The Psalms, which were written over a very long time, very likely over several centuries, is regarded by many as the most complete and diverse book of the Hebrew scriptures. It is not difficult to imagine why this is so. Few other writings in either the Old or New Testament, cover the wide range of topics and issues that are to be found in the Psalms and so in many ways the Psalms could be regarded as a Bible in itself. The Psalms and the book of Proverbs are often linked together as Wisdom Literature and it is not hard to understand why this may be so although the Psalms clearly were written by many writers some of whom remain anonymous for a wide variety of reasons.
A great many of the Psalms however, are attributed to one man, David, who was Israel’s most successful and well-known king. These include arguably the most well-known psalm of them all, Psalm 23 which is often called ‘The Shepherd’s Psalm’ and our text for today Psalm 30.
We are not exactly sure why David wrote Psalm 30 but its content hints that it may have been written at a time when he was healed from a major ailment which threatened his very life. Although the Psalm is ascribed to David it is difficult to tell when he could have been so ill that he felt that he would die. The Biblical records about David certainly don’t tell us about such a period in his life. What is certain is that this psalm is by and large a psalm of praise to God for being healed or delivered. It is a Psalm of Thanksgiving. The Psalmist not only is giving thanks to God for his own healing but urges all faithful people to praise God “whose favor lasts a lifetime”. (Psalm 30:5 NIV) This Psalm was obviously written for the dedication of the temple and at its heart it is a Psalm that is retrospective in that the Psalmist, again we accept that it is David, is looking back on how God has spared him and saved him from terrible experiences including illness and brought him to a point where he can look back with praise and thanks on the goodness and faithfulness of God. This Psalm reflects the experience of God’s people through their own journey with God. No wonder it became a Psalm that was written for the dedication of the Temple and a Psalm to be used in regular worship at the Temple. By this time of the psalm’s writing, Israel was now a secure and prosperous people who could reflect on the goodness of God through many various experiences.
This Psalm asks us to reflect on what praise really is and on what situations or circumstances elicit our praise. In the Hebrew language the word praise “yada” meant to speak of the excellence of someone or something. More often than not praise is elicited because of the gratitude of someone to the person or thing that is being praised. There are very many reasons to give praise and equally many ways in which praise can be demonstrated. Here in the times in which the Psalms were written, praise was mainly about thanksgiving but the reasons for giving thanks could be many as well such as being saved from one’s enemies, being healed from an illness, being victorious in battle and receiving a well-appreciated gift. People showed their praise in worship, in singing, in writing poems and other artistic forms and in service to others and so on. As we reflect therefore there are some important things to remind ourselves about from the text.
- Praise is a vital part of our relationship with our God.
It is clear from the outset to whom our praise must be directed. We praise our fellow human beings for their own outstanding acts that make a difference to our lives in countless ways, but ultimately there is only one person to whom all praise is due. A well-known doxology which includes the words, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow”*1 reminds us that ultimately all praise is due to God. Whatever we are blessed with on earth through the goodness of others is ultimately from God and so it is God that must be praised. Our praise to God is vital because it reminds us that we are being blessed by God through whatever sources or persons that God chooses to bless us or take care of our needs. Praise to God is also vital because it reminds us who is our ultimate source of existence. The words of another well-known Psalm reminds us that we are God’s creation. Psalm 100 says, “It is he who made us, and we are his;…” (See Psalm 100:3 NIV) You may also recall St. Luke’s version of the triumphant entry into Jerusalem when the disciples were shouting their praise to God and Jesus was being told to keep them quiet. His response then which was , “… if they keep quiet the stones will cry out.” (See St. Luke 19:40 NIV) made it very clear that this is what we are created for. God’s creation is to express praise to God in whatever way they do it.We are reminded through our praise of who our Creator is, who is the source of our existence.
- Giving praise reminds us that we are a grateful people.
The essence of praise is gratitude. We are reminded that we cannot survive or even thrive by our own means and initiative. We are reminded that we are as humans dependent on others and indeed on the created order for our existence to continue. No one of us can sustain our lives by ourselves. We are inter-connected whether we like it or not. Because of this we recognise that we must be a people who understand the importance of gratitude to others and above all gratitude to God who equips us all to help each other to live meaningful and fulfilling lives on this planet. The question then is what are you grateful for today? In Psalm 30 the writer was grateful because he had been brought back from s major illness. What is the reason for your gratitude today? An important reason why Christians gather together in communion with God and with each other is to give God thanks.What is your reason for giving God thanks today?
- Praise to God is both personal and communal.
A great many of the psalms exist because they were written for public use. The praise we offer to God must be shared with others. In essence our praise to God is more powerful and meaningful when it is done in the company of others. This is because everyone can relate to it. Praise is a joyous expression of gratitude and every human being has experienced something that was worthy of giving God praise and thanks for. Even when your gratitude to God is about something personal, your praise to him in a communal context is most notable and meaningful because you are letting others know what God has done for you and how blessed you are. In telling or sharing your praise to God with others you are in fact celebrating or lifting God up even more. A private prayer of thanks has its own meaning and place in a believer’s life but God is extolled or lifted up when more of us publicly give him praise. You may notice that in the gospel stories of people being healed by Jesus they would be told to tell others what God has done for them or the persons would go about spreading the news of their healing or transformation on their own initiative. Last week’s message of the healing of the demon-possessed man is a good example of this. He was urged by Jesus to go and tell others what God has done for him.
- What does your praise to God look like?
In light of all that has been said so far, the question we must ask first is, are we praising God enough?
Many people are shy about giving public praise especially in worship. Some people think the idea of doing this is beneath them. They think that they have achieved so much on their own initiative and through their own resources, that they do not need to thank anyone, especially God for it. ‘It is my effort’, ‘It is my sweat and my hard work’ they would say. Many of us need to be reminded that everything that we have and everything we have achieved is because of the goodness of God and as such God is deserving of all our praise and thanksgiving.
The second question we must ask ourselves is, how do we give praise to God? What does your praise to God look like? Is it genuine or is it simply meant to impress other people? Some people are cautious about how they give God praise even if the Spirit is moving them to do so because they are afraid to be embarrassed before their friends. In 2 Samuel 6:14-16, King David was scorned by his own wife because he was leaping and dancing with the people as the Ark was brought into Jerusalem. She obviously thought that such ‘jumping about’ was unbecoming for a king. Many of us do let our pride or what other people might think about us inhibit our fullest expression of praise to God even when you may have the urge to do so in a very publicly expressive way. On the other hand, some people are not shy to publicly praise God but the real question is whether or not it is sincere or it is only meant to impress others. For many people, worship time is an opportunity to impress others or even to boast on other persons or to look down on others. What is your purpose for worshipping? What is your reason for giving God praise and what does praise look like for you? How meaningful and sincere is your praise to God today irrespective of what you do? Let us reflect seriously my friends on these thoughts as we go from here to “give to our God immortal praise”*2 now and always knowing that the praise we give to God is also a blessing and an inspiration for others. Amen.
*1 from the doxology “Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow” Author Thomas Ken 1674. Public Domain. Extracted from Hymnary.org
*2 from the hymn “Give to our God Immortal Praise” Author Isaac Watts 1719 Public Domain. Extracted from Hymnary.org