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PSALM

CHAPTER 148

1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the LORD from the heavens: praise him in the heights. 2 Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts. 3 Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light. 4 Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens. 5 Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created. 6 He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree which shall not pass.

This song calls for every created thing to give praise to God. He is the Creator of all things. These first verses call on the things of the created universe to give praise to God.

Genesis Chapter One begins with the statement, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth..."

God, being spirit, has no need of physical comforts. But He has created all things for His praise and glory. Nothing fulfills it's created purpose until it is praising God.

7 Praise the LORD from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps: 8 Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word: 9 Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars: 10 Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl: 11 Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth: 12 Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children: 13 Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven.

These verses call upon all things in the earth to give praise to God. Everything that IS has been created by the Lord God.

All mankind is created by God, and should praise Him for having life (verses 12-13).

God is ABOVE all His creation and deserves the praise that we can give.

14 He also exalteth the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints; even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye the LORD.

The "saints" of God should ESPECIALLY praise Him! They are His "chosen," His "elect," and they are precious in His sight. (See Numbers 16:5, Deuteronomy 14:2, 1Peter 2:9)

God gave man "free will." It is man's choice to live for God or not. All men have first chosen to sin and have become less than the purpose for which God created them.

But when man chooses to live for God, he receives forgiveness, pardon, justification, sanctification, and will be brought to glorification. God will "exalt" the strength of His chosen people and bring them to glory where they will live with Him forever.

Praise God for creating us!

Praise Him for MERCY!!
Praise Him for giving us restoration to our purpose -- TO PRAISE HIM!!

PSALM 149

1 Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints. 2 Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: let the children of Zion be joyful in their King. 3 Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.

People are constantly writing NEW songs with which to give praise to God. The saved soul REJOICES in giving praise to God.

Take note here that praise should be given "in the congregation." It is important to give praise to God in the "body of believers." Praise to God is encouragment and inspiration to His people.

Those who have been saved, have been brought to "Zion," the closeness of God's heart (Hebrews 12:22). It is a natural thing for them to want to praise God.

Israel was called upon to praise God LOUDLY! Let the praise be HEARD! Let others see the rejoicing and know that salvation brings real joy.

Have you ever noticed how many people sing in the congregation? Many will sing with their heads back and voices lifted up, genuinely and joyfully praising God. Some sing with their heads down and barely audible voices. Some sing off-key and may not be "in time" with the beat. But when ALL sing, it is a beautiful sound!

Dancing was appropriate behavior in the Old Testament under certain circumstances. Men danced (2Samuel 6:14) and women danced (Judges 11:34). But they didn't dance TOGETHER!

Lude and sensual dancing was considered inappropriate behavior (Matthew 14:6). Today, because of the sensual connotations, dancing is inappropriate in the church. We should be singing and praising God from our spirit (1Corinthians 14:15).

4 For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation. 5 Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds.

The main reason we should sing and praise God is because He "taketh pleasure in His people." He grants pardon and eternal salvation to those who genuinely surrender to Him.

We should be praising God all day, and it should be the last act of waking hours.

While we are praising God with our mouth, we should also be daily fighting evil with our actions! The "two-edged" sword of today is the BIBLE! It is in the Bible that there is "judgment written."

The Word of God is a deterrent to evil in the world today. When used appropriately, it is even a greater weapon than a physical sword. It will BIND kings, princes and evil-doers to righteous actions.

PRAISE GOD today! And USE HIS WORD!!

PSALM 150

1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.

This final song in the book of songs is a call to praise God with all that we are.

Praise is certainly to be heard "in His sanctuary." But praise is also to be given "in the firmament of His power;" that is, in every part of His creation.

Everywhere we go, the saints of God should be giving praise to Him.

2 Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.

God's "acts" have been recorded throughout history. He has shown that He is righteous, holy and merciful. God has granted salvation to all who will come to Him.

3 Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. 4 Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. 5 Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. 6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

In virtually every manner we should give praise to God. It is our created purpose.

Are you praising him in the church? Are you praising Him parents in your home? Are you praising Him adults at work? Are you praising Him students at school? Are you praising Him with your free time? Are you praising Him in your neighborhood?

The Lord, our God is Creator and Savior. He is holy, just, merciful and kind.

And God is WORTHY of all our praise!!

Please continue in Bible Study with us.