Still Praising Him

Chapter Five
Still Praising Him

Psalms 84: 4b. “They will still be praising You.”

When clouds fill the skies of our lives, praise to the Holy One of Israel is a sure way to make null and void their effect upon our lives. It is as the Psalmist wrote in 149: 6, “Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand.” Even when our skies are bright, the gratitude of praise makes for more sustained sunshine. For, it is David that said in 108: 1, “O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory”.

For “praising” the Psalmists use “halal”. Although it has a wide use in things or persons to be praised, the most common is praise for Yahweh. It is a verb that caries with it a charge, as something good and wise to do.

In Psalms 147: 1, the Psalmist writes, “Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful.” And, In a Sabbath day song, 92: 1 says, “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High…”

Praise is not just for the goodness within itself, but for the goodness of the One being praised. The Psalmist writes in 135: 3-4, “Praise the Lord for the Lord is good; sing praises to His name for it is pleasant. For the Lord has chosen Jacob for Himself, Israel of His special treasure.” We sing praises for who He is, as the Psalmists say 47: 6-7. “Sing praises to our God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! For He is King of all the earth…”

Then, there is a responsibility for our praise. According to the meaning of “halal”, our praise should “shine” or “give light”. David sings in 9: 11, “Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion! Declare His deeds among the people.” And, most importantly, David sings in 78: 4 in consideration of our posterity. “We will not hide them from their children, telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.”

“Halal” also supposes one that is “clamorously foolish” with their praise. It’s the same as spontaneous reaction for a home run at the ball park, or a touchdown at the football stadium. With that same exuberance, we should offer up praise for the mighty and wondrous deeds of Yahweh of Israel. Be a “Fan-atic”! David gives this same advice in 68: 3-4. “Let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God; Yes, let them rejoice exceedingly. Sing to God, sing praises to His name; extol Him who rides on the clouds, by His name YAH, and rejoice before Him.”

Then, David tops this off with a beautiful statement in Psalms 22: 3. “But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.” He dwells in the praises of His people. He is drawn like a magnet to the praises of His faithful. More importantly, He is as Nelson records in his NKJV. “But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel”. Yes, He is my Captain—the King of my life.

The concept of praise is very important in deed. Yet, there is a little word in this phrase of the Psalmists that carries far more weight than the very concept of praise itself. It deals with consistency. It deals with repetition. Regardless of the circumstances, even if the last thing we want to do is praise, praise must be in our heart and on our lips.

The phrase says, “…they will STILL be praising You.” It is the word, “owd”, which means, “continuing repetitiously again and again, over and over, all life long”. No matter what may come our way, there is only one constant in the universe—the Creator of that universe. Continuously praise His majestic name, and be gloriously encouraged!

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