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The Book of Psalms: “What is Worship?”
This paper is an attempt to answer the question, “What is worship in the
Psalms?” I will examine two distinct aspects of thought that are the
basis for worship in the Psalms. The first aspect is the worldview found in
the Psalms, and the second is the mood in which worship in the Psalms is
expressed.
The Worldview of the Psalmist
When we read the psalms we are reading the beliefs, thoughts, and the
emotional expressions of the psalmist. It doesn’t take long to realize
that the Psalms were born in the context of a particular worldview. An
example for instance is the underlying theology of Psalm 1 where there is a
contrast between the righteous who delight in the law of God and the wicked
who do not. Here we can see that the worshiper in the psalms had a
theology that included a distinction between these two groups. It is
safe to say that the rejection of this would be the opposite attitude from
what we see in the psalms, and that those who deny this idea would have no
desire to worship with the psalmist. Clearly, from the very beginning
of the psalms, we see a worldview emerging. As we go on to read and
contemplate the psalms, it becomes more evident that the authors had a
worldview that put God at the very center of their individual and national
lives; They believed He was orchestrating all things for His purposes.
The psalmist saw God’s influence reaching far and wide, even to the gentile
nations and the universe itself.
The role of scripture to the Psalmist
The worshipper in the psalms believed that God had spoken through Moses and
the prophets and that God had directly inspired their writings. These
writings were approached with reverence and submission. The idea that
God had spoken His word to them was central to their understanding of human
existence.
Faith in the Psalms is a reliance on God as He revealed Himself in the
earlier periods of the Old Testament. The several Psalms which recount
the history of Israel not only record Gods dealings with them in the past
but also reveal His character and intentions for their future. This
points to how the writings of Moses were viewed as an inspired revelation of
God (Examples of these are Ps.78, Ps.105, Ps.106, Ps.135, Ps.136).
This view of inspiration can also be seen in Exodus 6:2 that says, ”God also
spoke to Moses and said to him: ‘I am the LORD’“; and in Jeremiah 1:5 ”I
appointed you a prophet to the nations”; Also, Isaiah 6:8 states “Then I
heard the voice of the Lord saying,’ Whom shall I send, and who will go for
us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I; send me’”; and in Ezekiel 2, “He said to me: ‘O
mortal, stand up on your feet, and I will speak with you’”.
This inspired word which came through their prophets was the source of
answers to their deepest questions. An example is in Psalm 73.
Here the psalmist is very perplexed about the prosperity of the wicked until
in verse 17 when he comes to the house of the Lord where he says he
perceived their (the wicked) end. This perception that took place
undoubtedly was a result of hearing and seeing the goings on in the
sanctuary. It was the reading of the written words and the acts of
worship, as prescribed in the law, that brought the psalmist back into a
right worldview and answered his questions. His belief in the inspiration of
these writings was crucial to his faith in them.
Psalm 119 is another clear picture of how confident the Psalmist’s were that
God had revealed himself in his written word. The terms “law”,
“statutes”, “precepts”, “commandments”, “laws”, “decrees”, “word”,
“promise,” which are in almost every verse, refer to the written word of
God. The idea in this psalm is the worship of a faithful God whose
word is the surety by which they will be blessed, strengthened, corrected
and given a happy future.
Theology in the Psalms
We also see in the Psalms the theology of the psalmist. Martin Luther
in his preface to the psalms called it a “little bible” in that it contained
“all that is to be found in the whole bible.”
A well known pastor once said, “the deeper we go
theologically the higher we will go in praise and worship.” The book
of Psalms verifies this thought in that the deepest moments of worship in
the psalms are not expressed apart from the specific beliefs of the
psalmist.
The psalms contain illustrations of every truth the Bible reveals. They
reveal theology in the expression of the heart. They are theology in
it’s most vibrant form. The psalmist’s theology revolves around the
idea of a covenant relationship which to them meant God’s presence with
them. The great themes of the Bible are in the psalms, like God’s
creation (Ps. 33:6-9) and God’s providence (Ps.104:10-29). We see the
reality of sin (Ps. 14, 143:2) along with God’s redemption (Ps.43).
Psalm 119 reveals God’s word and wisdom, while Psalm 1 gives us
promises and warnings. The psalms show us forgiveness (Ps.51) and the
trust of God (Ps.62:8). The theology of the psalms encompasses the
theology of the entire Old Testament. The psalms in one sense are a
sort of statement of faith or creed. The psalms show us what the
people believed concerning their God and his dealings with them. The
Psalms see and magnify God for precisely who he claims to be. They are
an expression of the knowledge about God and his ways which is rooted in the
personal experience of a vital relationship with him.
Worship in the psalms comes from the heart of a human being who has a
particular worldview concerning God. This worldview is based on the
idea that God has said and done specific things concerning Himself and the
worshiper. Worship is our appropriate response to knowing these
things. It is out of this heart and mindset that the psalmist pours
forth his worship to God. In the next section, we will look at all the
different moods in which worship can be expressed.
Moods of Worship
It is hard for us to think of worship without connecting it in our mind to
some sort of outward act such as singing, kneeling, bowing, lifting hands or
prayer. All of these things are descriptive of outward acts of
worship. The psalms speak of all these and more, but these in
themselves don’t define worship. It is the light of God shining in our
hearts and minds, then erupting in an outward expression within the context
of our lives, that is the kind of worship that the psalms exemplify.
Worship in the Psalms is an honoring of God and expressing His worth with a
clear mental picture of Him through His word accompanied with the
appropriate emotions. The Psalms show us that true worship involves a
delighting in God which expresses itself in a longing for Him. In Matt
15:8-9, Jesus quotes a rebuke of Isaiah to those who were performing outward
acts of worship when he said, “This people honors me with their lips, but
their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching human
precepts as doctrines.” Worship that doesn’t involve the truth of God
expressed with appropriate heart feeling here is called vanity.
We don’t need to look very far into the psalms to see that there are some
differences in them. These differences are in the mood of the Psalms
and help us place the Psalms in groups to facilitate the study of them.
Psalms of Praise or Hymns
Psalms of praise or hymns extol the greatness of God. Many of them
begin with a call to worship (Ps. 103). These psalms are full of joy
and the giving of thanks with confidence. Their content includes the
giving of reasons for praising and thanking God (Ps. 8:3). These can
also end with a call to worship (Ps. 117). Major themes of these
psalms are “the redemption of Israel” Ps. 66:1-12, “the creation of the
world” Ps. 104, and “praising the covenant-God who is ruler throughout
history.” Worship is a magnifying, praising and thanking God for
who He is and what He has done. The praise of God is never far
from the lips of the psalmist even in times of distress which we will see as
we look at the next type of psalm.
Psalms of Lament
The lament is the psalmist’s cry when in great distress. The mood of
lamentation in the psalms is more evidence of how the psalms are an honest
expression of the worship experience in human life. There are more
psalms of lament than any other type. These psalms make it clear that
we are not always experiencing times of joy. They are more than
complaints with sadness; they are calls for help in times of distress and
express confidence in God’s delivering power. They deal with the
problem of feeling isolated from God. Though they usually start with a
complaint, they also express strong affirmations of trust in the Lord.
While the psalmist will cry out to God and ask for his help they sometimes
end with a declaration of the certainty of God’s intervention followed by
praise. As one Old Testament professor said, “Because they rejected every
man-made, man-controlled instrument or institution as a ground for
confidence, the psalmists were thrust back on the character and activity of
God as the only sure ground of hope.” (Toombs 124) Worship in the
psalms of lament is a crying out to God in one’s darkest hour
(e.g.Ps.13).
Penitential Psalms
Penitential Psalms refer to the confession of sins. They are
especially important because the attitude they convey is essential to a
relationship with God. They recognize their offense to God and show
the need for His grace (Ps. 51:4). These psalms point to the extent of
sin in mankind and the extent of the forgiveness of God. They show
that those who come to God and cry for mercy will be answered with God’s
forgiveness (Ps.130:1-4). Those of us familiar with the New Testament
can especially relate to passages like Psalm 51:17 that says, “The sacrifice
acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God,
you will not despise.” This idea shows a unity with the command to
repent in the New Testament which is still essential to a relationship with
God (Matt.3:2). More examples of these psalms are (Ps 6, 32, 38, 102,
143)
Wisdom Psalms
Wisdom Psalms take the general form and characteristics of a proverb.
The Old Testament has several books which emphasize wisdom such as Job,
Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. This motif is carried into the psalms also.
A good example of this would be Psalm 37 which is concerned with the
practical issues of life. Here the psalmist asked the question “why do the
wicked prosper”. The answer for the psalmist lies in looking to
eternity and realizing that God is just and that he will have the last say.
These psalms make a clear distinction between the two ways which face us in
life, righteousness and wickedness. Worship in the psalms
is an acknowledging of the wisdom that comes from God and cherishing the
truth of it.
Imprecatory Psalms
The Imprecatory psalms call out for God to bring justice to his enemies (Ps.
55,59,69,79,109,137). These psalms can only be understood in the
context of a covenant relationship. Deuteronomy chapter 29 shows us
that curses were central to the covenant relationship. The psalms
always asserted a distinction between the wicked and the righteous or those
in covenant with God and those who are not. In these psalms, the
psalmist cries out for God to bring justice to his enemies. This is
not a personal vendetta for the psalmist, as seen in Psalm 5:10b which says,
“for they have rebelled against you,” and Psalm 79:12 which says, “Return
sevenfold into the bosom of our neighbors the taunts with which they taunted
you, O Lord!”
This idea is also seen in the New Testament where Jesus in Matthew 25:31-33
talks of separating the sheep from the goats; the sheep are eternally
blessed and the goats are eternally cursed. Worship in the psalms
magnifies the glory of God by acknowledging that the worth of his glory is
upheld both by the blessing of the righteous and the damnation of the
wicked.
Three Interviews
Here are the results of three interviews where I asked others the same
question, “What is worship?” The first two are from professing
Christians, and the third from a non-religious person.
Christian #1 said, “I think worship is an intense adoration of God that
springs forth from a heart that is softened by Him.” This is right on
target. All of the moods of the Psalms I mentioned definitely had in
common the adoration of God. In this definition we see the idea of
“a heart that is softened by God.” This says that this relationship is
initiated by God. The Psalms continually talk about God as the creator
and the chooser of Israel. This to me is in right in line with what I
have said previously.
Christian #2 said, “Worship is giving full reverence to God and
acknowledging His greatness and worth. It comes from a response to
what God has done for us in Christ and is both a delight and duty for the
believer, expressed in song, prayer, and giving, and as a way of life.”
This definition of worship seems to also be right in line with the
psalms. It talks of God’s greatness and worth, it is based on what God
has done for us, and it is a delight of the heart expressed in many
different ways.
A non-religious person said, "extravagant respect or admiration for or
devotion to an object of esteem" such as worshipping the almighty dollar.
This is mostly a dictionary definition with the last phrase about money
added by the interviewee. There are many things in common with the
worship of God and the worship of money. Matthew 6:24 says, “No one
can serve two masters; for he will either hate the one and love the other,
or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and
wealth.” God and Money have many things in common, neither of them
have any needs themselves that we could fill for them. The idea that
money has needs that we could fill by serving it to me is just as absurd as
thinking we have something to give to God which He is in need of.
Serving money means situating yourself and your money in such a way so that
you can benefit most from what money has to offer. Worshipping God
means submitting to Him and acknowledging all that He is for those who trust
Him, and banking your future on Him, which is said in so many ways in the
Psalms. It is no wonder that Jesus used an example comparing God and
Money, and it makes since that a person who does not believe in God would
connect the idea of worship to that which he trusts for his happiness and
future, namely money.
To answer someone who has no scriptural
understanding of this issue.
Christians are people who have found in Jesus Christ a treasure that to them
is more valuable than anything else. This treasure is a vital
relationship with almighty God. This relationship encompasses and
changes every part of their life. To a person who has experienced
this, worship is as natural as breathing. It is not as if God wants to be
praised so much for his own sake, but instead, He knows that the happiest
and most content that we can be is when we are expressing our love for him.
This is similar to a newly wed couple whose love for each other isn’t
complete and experienced to its fullest until it is expressed; therefore
they continually tell each other of their love for one another, which
heightens their enjoyment of it. Worship in the Psalms is a natural
way of life to those who are experiencing intimacy with God through Jesus
Christ.
Conclusion
Worship in the psalms is an amalgam of a biblical/theological worldview and
the deepest desires of the human heart that has been touched by God and
delights in Him. The Psalms uphold the importance of theology in
worship. They show us that strong desires toward God are a vital
part of the worship of God. They also show us that this worldview is
expressed in the context of real life with every emotion that mankind
experiences. It could be said that worship in the psalms is a
believing in biblical truth, and then expressing it with all the emotions of
human existence. Worship in the psalms seems to be a seeing of God’s
involvement in this world, past, present and future, while at the same time
expressing the deepest desires for Him to continue His involvement in every
aspect of the worshipper’s life. It has been said that truth without
passion leads to lifeless religious rituals; and passion not grounded in
truth is a breeding ground for error. The Psalms clearly do not make
either of these mistakes.
Works Cited
Lawrence E. Toombs. “Worship in the Psalter” Religion
in Life 1959-60 118-127. |