September Beacon
“Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him all the earth.” Psalm 96:9
“Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the LORD, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day.” (vs. 1-2) Many Psalms are rich with words that lead believers to greater devotion to our Savior. I find such a word in these verses. Maybe you noticed it right away. It may have jumped right at you as you read the verses. In this case, the word was ‘to.’ The following illustration may help you see the importance of this word.
Henry Ward Beecher was a very famous and popular preacher of the 1800’s. One Sunday, his brother Thomas was preaching for him in his absence. There were many, as usual, who had come to hear Henry preach, and as soon as Thomas rose to the pulpit, they started to leave. At this Thomas announced, “All those who came here this morning to worship Henry Ward Beecher may now withdraw from the church – all who came to worship God may remain.”
I suspect that more than a few were hit between the eyes with his words. Some may have even returned to their seats – ready to hear from the Lord and His Word! Likewise, our worship needs to be ‘to’ the LORD. We may sing to hear ourselves sing, or to impress others, or to be accountable in some way to others, but the Psalmist reminds of the need worshipers have to sing ‘to’ the LORD.
“For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods.” (v. 4) The Psalmist moved from providing instruction on ‘how’ to worship with ‘why.’ Have you ever used the word great to describe God? The Psalmist did. He also referred to Him as ‘worthy’ and ‘to be feared.’ A.W. Tozer said, “The fear of God is…astonished reverence. I believe that the reverential fear of God mixed with love and fascination and astonishment and admiration and devotion is the most enjoyable state and the most satisfying emotion the human can know.”
“For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens.” (v. 5) Our God is to be worshipped because He gave us life. So many today are not gathering to worship God. Do they not know that God created them!!! Or if they believe He did, do they take this miracle for granted? Israel was warned about their devotion in Deuteronomy 11:16 with the words, “Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them.”
What else do you learn about worship from these words – “Ascribe to the LORD, O families of nations, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering and come into his courts. Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth.” (vs. 7-9)
Come to Redeemer Baptist Church and worship God.