Several years ago there was a renewal of worship in the church. It was not a renewal of the liturgy. It was based on a liberal theology with a resulting change in language and theatre. It was not based on the Holy Spirit. It was a change on the outside rather than on the inside. Its centre was first in the Jesus movement of the 1960s. It brought in many “flower children” and their hippie culture. They were also responding to cultural change.

The heart of this renewal was the recovery of biblical praise. Churches returned to using open Bibles as the lyric sheet. The most important part of this renewal was the insistence that worship be directed to God Himself, rather than to the congregation.  For example, the chorus “He is Lord,” became real worship with the change to the second person singular pronoun. The new chorus became “You are Lord.” Before we are ready to worship, however, we must know the God to whom we are to direct our praise. This is revealed in Psalm 113.

In that passage we are called to offer our praise to the Lord and are then greeted by an extensive exhortation as to who is to praise Him. After this, the basis for such praise is given as we are told about the God who is to praised. Those who are to enter into this worship are now identified by the phrase, “Praise, O servants of the Lord.” These servants are the people who have accepted Jesus as their Saviour. They have also accepted His death and resurrection. Their basic service and ours is the service of worship before a holy nation.

Praise is always in season. We are to praise God from now until the end of time. When we praise Him from our hearts we engage in that which lasts through eternity. Burdens are lifted as we lift our hearts to Him. All of our problems seem to melt away. The day will come when God will be praised continually and when this worship will encompass all of the universe.

We are to praise God, first of all, because He is exalted above all that we know. God transcends all of the pomp and pride of humankind. He is greater than a thousand nuclear bombs. He makes the dictators of the world petty and meaningless. The nations of the world may complain, but Got is not impressed or worried. Second, we are to worship God because of his uniqueness. God is God. He is incomparable. He judges all and is judged by no one. At the same time, He humbles himself. Unlike the gods of the surrounding nations, the God of Israel rules over all nations and the entire universe. Also, unlike those false gods, God Almighty humbles Himself to attend to His people and the concerns of their lives. He is the God of great condescension and love toward us. In His majesty He is not aloof from our problems. He orders the stars in their courses and provides the bread on our tables. He also makes Himself known to us.

Third, the God who humbles Himself cares for the humble. He not only beholds the things of earth, but He also intervenes in them. When Jesus began His public ministry in Luke’s Gospel, He cited a text from Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor.” He then asserted, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” In Jesus God’s concern for the poor is consummated. His goal in rescuing them is to exalt them.

God greatly condescends to observe and consider things, not merely on earth but in the heavens as well. All creation, even heaven itself, is beneath the eternal and holy dignity of God. God reveals things in the heavens and on the earth to those He humbles, that they might receive and understand them. We can only understand spiritual matters and have true insight to the things on the earth when God grants this to us by His word, and He only grants this to those who are humbled before Him.

True worship, the praise of God, is based upon His character. He is the transcendent King who reigns far above the heavens. He also humbles Himself to care about the things of this earth. He delivers us and exalts us if we accept Him as our Lord and Saviour. He makes fruitful the barren womb and removes reproach.

The psalmist breathes a prayer that echoes praise to God at the beginning and end. In between the two explosions of praise, the cause for praise is lifted up. The creator of all that is and ever will be is somehow concerned with the ordinary activities of people. The psalmist declares the radical uniqueness of a God that cannot be easily defined. There is nothing in all creation that can be compared to this God, and yet this God is concerned about people, just like the late Pope Francis was concerned about people, especially the poor. Pope Francis also prayed to God and the Virgin Mary. He set a good example for us. Will we follow it. ?

(An audio version of this message can be found at https://www.spreaker.com/episode/psalm-113-praise-god–65745767)

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; pp. 782-783)
2. Williams, D., & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol.14: Psalms 73-150 (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1989; pp. 306-310)
3. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible: New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
4. MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
5. Lucado, M.: The Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson; 2010; pp. 815-817)
6. Nancy deClaisse-Walford, “Commentary on Psalm 113.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org
7. Paul O. Myhre, “Commentary of Psalm 113.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org
8. T.M. Moore, “King of Mercy.” Retrieved from noreply@ailbe.org
9. Dr. Carol Geisler, “All Day, Every Day.” Retrieved from www.lhm.org