this, and Deuteronomy is his last instruction to his people before he dies and they enter the Promised Land under Joshua.

          In the above verse specifically, Moses reiterates how he prayed for more time; he wanted to be allowed entrance into the Promised Land. God, as we see, denied this request. This, too, is judgment, in Moses' case, for striking the Rock that was Christ, which gave them water while they were traveling through the wilderness.

Moses, Rembrandt, c 1659

Deuteronomy 3:23–28

23 And I besought the Lord at that time, saying,

24 O Lord God, thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness, and thy mighty hand: for what God is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might?

25 I pray thee, let me go over, and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon.

26 But the Lord was wroth with me for your sakes, and would not hear me: and the Lord said unto me, Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto me of this matter.

27 Get thee up into the top of Pisgah, and lift up thine eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and behold it with thine eyes: for thou shalt not go over this Jordan.

28 But charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him: for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which thou shalt see.

          Understanding that context, then, I find Moses' choice of words here fascinating – thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness. I suppose you could argue that when Moses initially prayed this, he did not know God would not let him enter the Promised Land, but I think you would be wrong. God told him immediately after he struck the Rock he would not be allowed entrance. (Numbers 20.11-12, 27.12-14) No, Moses knows here he is at the end of his life, even if he is asking for more time anyway. One would expect him to say, "Wow, God, here at the end of my life, I want to testify that You have shown me Your power in amazing ways." Instead, he actually says, "You have begun to show me Your power."

          I struggle to convey with my pen how staggering that is. Consider all Moses had seen God do, and understand Moses realized he had only seen the beginning of what God could do.

          Moses had survived the culling of the Hebrew infants. Moses was raised as a prince in Pharaoh's house yet was still cared for by his mother. Moses had a dream of delivering Israel from captivity, saw that dream crushed at forty, and then unbelievably restored at eighty. Moses saw God in the burning bush and talked with Him. Moses was given the power to turn a rod into a snake, turn his hand leprous, turn water into blood, and reverse the first two. When you look at it, Moses was used by God to confront the mightiest empire in the known world and to humble it. In addition to turning his staff into a snake and swallowing Pharaoh's magician's snakes, he also turned the Nile into blood and commanded the land to bring forth frogs, lice, and flies. He slaughtered herds of Egyptian livestock with his words, afflicted Egypt with boils, prayed down fiery hail, ordered up plagues of locusts, and plunged the land into a living, breathing darkness for days. He also reversed many of these. In the end, he brought about the death of most of Egypt’s eldest sons.

          Wow. Yet we have not begun to reckon what Moses saw God do. Moses lived under a sometimes warm, sometimes cool, always encouraging pillar of cloud by day and fire by night. For decades. Moses led Israel across the Red Sea on dry ground as they walked between two walls of water towering over their head. Moses healed the bitter waters of Marah. At Moses' word, God produced manna and quail, and water from the Rock. For decades. Moses saw God beat Amalek in battle while Aaron and Hur held up his arms. Moses spoke with God in the Tabernacle face to face, as a man speaketh with his friend. On Sinai, Moses got so close to God that his face shone with reflected glory. Moses hewed stone tablets out of the rocky mountain face and watched as God's finger wrote the Ten Commandments on them. Then Moses did it again after the first tablets were destroyed as God judged Israel. Moses saw God consume Nadab and Abihu in judgment with fire. Moses saw God judge Miriam with leprosy and then reverse it. Moses saw God judge Korah and his cronies by swallowing them with the ground beneath their feet. Moses saw Aaron's rod bud with fresh leaves and flowers. Moses saw Israel delivered from the judgment of snake bites by looking at a brass serpent on a pole. Moses saw his ragtag ex-slaves win battles they should not have won against Amalek, Edom, Arad, Bashan, and the Midianites. This list of miraculous things Moses saw God do is too wide-ranging, too numerous, and too broad to possibly quantify…

          …and at the end of it all, Moses says, O Lord God, thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness. 

Moses, Michelangelo, c 1515

          There is something sublimely beautiful about an old man who had seen it all, still looking forward to seeing what God will do next. I want to be that kind of man.

          Have you and I, too, seen God display His power? Not like Moses, no, but yes, we assuredly have. Then, it behooves us likewise to understand we have only begun to see God display His power. Whoever we are.

No matter our situation, no matter our age, let us, too, look forward and praise Him for the great things He is about to do next.