Psalm 100 "Worship" ??

Psalm 100 can be broken down into two divisions, Verses 1-3 and verses 4-5. Verses 1 and 2 are a call to worship God with a joyful noise and service while in His presence singing! Verse 3 gives us the reason to worship Him, because He is God who made us and sustains us.

Verse 4 is another call to worship, we are to come before Him with thanksgiving, praise, and blessings. Verse 5 gives the reasons to worship Him, because He is good, merciful, and faithful!

Context: The historical context is unknown but what is known is that Psalm is a call to worship, it may have been sang as people entered into the temple or began their worship. This Psalm comes immediately after a collection of enthronement Psalms (Ps. 95-99), it echoes some of their language and themes. It calls all the earth: Jew and Gentile, man, woman, and child to worship the Lord with joy. He is our creator and sustainer thus we should know Him as God. He is good and His mercy is everlasting and so is His faithfulness.

Observations:

I. FIRST DIVISION 1-3

1st Verse

* Make a joyful noise (shout joyfully NASB) is a single verb in Hebrew. רוּעַ rûaʿ which means to make a single loud public noise that signals a feeling or a future action. Note the context, all the lands… this is for all the people to make a single unified shout for joy to the Lord.

Lord yhwh The present tense Lord who is the one true God and who has covenant relationship with His people.

All (Noun) kōl every, totality, whole....everyone

Lands (All the earth NASB)(noun) ʾě·rěṣ world, earth…the place where humans live.

I think it can be said that all the people of earth are called to make a unified joyful noise to the Lord!

2nd Verse

*Serve (Verb) ʿā·ḇǎḏ work or Labor, it is a very generic term that can be used for almost any activity, but contextually I believe it means service as a form of worship, to minister or to work in ministry with devotion to God.

Lord (Noun) yhwh The present tense Lord who is the one true God and who has covenant relationship with His people

Gladness (noun) śim·ḥā(h) Joy, delight, a feeling or an attitude of joyful happiness and cheerfulness! The glad worship of God even during unfavorable conditions.

*Come (verb) (2x) bô to arrive.

His presence (pronoun) hû this gives reference to a definite person. It is the idea of being with someone. ie to be with God

Singing (noun) renā·nā a communication of joy… to utter words of joy by music!

We are to render service to God in devotion as a form of worship and when we come into His presence it should be with a song of joy. Joy is to be the nature of our worship in spite of our circumstances!

3rd Verse

Know ye (verb) yā·ḏǎʿ Posses knowledge, become known. The idea of learning

LORD yhwh

God ʾělō·hîm, the true God, grammatically this word is plural but its meaning is singular. It implies majesty it is means the One true God of power! Gen. 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Elohim is the God who created.

Made ʿā·śā(h) to fashion or create, to manufacturer.

People ʿǎm (noun) (masculine) kinship, related to biologically. Paternal kinship… He is our loving Father!

Sheep ṣō Flock of small animals. We are His flock .

Pasture - grazing place. He sustains us.

We are to know that YHWH is our creator and sustainer. For this reason we are to worship Him, not from a sense of duty but with joyful devotion. One day we will do just that on the grounds of grace through faith!

II. SECOND DIVISION 4-5

Enter (verb) bô (2X) [Come in verse 1] To arrive

Gates šǎ·ʿǎr set of doors that close off an enclosed area, in this context it is gates that close of His court. The entrance to His courts!

Thanksgiving (noun) a CONFESSION of Thanksgiving! To speak words of PERSONAL Praise!

Courts ḥā·ṣēr the open area

Praise (noun) (tehil·lā(h) To speak positive words about the excellence of another. Adoration! To express adoration of! This is another word for worship!

Be Thankful (verb) yā·ḏā express praise, confession of thanksgiving.

Bless (verb) bā·rǎḵ speak words of the excellence of His name.

Good (adj) ṭôḇ the moral opposite of evil.

Mercy (noun) ḥě·sěḏ Loyal love. unfailing kindness. Steadfast love

Everlasting (adverb) ʿô·lām forever, eternity

Truth (noun) ʾěmû·nā faithfulness, trustworthiness

All Generations (noun) dôr groups of people living at the same time

calling all the earth to submit to the Lord in worship

I. We are to worship the Lord because He alone is God, who created us and sustains us.

A. The Call to Worship

Long live the King (1 Sam. 10:24) there was none like Sual in stature but there is none like God period! We are to regularly come before Him in worship to magnify His name. (Heb. 10:24-25)

B. The Cause for Worship

He is God! We most know Him, there is only one way to know and that is through Jesus Christ. He made us for Himself caring for us as a shepherd does His flock! Since He alone creates and cares for us He alone is to be prasied!

II. We are to worship the Lord because of His goodness, steadfast love and enduring faithfulness.

A. The Call to Worship

B. The Cause For Worship

He is Good

He is the source of every blessing, goodness is the very essence of His nature. He defined His goodness to Moses. Ex. 34:6-7

2. His love endures forever

There is no end to His goodness towards us. This is heightened by us being sinners.

3. His faithfulness continues through all generations.

He has been good in the past, He is good in the present, and will be so forever!