“He is worthy”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Sunday. October 22, 2023
Psalm 96 (Forward, p. 85) CEV p. 614
Perhaps this is a ‘no-brainer’. Today’s psalm constantly calls upon its readers to sing or offer praises to God, but just what does that mean, what does that mean in practical terms? The English word ‘praise’ comes from a Latin root meaning ‘price’ or ‘value’ and has the sense of ascribing worth or value to someone or something. Indeed, the very word used to describe an act of praise, ‘worship’ (worth ship) picks up on this very idea. But still our original question remains: what does praise mean in practical terms? Just how do we go about praising God in the first place?
Today’s psalm has a couple of words, related words, that can help us in this. These two words are ‘tell’ and ‘announce’. The word ‘tell’ shows up three times and the word ‘announce’ twice, so let’s see for a moment just how they are used:
“Day after day announce, ‘The Lord. Has saved us!” (verse 2b);
“Announce to the nations, ‘The Lord is King! The world stands firm, never to be shaken, and he will judge its people with fairness’ (v. 10).
This has the sense of a public proclamation, like a town crier standing upon the street corner, announcing the time or the latest news. It is like a news bulletin, the late-breaking news of a radio or television broadcast. It is something new, sensational and exciting, something to be heeded.
“Tell every nation on earth, ‘the Lord is wonderful and does marvelous things! The Lord is great and deserves our greatest praise! He is the only God worthy of our worship. Other nations worship idols, but the Lord created the heavens. Give honour and praise to the Lord, whose power and beauty fill his temple’” (verses 3-6);
“Tell everyone of every nation, ‘Praise the glorious power of the Lord. He is wonderful! Praise him and bring an offering into his temple. Everyone on earth, now tremble and worship the Lord, majestic and holy’’” (verses 7-9);
“Tell the heavens and the earth to be glad and celebrate! Command the ocean to roar with all of its creatures and the fields to rejoice with all of their crops. Then every tree in the forest will sing joyful songs to the Lord. He is coming to judge all people on earth with fairness and truth’” (verse 11-13)
Notice, if you will, two things here. Firstly, there is a progression, from the wider and general to the more particular, that is, from ‘every nation upon earth’, to the people of those nations, and then to the lands upon which those people and nations reside, the heavens above them, and the living creatures that inhabit them. Our psalmist invites, no, urges them, commands them, pleads with them, to worship and praise the living God who is alone worthy of their praises.
But that is not all: whereas the ‘announcements’ were more of a general nature, this ‘telling forth’ is quite specific—in two ways. Firstly, it details exactly why we should worship and praise Almighty God. It explains it to us, just in case we haven’t ‘got it’:
-God is great and wonderful and does marvellous things;
-The Lord not some object of the earth, something made of human
hands (such as an idol) but the One who made it and created all of it
in the first place;
-The Lord is the One who will one day come as judge of all the
peoples of the earth, but as One who will do so with fairness and
truth. How unique that is in all the earth: it could be said of no one
else that has ever graced our world. That alone should merit Him a
place in our worship, wonder and praise.
And then, this ‘telling forth’ section also describes just how we should praise Him:
-by giving Him honour and praise, by acknowledging His greatness,
His esteemed character and His worthy deeds:
-by bringing Him offerings generally, but most importantly, the
offerings of ourselves;
-by showing Him the respect and reverence that is His due;
-and finally, by celebrating and lauding His righteous and loving rule
over all the earth. By giving words to express our feelings of just
how great and wonderful God is.
Sad to say, in our world and in our society at large, we seldom hear just how great God is. Certainly, this is seldom announced in any public setting, and even more seldom is it explained or described why we should do so. The civic ‘festival’ or holiday of thanksgiving becomes something generalized, that is, without any reference to God, and even Christmas and Easter often become somehow ‘detached’ from the saving work of the God who orchestrated them. So, then, how can we bring back God into the picture, once again announcing Him and telling others of His goodness? Some good questions: something to ponder and pray about. But, first, let us make sure that we do these things in our own lives at very least. Amen.
Forward notes: “Ascribe to the Lord the honour due his Name; bring offerings and come into his courts” (verse 8).
“It seems fitting to read this psalm on a Sunday morning. Many of us hear these words when the offertory is presented at the beginning of Holy Communion. In the same way that is the hospitable thing to bring a gift for a host when you attend a gathering in someone’s home, we are called to bring our offerings to God when we go church on Sundays.
“The offerings are typically carried to the altar by members of the congregation, who serve as representatives for the larger body of Christ. I always enjoy it when a young child is among those who bring forward the offerings. They often have a big smile and lots of energy!
“As adults, we may view this time of offertory as perfunctory or utilitarian, but we would do well to follow the example of the children, presenting our offerings to God with enthusiasm as we thank God for all that has been done for us.”
Moving Forward: “Consider volunteering to present the offering. You might invite some children to join you.”