(continuation of meditation 70)
We saw in meditation 70 that the sacrifice of praise is not only about the confession of sins. It is also about the profession of God’s power and majesty, about His righteousness and holiness, His saving acts and council, His love and compassion. Let us see how God’s people in biblical times made such sacrifices of praise to Him.
The Old Testament, and specially the Book of the Psalms, is spilling over with examples of sacrifices of praise. Here are four of them:
Example 1 – David’s sacrifice of prayer to praise God’s omniscience:
In Psalm 139 David offers a sacrifice of prayer to praise God for His all-knowing presence: “O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my every thought when far away. You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD. You both precede and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to know!
I can never escape from your spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the place of the dead, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night-- but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are both alike to you.
You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous-- and how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.
How precious are your thoughts about me, O God! They are innumerable! I can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up in the morning, you are still with me!” (Psalm 139:1-18)
Example 2 – A sacrifice of prayer to praise God for His eternal Word:
The unknown psalmist who wrote Psalm 119 expresses his love for God’s Word in the following sacrifice of praise: “Your word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures. Your laws endure to this day, for all things serve you.
If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life.
Save me, for I am yours; I have sought out your precepts. The wicked are waiting to destroy me, but I will ponder your statutes. To all perfection I see a limit; but your commands are boundless.” (Psalm 119:89-96)
Example 3 – David’s sacrifice of prayer to praise God’s creative power and care:
“O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?
You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honour. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”
(Psalm 8:1-9)
Example 4 – Moses’ sacrifice of prayer to praise God’s saving acts in the history of God’s people (i.e., during the exodus from Egypt's bondage):
"Your right hand, O LORD, was majestic in power. Your right hand, O LORD, shattered the enemy [i.e., Pharaoh’s army]. In the greatness of your majesty you threw down those who opposed you. You unleashed your burning anger; it consumed them like stubble. By the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up. The surging waters stood firm like a wall; the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea.
The enemy boasted, `I will pursue, I will overtake them. I will divide the spoils; I will gorge myself on them. I will draw my sword and my hand will destroy them.'
But you blew with your breath, and the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters.
"Who among the gods is like you, O LORD? Who is like you-- majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders? You stretched out your right hand and the earth swallowed them.
In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling.”
(Exodus 15:6-13)
Also the New Testament gives regular accounts of sacrifices of praise. Here are some examples:
Example 1 – Jesus teaches us to praise our heavenly Father:
The ‘prototype prayer’ Jesus taught us begins with a sacrifice of praise: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9-10)
Example 2 - Jesus praises His Father in heaven:
At the open grave of His friend Lazarus, Jesus offers a sacrifice of praise to His Father. The evangelist John reports: “Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” (John 11:41-42)
Example 3 – Jesus' priestly sacrifice of praise to His Father:
On the eve before His death Jesus prayed the following priestly sacrifice of praise: “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.
Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” (John 17:1-5)
Example 4 – The Jerusalem church offers a sacrifice of praise to God:
After the report of Peter and John regarding their experience with the Sanhedrin (the highest Jewish tribunal in Jerusalem), the church offered a sacrifice of praise to God, saying: “Sovereign Lord ... you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: "`Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.'
Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles [non-Jews] and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.
Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” (Acts 4:24-30)
The following sacrifices of praise to God the Father and His Son are offered in heaven. The Lord graciously gave John the apostle a glimpse of worship in heaven. I think one of the reasons why He commanded John to write these prayers and songs of worship down is that we would know what present and future worship in heaven looks like.
Example 5 – Heaven offers sacrifices of praise to the Father and the Son:
The four living creatures around the throne offer day and night their sacrifices of praise to God, saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.”
(Revelation 4:8)
The twenty-four elders, seated on their thrones before God offer constant sacrifices of praise to Him: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” (Revelation 4:11)
“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. The nations were angry; and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great--and for destroying those who destroy the earth.” (Revelation 11:17-18)
The four living creatures and the twenty-four elders offer together their sacrifices of praise to the Lamb, singing: “You purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”
(Revelation 5:9-10)
Here is a sacrifice of praise to God, which in the future will be sung by those who will have been victorious over the beast and its power: “Great and marvellous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the ages. Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.” (Revelation 15:3-4)
One of the angels of judgment offers this sacrifice of praise to God: “You are just in these judgments, you who are and who were, the Holy One, because you have so judged; for they have shed the blood of your saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve.” (Revelation 16:5-6)
Before I finish this meditation, I need to make some final remarks:
-- There are many other words in the Bible used to express people’s sacrifices of praise to God, like: ‘give thanks to Him’, ‘extol the Lord’, ‘glorify His Name’, ‘worship the King’, ‘proclaim His righteousness’, ‘invoke the God of Israel’. All these and other expressions are calls to offer a sacrifice of praise. In this meditation we have tried to focus on the content of such sacrifices.
-- It is interesting to notice that only God the Father and God the Son are addressed in the sacrifices of praise. The Bible does not mention an instance in which God the Spirit is worshipped. The apostle Paul teaches us that God’s Spirit, who lives in all reborn children of God, helps us to pray: “Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Ephesians 6:18)
-- All the sacrifices of praise in this meditation address God, Father and Son personally. There are many more sacrifices of praise in the Bible and many of them address God in the 3rd person singular, proclaiming His glory to His people and to the world. I will explain in the next meditation the reason why I have chosen these specific prayers of praise.
(to be continued)
Psalm 139:1-18 and Ephesians 6:18 are quotes from the New Living Translation. All other texts are quoted from the New International Version.
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