MAKE A JOYFUL SHOUT!
(Psalm 100)
Mike Johnson
A very well known and oft-quoted poem, Psalm 100 centers on worshiping and knowing God. Although it contains only five verses, the psalm has essential and relevant information. Some think David is the author, although there is uncertainty. The speculation is that the Jews used this psalm as a call to worship and sang it as a hymn in their public worship.
Psalm 100 says, “(1) Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! (2) Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing. (3) Know that the Lord, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. (4) Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. (5) For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.” (NKJV)
Worship Described
The first four verses give a vivid description of worship and offer great insight into how people should worship God. Consider the following six points about worship.
1. Joy and Gladness should fill our worship(1a, 2a). The first part of verse 1 says, “Make a joyful shout to the Lord,” and then it says to, “Serve the Lord with gladness” (2a). The word translated “shout” (“noise” KJV) involves a “glad shout” or a “shout of triumph,” such as might be associated with battle. From this, we learn we are to worship God, not just with thought but also with joyful utterance and gladness. Many passages associate joy with worship. Ps 95:1, identifying the basis of our joy, says, “Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.” Psalm 27:6 reveals, “And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.” (Note also Ps. 16:11, 43:4.)
It is essential to understand that joy in the context of worship involves respectfulness. Joy and respectfulness are not mutually exclusive attitudes; a person can be joyful in worship and respectful at the same time. Psalm 2:11 shows both are necessary. It says, “Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.” We must understand what it means to be in God’s presence (2b). We joyfully worship God, but we also realize the seriousness of worship.
Today, we should view worship as a happy occasion. David points out in Psalm 122:1, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go into the house of the Lord.’” Assembling for worship is a great privilege, as we know we are worshiping a loving God who has given us the opportunity for eternal life. In Psalm 51:12, David spoke of the “joy” of his salvation. Do we joyfully anticipate worship; do we joyfully worship God when we assemble; do others detect joy in our worship?
2. Worship is to be universal. The passage says, “All you lands” (1b) should make a joyful shout to the Lord. One might expect the Psalmist to say Israel only, but he does not. It is essential to understand that there is one Creator over all people, so everyone should worship God. Various other passages make it clear all people of the earth should pay homage to God. Psalm 96:9 exclaims, “Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth.” Psalm 98:4 points out, “Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises.” (Note also 98:4.) God reigns over all the earth (Ps. 97:1), and everyone should worship Him.
3. Worship is to be in song. Verse 2b says, “Come before his presence with singing.” There probably exists a connection to verse 1 with this phrase, i.e., one way we make a joyful shout (noise) to the Lord is with our singing, and with song, we serve God with gladness. The Scriptures often associate singing with joy. Psalm 67:4 reveals, “Oh, let the nations beglad and sing for joy….” James 5:13 asks, “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.” When we sing praises to God, we should do so with gladness and joy.
We often sing the hymn called “Christ Arose.” The first line, “Low in the grave he lay,” conveys our sadness that Christ had to endure what he did. However, in this song, we also sing about His resurrection — “Up from the grave He arose…” and this causes joy. The New Testament tells us we are to sing and make melody in our hearts to the Lord, and we are to teach one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Eph. 5:19, Col. 3:16). Singing is to be a part of our worship (I Cor. 14:15).
Some contend that since verse 1 says to make a “joyful noise” (KJV) to the Lord, and verse 2 says to come before Him with singing, that instrumental music, a type of joyful noise, can be used today in worshiping God. However, as previously noted, the better rendering of the phrase is “joyful shout.” Instrumental music was used in praising God under the old law, the Law of Moses. The death of Christ on the cross, however, took away the Law of Moses (Col. 2:14-17, Rom. 7:6, Heb. 10:1-2). Today, the law of Christ governs us (James 1:21), and it prescribes singing as the only type of music Christians are to use in worship. We do learn from the old law (Rom. 15:4, Heb. 11), but consistency demands of those who make the above argument that they must offer animal sacrifices, which was also a part of the former dispensation.
4. Thanksgiving should be a part of our worship. Verse 4 specifies, “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving…be thankful to Him.” The use of the terms “gates” and “courts” in this verse probably refers to parts of the temple, so this describes what God expected under the former dispensation. Although we do not have a building like the temple today, Christians are still to assemble with other Christians and worship. The church today is the temple of God (Eph. 2:21, I Pet. 2:5). Christians today should worship God with thanksgiving!
In the Old Testament, there is an association of thanksgiving with worship. There is even a category of psalms called “Psalms of Thanksgiving.” Psalm 69:30 says, “I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving.” Psalm 95:2 says, “Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.” (Note also Ps. 50:14.)
In the New Testament, God’s people are encouraged to be thankful. We are to be grateful for everything, as Ephesians 5:20 says, “…giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Christians should be particularly thankful for salvation. I Corinthians 15:57 reveals, “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
From this verse, we learn we are to enter into public worship today with thanksgiving. When we worship, we should do so with gratitude to God for what He has done for us. Thanksgiving should permeate our homage.
5. Praise should fill our worship. Verse 4b says we are to go “into His courts with praise.” Praise and thanksgiving go hand-in-hand and are often associated with one another in the Bible. Psalm 150, for example, is wholly devoted to the adoration of God. Note verse two, which proclaims, “Praise Him for His mighty acts; praise Him according to His excellent greatness!” Verse 6 continues, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!”
Consider the following:
The praise of man toward God is the means by which we express our joy to the Lord. We are to praise God both for who He is and for what He does…Praising God for who He is is called adoration; praising Him for what He does is known as thanksgiving. Praise of God may be in song or prayer, individually or collectively, spontaneous or prearranged, originating from the emotions or from the will. (Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary)
In worship, overflowing with thanksgiving, we praise the Lord!
6. Worship involves blessing God’s name (4b). The word in the original translated “bless” means “to kneel, bless, praise, salute, curse…” (Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament). When we bless God, we ascribe to Him praise, dominion, honor, and glory.
Consider Charles Spurgeon’s admonition regarding this passage:
He blessed you, bless him in return; bless his name, his character, his person. Whatever he does, be sure that you bless him for it; bless him when he takes away as well as when he gives; bless him as long as you live, under all circumstances; bless him in all his attributes, from whatever point of view you consider him. (The Treasury of David)
Indeed, worship involves blessing the name of God. Psalm 103:1 exhorts, “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!” Psalm 145:1 says, “I will extol You, my God, O King; and I will bless Your name forever and ever.”
Reasons to Worship God
Psalm 100 not only tells us how to worship God, it gives us essential reasons for worshiping Him, as well. Consider them now.
1. He is the only true God. Verse 3a says, “Know that the Lord, He is God….” God is not an idol made of wood and stone (Ps. 96:5, Acts 17:29). God is frequently referred to in the Scriptures as the “living God” (Josh 3:10, Jer. 10:10, Mt. 16:16). Deuteronomy 7:9 says, “Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments.” The fact that Jehovah is God, and He is the only God, is one reason we should worship Him.
2. He is our Creator. Verse 3b also says, “It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves.” The fact He created us proves He is not an idol, and, as the Creator, He is deserving of our worship. Psalm 95:5-6 proclaims, “The sea is His, for He made it; and His hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.” In Revelation 4:11, the twenty-four elders praised God, saying, “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.” (Note also Neh. 9:6.) Man did not make himself.
Since God is our Creator, we owe everything to Him. We owe Him our existence, the earth we dwell on, and, especially, our eternal salvation. God, as our Creator, is unquestionably deserving of our worship.
3. He is our guide and sustainer. The psalm continues, “We are His people and the sheep of His pasture” (3c). The concept of God being a shepherd and people being sheep occurs throughout the Scriptures. Psalm 95:6-7, for example, points out, “And we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand….” Jesus refers to Himself as the Shepherd and those who follow Him as sheep (Jn. 10:27-28). God, our Shepherd, is our owner, and He sustains us. Paul exclaimed of God in Acts 17:28, “for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’” We should worship God—our shepherd and guide. Psalm 79:13 tells us, “So we, Your people and sheep of Your pasture, will give You thanks forever; we will show forth Your praise to all generations.”
4. His goodness and mercy are everlasting. The psalm also says, “For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting” (5a). God is not merely a power or force; He is not just the Creator; He is also good and merciful. Psalm 86:5 also states this concept when it says, “For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.” God’s mercy is everlasting—it will always be. For this reason, we should worship God.
5. He fulfills His promises to all generations. The psalm concludes by saying, “His truth endures to all generations” (5b). This statement is the final reason for worshiping God. Most translations render it as “His faithfulness endures” instead of “truth.” It would be difficult to worship Him if He were always changing. We can count on God’s truth and His faithfulness.
Without a doubt, this is a psalm of praise and thanksgiving. The whole earth is to praise God. The psalm tells us how to worship God, and then it tells us why. Various action words tell us how. We are to shout for joy to the Lord; worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs; know the Lord is God; enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. We are motivated to worship God because He is the only God; He is our Creator, our guide, and sustainer; His goodness and mercy is never-ending; He will always be faithful and true.