Bible Study - Worship - I Celebrate YOU - Psalm 92 - March 18, 2011

Bible Study – Worship – I Celebrate You – March 18, 2012

This is lesson three (3) in our series entitled “The Heart of Worship.”

Our scripture is Psalm 92:1-15.

Worship is from the heart and it is a celebration of the relationship a Christian has with CHRIST through the indwelling Holy Spirit. It is the moment where the cognitive body of flesh, which houses the born-again Spirit and the Holy Spirit, recognizes, acknowledges and responds to the majesty of GOD and the fact that it has been redeemed from death and restored to full fellowship and relationship with GOD through CHRIST.  When a Christian considers the rich heritage he/she has through his/her relationship with CHRIST, it is awesome and worthy of celebration through worship. All sins are forgiven – past, present and future through the shed blood of CHRIST. The Christian has eternal life, is clothed with the righteousness of CHRIST, is indwelled by the Holy Spirit and is born into the family of GOD through the miracle of the rebirth. His/her citizenship is in heaven and has the grace and freedom to come into the presence of GOD 24/7 and the list goes on.

Christians can celebrate life when they ponder the miraculous human body they live in. This celebration of life continues when we look around and see the handiwork of GOD such as the beauty and order of the earth and the universe, the exact atmosphere, the distance of earth from the sun, its rotation which supports our existence. Consider the plants and the fruits that contain seeds that can be used to produce more fruit. These have come from GOD. They were planned and created by GOD and reflect HIS nature and attributes.

We do not know who wrote the Psalm 92. It was written for worship on the Sabbath. Praise is an important part of worship. Praise can be internal or it can be outward through corporate worship. Worship can be expressed through music, art, poetry, song, silence and the list goes on. But ground zero is being a child of GOD through salvation that only CHRIST can provide. Christians can fake worship or they can worship GOD in Spirit and truth. They must not mistake true worship for emotion. As stated earlier, when the flesh becomes part of the praise and celebration, Christians need to be aware that their flesh can become emotionally excited and confuse the excitement with worship. This is not to say that excitement cannot be true worship. It depends upon their heart. Truth worship can come through the joy of knowing CHRIST and having an intimate, loving relationship with HIM without an electric environment. Christians must be careful to seek HIM and fellowship with HIM and not the emotion produced by an emotionally charged environment. Worship is a celebration of what CHRIST has done for us by reconciling us to the FATHER through HIS death and HIS resurrection.

Let’s read Psalm 92:1-4: (Celebrate GOD in Worship)

God’s Love and Faithfulness
A psalm. A song for the Sabbath day.

¹ It is good to praise the Lord, to sing praise to Your name, • Most High,
² to declare Your faithful love in the morning and Your faithfulness at night,^[1] Ps 103:17; 136; Lm 3:22–23
³ with a ten-stringed harp and the music of a lyre.
⁴ For You have made me rejoice, Lord, by what You have done; I will shout for joy because of the works of Your hands.^[2]

The psalmist wrote that it was good to praise the LORD and to sing praise to HIS name. The word used for “LORD” was “Yahweh” the most sacred name for GOD. He ends verse one (1) referring to GOD (El) (Yahweh), the Most High. It is good to praise GOD morning and night, 24/7.

He stated that music was good to use when praising HIM. When we praise GOD and sing praises to HIM, the words sung or the music often reflect our relationship with GOD and how HE has cared for and watched over us. Music is a language of the heart to some of us. Often, it may be difficult for some of us to put into words what we feel in our hearts when we ponder GOD in our lives or our relationship with HIM. The words of a song, a tune or the combination of these, communicates within our hearts and spurs expressions of praises from our hearts to the heart of GOD.

When we worship, we reflect on the fact that we are surrounded by an abundance of things that reflect the handiwork of GOD, which we can celebrate. We also reflect on GOD’S protection for us or the courage HE gave us to face various matters in our lives.

GOD is active in our lives 24/7. We must keep in mind that HE gives us the freedom to choose and we can override what HE prompts us to do. But even then, HE works to bring about the best out of situations in our lives as recorded in Romans 8:28 - ²⁸ We know that all things work together[16] Other mss read that God works together in all things for the good[17] The ultimate good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose. GOD is at work in all things in behalf of HIS children.

Since worship is a matter of the heart, worship is expressed in many different ways – Psalms, scripture, art, music, songs, poetry, nature, a smile, joy of seeing a baby or a child and the list is endless. GOD’S desire is for HIS children to worship HIM in Spirit and truth. May our worship be genuine! The psalmist continued his praise of the awesomeness of GOD, The Most High.

 Ps 19:1; 143:5; Isa 29:23

Let’s read Psalm 92:5-9: (Recognize the Eternal Realities of Worship)

5 How magnificent are Your works, Lord, how profound Your thoughts![3] Isa 55:8–9; Jr 29:11; Mc 4:12
6 A stupid person does not know, a fool does not understand this:
7 though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be eternally destroyed.
8 But You, Lord, are exalted forever.
9 For indeed, Lord, Your enemies— indeed, Your enemies will perish; all evildoers will be scattered.

The psalmist rejoiced in the handiwork of the LORD and the thought that HE puts into all that HE does. He considered those who refused to acknowledge GOD and HIS involvement in their lives as stupid and foolish. A person can be ignorant but a person does not have to be stupid. Stupid is refusing to accept the obvious. When a person refuses to accept the obvious then he/she is being foolish. They do not seek truth or understand truth.

The psalmist compared the stupid and foolish to grass, which is for a season. GOD is eternal and all those who reject HIM destroy themselves eternally.

Those who refuse to acknowledge GOD in their lives place a barrier between them and GOD which blocks the opportunity for GOD to reveal Himself to them. GOD’S desire is for all who seek HIM to find HIM and have an intimate relationship with HIM. But people can refuse and reject the love that GOD has for them through CHRIST. But for those who are HIS children, we can rejoice in the great heritage that we have in CHRIST and worship HIM in Spirit and truth.

Let’s read Psalm 92:10-15: (Enjoy the Benefits of Worship)

10 You have lifted up my • horn[4] Ps 89:17,24; 112:9; 1 Sm 2:1 like that of a wild ox; I have been anointed[5] Syr reads You have anointed me with oil.
11 My eyes look down on my enemies; my ears hear evildoers when they attack me.
12 The righteous thrive like a palm tree and grow like a cedar tree in Lebanon.
13 Planted in the house of the Lord, they thrive in the courtyards of our God.
14 They will still bear fruit in old age, healthy and green,[6] Ps 1:3; Jr 17:8
15 to declare: “The Lord is just; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.”[7]

The statement “YOU have lifted up my horn” is a beautiful statement of the power, strength and care of GOD for HIS children. The horn was a symbol of the power based upon the strength of the animal represented by its horn. He referred to a “wild ox.” A tame ox was one thing but a wild ox was quite another. A wild ox could not be tamed. A wild ox defends its offspring and territory. GOD does the same for HIS children.

Those who were called for special purposes such as a king were anointed with oil. GOD anoints HIS children with the oil of the Holy Spirit and calls them to obediently serve HIM. Oil was also used for healing, hospitality, preparing food, providing physical light, providing income and a symbol for the Holy Spirit. GOD provides for all of our needs.

The care and protection of GOD was expressed in verse 11 such that even though things happen to him, GOD fought his battles. Those who place their trust in GOD can stand up to the onslaughts of their enemies just like the healthy, hearty palm and cedar trees.

The psalmist continued as he wrote about the righteous compared to the stupid and foolish. The righteous are like palm trees and the mighty cedar trees of Lebanon. The roots of palm trees sink deep into the ground to tap the water that is deep under the desert sands and survives in the dry lands. The cedars of Lebanon need the surface water but grow large, tall and strong. They were used for building strong beautiful structures. Both trees have their own unique purpose and are nurtured, protected and cared for by GOD just as GOD cares for HIS children. Many trees produce less fruit as they grow older and mature but these trees continue to bear fruit as they age because they were planted in the house of the LORD and thrive in the well watered court yards of GOD. The psalmist may have thought of the palm trees being planted outside the well watered areas of the court yards and the cedars planted within the court yards. That is speculation but it brought to mind, are we a palm tree or a cedar tree? Some Christians sink their roots deep into GOD’S Word to tap the living water and others are watered. Both serve the LORD and are used according to HIS plan and purpose.

Then the psalmist wrote of GOD as the solid rock. A rock was a symbol of stability and a firm foundation. Just as the rock was a symbol of stability and strength, I believe we can think of the rock as being a symbol for the complete nourishment that GOD provides to those who obediently serve HIM and desire to grow in their experiential knowledge of HIM.

The psalmist captured truth in his depiction of the trees bearing fruit, being healthy and green as they age. Christians who serve the LORD, through their relationship with CHRIST, continue to grow and mature. The longer they obediently serve HIM, the more they know HIM, the more they understand HIM, the more they trust HIM and the more confidence they have in HIM, as they walk with HIM each day. As the song goes, “The longer I serve HIM, the sweeter HE grows.”  

When we consider what GOD has done for us as HIS children, it prompts us to express our thanks to HIM for HIS goodness toward us, which leads into our next week’s lesson. Blessings!