Friday, July 19 – Psalms 100, 101

1. Why does God call us to praise and sing to the Lord? (Psalm 100:5)

2. With what attitude should we praise God with songs? (Psalm 100:4)

3. What resolution of David should we emulate? (Psalm 101:6, 7)

4. How does David express the same feelings of God toward evil? (Psalm 101:8)

Commentary and Reflection:

These two brief psalms express profound truths about our relationship with God, individually and collectively. Both psalms belong to the fourth book of the Biblical Psalter. The author of the first hymn in the Adventist hymnal was inspired by Psalm 1 for his composition in this Psalm.

Psalm 100 serves as a doxology at the end of the chain of Psalms praising The Lord as King (Psalms 93-99). As the culmination of this series of psalms, it calls all the earth to honor humanity’s Creator, God, Protector, and Benefactor. It highlights expressions of joy such as “make a joyful shout,” “serve the Lord with gladness,” “come before His presence with singing,” “enter into His gates with thanksgiving,” and “Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.”

The primary reason for us to worship God is “for it is He who has made us, and we are His.” We do not originate from cells or microscopic organisms. Our origin does not trace back to monkeys, fish, quadrupeds, or reptiles. Nor do we accept the philosophy of deism, as we do not believe that God created the universe and left it to its fate. We believe in a God who lives within us, a God who is Creator, Sustainer, Savior, and Redeemer, who is soon to come to take us to live for eternity.

The fact that God has made us His people is reason enough to praise His Holy Name. Remember this promise: “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.” (1 Peter 2:9, 10).

What should our attitude be when worshipping the Lord? Our attitude should be one of joy and thanksgiving. We can express that gratitude by offering thanksgiving sacrifices to The Lord.

He invites us to enter the gates of the Church with praise. As Sister White indicates, “The melody of praise is the atmosphere of heaven; and when heaven comes in touch with the earth, there is music and song ‘thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.’” (Education, p. 162).

The words of Psalm 100 have a personal touch regarding my disposition to worship. The result, in turn, will be a blessing for me and others. As David says, “For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.”

In Psalm 101, David again expresses his desire to praise God through song. He promises to live righteously personally and desires to see righteousness in others. The psalm offers a list of principles that should guide a leader or head of state. These principles are also precious for parents in protecting the home from bad influences. David composed this psalm at the beginning of his reign.

We could synthesize that “mercy” is another expression of God’s love. I find it interesting that in Latin, the word is composed of “miser,” meaning “misery,” and “cordial,” referring to the heart. It refers to have heartfelt love and compassion for those in misery. That is precisely what God has done with sinful man, with you and me.

The psalmist establishes a close relationship between “mercy” and “justice.” For this reason, he delights in singing to Him. In Psalm 85:10, the fulfillment of these two attributes of God in the person of the Messiah – Jesus – is observed: “Mercy and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed.” In whom else but Jesus have these divine attributes perfectly merged?

I pray that, like David, we will adopt an attitude of joyful praise to the Lord of our salvation. In the meantime, let us make the exact resolution as the psalmist to seek personal and collective integrity as the people of God. May the Lord help us in this.

I wish you many blessings.