In the
Hebrew language, there are many words to describe “praise”
Shavach -To address in a loud tone, that is, to pacify.
Barach - To kneel, by implication to bless God.
Hillool - a celebration
of thanksgiving for the harvest
Halal -To be clear, to make a show, to boast, to rave, to celebrate.
Zamar -To touch the strings or parts of a musical instrument; to make
music accompanied by voice, hence
to celebrate in music and song.
Yadah -To use, hold
out, extend the hand. To revere/worship. From (yad), an open hand indicating
power (as opposed to the closed hand).
Shavach -To address in a loud tone, that is, to pacify.
Tehillah -laudation, a
hymn.
Todah - An extension of the hand; adoration; a choir of worshippers.
Scripture gives us many examples of praise such
as
PS 71:8 “My mouth is full of
praise for you, filled with your glory all day long.”
PS 98:4 “Shout for joy to ADONAI, all the earth!
Break forth, sing for joy, sing praises! “
PS 100:4 Enter his gates
with thanksgiving, enter his courtyards with praise; give thanks to him, and
bless his name.
PS 119:171 Let
my lips speak praise, because you teach me your laws.
ISAIAH 42:8 I am ADONAI; that is my
name. I yield my glory to no one else, nor my praise to any idol.
ISAIAH 62:7 And give him no rest till
he restores
HEBREWS
In Isaiah 61:3 we read “Yes, provide for
those in Zion who mourn, giving them garlands instead of ashes, the oil of
gladness instead of mourning, a cloak of praise instead of a heavy spirit,
so that they will be called oaks of righteousness planted by ADONAI, in which
he takes pride.”
Isaiah tells us that God has a ‘garment of praise”
for us to wear. It is a covering that we can be clothed in 24/7. If we are
wearing this covering, we will be called “oaks of righteousness”. God will
“take pride” in us.
The opposite would be us believers clothed in the
“spirit of heaviness”. A spirit of heaviness is an attitude of negativity and
un-thankfulness.
A neat Biblical picture is the tribe of
When
Let’s draw some conclusions.
-
Praise is an expression of our love for God.
-
It is a commanded Biblical principle
-
It touches the heart of God
-
We are to practice it always
-
God deserves to receive praise from us.
-
God allows no one else to receive His praise
-
He gives us a Heavenly garment to cover us called
“PRAISE”.
What does praise do?
Several
years back when we were young believers, my husband was attacked with deep
depression. He could not shake it as it had such a hold on him. One day when
leaving for the
After
he left, I called the church office to ask for guidance. The church secretary
listened as I explained my concern. Having had my father commit suicide, I was
not taking any chances with my husband’s mental state.
The
secretary said that I needed to put worship music on and go through the house
singing. Singing? That was the last thing I was
interested in doing. Could she not see that we were in a horrible spot? Sing? I
think not! I implored her to hear my
fear and once again she suggested the same – fill the house with worship music
and sing –sing- sing.
She assured me that she really knew that this was
the weapon to turn the battle to our side.
I
finally obeyed and the only worship music we had at the time was an old PTL
record. I sang to the top of my lungs, over and over until I realized that the
fear was gone and I could now pray with fervour and faith for
What garment are you wearing? Is it one that
brings a God-covering or one that produces heaviness?
Romans 15:8 –11
“For I tell you that
truth, to confirm
the promises made to the patriarchs so that the Gentiles may
glorify God for
his mercy, as it is written:
"Therefore I will praise you among
the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to your name.”
Again, it says,
"Rejoice, O
Gentiles, with his people.” And again,
"Praise the
Lord, all you Gentiles,
and sing
praises to him, all you peoples."
On my first
trip to
Well! This women writing isn’t going to let a
rock sing my praise to the God of Heaven.
“LORD- I love to sing your praises.”
”””
