New Song 33:3

"Sing a new song of praise to Him; play skillfully on the strings and sing for joy." (Ps. 33:3) We again see this admonition to sing the new song.  It's fresh and has been adapted to the new mercies received, reminding us that His mercies are new every morning and therefore our song should also be new every day.  Old things will pass away and the new covenant will be in place. The new song is continuous and new every day.  The latter words in this passage are a Hebrew expression indicating full choral effect with instruments.  So, the new song should constantly be becoming new in our new walk with the Lord, working out of our redemption in Him.

There are some expressions of importance given around this admonition in this particular Psalm that I want to briefly touch on.  The Psalm begins saying, "Let the Godly sing for joy to the Lord; it is fitting for the pure to praise Him."  Then we are challenged to give praise on instruments as indicated in verse 2 and 3.  In verse 4 we are assured that the word of the Lord holds true and that we can trust in everything He does.

Basically the remainder of the Psalm waxes eloquent in God's unfailing love and goodness, describing all that He has done and is doing in His great Sovereignty.  We are reminded that our hope and joy are in Him alone and that God is on His throne watching over all, therefore we can fully trust in His holy name.  

I am also struck in this Psalm in how we are reminded that there is joy for the nation whose God is the Lord; that the best-equipped army cannot save nor can the warhorse bring victory; and that  the Lord watches over those who fear Him.  And the Psalm closes with - our hope is in You alone. How time appropriate are these words?  As we worship, may we remember where our true hope is found!  mjm

Sing to the Lord a New Song!

The next few blogs I want to highlight where we see the words "Sing unto the Lord a new Song!"  We have thoroughly discussed Psalm 40 but I want to highlight some of the other passages.

In Psalm 96:1 we hear these words once again from the Psalmist.  The 95th and 96th Psalms pair to become a great Missionary Hymn.  But in the beginning of 96 we again hear these words.  We are seeing proclaimed that new joys are filling the hearts of men with glad tidings of blessing to all people.  Angels will begin new songs for Jehovah alone.  The hymns which were chanted to other gods would be silenced forever.  Unto only one God all music is to be dedicated.  Mourning has ceased and the time for singing has come.  No more dismal rites to be celebrated; no more bloody sacrifices of humans; no more outcries of lamentation.  Joy has come, and singing has become the universal expression of love and reverent adoration.

Because man is made new, his song is new also.  The Jew and the Gentile will join together so that all the earth may lift up one common psalm with one heart and voice unto Jehovah God. Jehovah created all the earth, and all the earth must sing to Him this new song! This Psalm fixes our eyes on a prophecy and vision of what is to come and be fulfilled in the new Adam.

It is to be a Missionary Hymn for all ages of the church as it is spread throughout the whole earth.   It is a call to the whole of the earth to worship Him who would come and come again!  Christ Jesus embodies the new song.  He is our worship!  mjm

Keep Looking Up!

There is a paper weight on my desk which is one of the many I gave to graduating seniors in the youth group where I was Minister of Music and Youth many years ago. Engraved on the paper weight is "Keep Looking Up" - Psalm 5:3.   I had done intensive discipleship with this particular group of youth and wanted to leave them with something that would remind them of the importance of their daily personal worship time with the Lord.  "My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to you, And I will look up" (Ps. 5:3)  It is believed that this Psalm grew out of David's time in the wilderness when he was fleeing from Absalom.  If so, we can learn some lessons from it.  No disruption of schedule, danger, or discomfort should keep us from our time of morning worship and fellowship with the Lord.  

If we were invited to enjoy a private visit with a governor, president of a country, Billy Graham or some other dignitary, we would certainly prepare for it.  However, many times we believers rush into our morning devotional time as if no preparation is needed.  We find David completely open with the Lord about his inward pain, approaching the Lord with a broken heart...knowing that the Lord knew his heart.  Not only was David faithful in his morning prayers but also very orderly and systematic.  The word "direct"  indicates that David had everything arranged and in order.  The word also has a connotation of a soldier presenting himself to his commander to receive his orders. "I will look up" gives us the idea of waiting with expectation before the Lord.

Even though David was in the wilderness, he came before the Lord with the same kind of awe that the priests and Levites showed in the tabernacle.  In the worship of our God, both personal and corporate with the body, there is no place for flippancy or cleverness.  We as believers must always approach worship realizing that for us to enter the presence of God to worship and pray cost Jesus His very life.  For us to treat this privilege lightly is to cheapen His great sacrifice.  

This great daily privilege of worship and prayer for every believer fuels the worship of the body as we gather regularly to worship Him.  Can we even begin to imagine how our worship as the church would be if every believer took this great privilege seriously every day?  Keep Looking Up!  mjm

A Personal Summary of Psalm 40

THE WAIT - Psalm 40 starts out with "waiting before the Lord".  It is amazing throughout Scripture how often we see the importance of waiting on the Lord.  Many times the very waiting is an act of worship on our part.  

THE CRY - When we cry out for the presence of the Lord, He is there.  He always turns and hears. The act of crying out is calling on His presence and in a practical kind of way practicing the presence of God in every situation we find ourselves.  

THE PIT - We can't really fully appreciate where we are in the Lord until we look at the pit from which we came.  Praise the Lord He lifts us out of the mud and mire of sin where we were stuck in the pit. The pit of despair is very real for those who don't know Him.  We need to always remember from where we came.

THE RESCUE - Redemption is rescue from a life of despair into a life of security and song.  From the pit to the rock is our rescue through Christ Jesus.  

THE ROCK - He plants our feet on a solid rock and steadies us as we walk along with Him.  He is the rock of our salvation.  We go from sinking in the mud and mire to standing steady on solid ground through redemption in Him.

THE SONG - And, hallelujah, He gives us a new song to sing.  Because all things are made new... that includes the song we are commanded to sing unto Him, and for others to see.

THE INFLUENCE - He and we influence others with this new song by singing it in the midst of all that life throws at us.  We are promised that many will see and be amazed and therefore also trust in Him!

THE JOY - There is no joy in the trusting of things or idols of our own creation.  Our joy comes in trusting Him day in and day out, moment by moment.  The more we trust, the greater our joy in Him!

THE WONDERS - As we walk with Him, sing the new song, and trust fully in Him we will see the great wonders of His work in the past and in the "now" of our lives. God's plans and great deeds become more and more evident as we come to know Him in His fullness.

THE OFFERING AND SACRIFICE - It is made clear in this Psalm that the old offerings and sacrifices of the old covenant will not do once the Messiah has come.  Christ is the final, once and for all sufficient sacrifice.  He is now central to all our worship.

THE COMING - We see even in the coming of Christ into the world an example from Him for us in obedience and how obedience is so vital to our worship life. His coming brought glory to God and grace to man.

THE MERCIES - In the closing part of the Psalm we see the importance of God's mercy and grace through the lament of the Psalmist.  All of our worship begins at the very throne of grace and mercy before a merciful God. 

THE WORSHIP - Through redemption He has given us a new song, a hymn of praise to our God that many may see and fear and trust the Lord as they are led to His throne of mercy and grace from generation to generation! mjm

The King's Mercies

Up to this point in Psalm 40 we have seen how the Psalmist has meditated upon the work of redemption and even spoken of it in the person of the Messiah.  Now in verses 11-17 he enlarges and enhances the doctrine of his mediation between us and God, speaking in his own person.  So at this point the Psalmist is encouraging us to come boldly to the throne of grace for mercy and grace.

Then in verse 11 we see the lament part of Psalm 40.  There are certain elements found in lament throughout the Psalms.  We first see an Invocation.  The Psalmist cries out to God to listen in verses 11 and 13.  In verse 12 we find the Complaint.  The Psalmist tells God what he believes is wrong.  Then in verses 13-15 comes a Petition, with the Psalmist expressing what he wants God to do for him.  Following that comes an Expression of Trust, (v. 17) where the Psalmist recounts what God has done in the past, showing his hope that God will act again.  Finally, the last element found in a lament is an Expression of Praise, (v. 16) where we find the Psalmist celebrating the goodness, mercy, grace, and sovereignty of Holy God!

At different times these elements can be found in our own personal and community experiences of worship.  In verses 10 and 11 we see the Psalmist saying that God's faithfulness and steadfast love are told to everyone in the great assembly, which includes all, so that His mercy and grace are passed from one generation to the next in worship!  Are we sufficiently aware today that in how we worship we are passing the story of His faithfulness and steadfast love from generation to generation?  We certainly need to be aware of the importance of the way we worship - "that all may see and fear and put their trust in Him!" mjm

The King's Coming!

Psalm 40:7-10 says, "Then I said, 'Look, I have come.  As it is written about me in the Scriptures:  I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart.  I have told all your people about your justice.  I have not been afraid to speak out, as you, O LORD, well know.  I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart; I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power.  I have told everyone in the great assembly of your unfailing love and faithfulness.'"

Here the Psalmist foretells the great redemption by our Lord Jesus Christ.  Christ must come to bring glory to God and grace to man.  The proclamation is sent forth, calling us to come and accept it.  "Then I said" . . . is when and where He declares His willingness to come into the world, and make satisfaction for the sins of His people.  Then in the fullness of time when He appears in human nature we hear the words again in Hebrews 10:5 - "That is why, when Christ came into the world, He said to God, 'You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings.  But you have given me a body to offer.'"  Then in Hebrews 10:7 - "Then I said, 'Look, I have come to do your will, O God - as is written about me in the Scriptures.'"  The rest of that chapter in Hebrews talks about the old covenant being replaced by the new covenant in our Lord Jesus Christ.  That is a pivotal point in changing worship.  Our worship would become about, in and through Him, the new covenant!

In all of this we see again our Lord Jesus' example in how obedience is such a vital part of our worship.  He says, "I come to do your will."  How can we approach with any less in our worship? The King's coming changed everything!  mjm

The King's Offering and Sacrifice

"You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings.  Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand...you don't require burnt offerings or sin offerings." Psalm 40:6  We were rescued out of the pit and given a new song, a hymn of praise to God giving others a chance to see Him and the joy and wonders He brings.  Now in verses 6-8 the Psalmist brings us face to face with the true sacrifice and offering:  Jesus Christ, the Redeemer.  No more type-shadows of offering and sacrifice but a shadow of things to come in Christ Jesus the Lord!

The insufficiency of the legal sacrifices to atone for sin is being shown here.  After Messiah, burnt-offerings and sin-offerings would no longer be needed.  They were unable to take away the terror of sin by soothing the conscience, nor the power of sin by sanctifying the nature.  Only Christ is sufficient for our sin and the power of sin over us.  That is why He is central to our worship.  He is the foundation and fountain of all, and all of our worship is in and for Him!

It is Christ who brings glory to God and grace to man, which the sacrifices of the Old Testament could never do.  Christ is the once and for all sacrifice.  Hebrews 10:5-7 speaks to this, referring to this Psalm. That is why, when Christ came into the world, He said to God, "you did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings.  But you have given me a body to offer.  You were not pleased with burnt offerings or other offerings for sin.  Then I said, 'Look, I have come to do your will, O God - as it is written about Me in the Scriptures.'" mjm

The King's Wonders

In verse 5 of Psalm 40 we find the following words, "O LORD my God, you have performed many wonders for us.  Your plans for us are too numerous to list.  You have no equal.  If I tried to recite all  your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them." Who can possibly begin to enumerate and record all the acts of God's goodness toward men?  The works of creation, providence, and redemption; all that He has done in the history of the Church, and for the individual members of His church; all that He has done and accomplished in our own individual lives.  This phrase, "wonderful works" or "wonders" literally means remarkable interventions. These are things that excite and astonish, surpassing what we could even anticipate; things that only could be done by God, Himself!

Our Lord's plans, purposes, and arrangements are designed for our welfare; His thoughtfulness, His consideration and providential care deserve our highest praise, thanks, and worship.  When words become insufficient, we have been given the new song to express that praise and worship!  

Praise is an eternal vocation.  The last of the verse says, "I would never come to the end of them." And we won't.  When we transfer home we will continue to praise Him perfectly and will never come to the end of His wonders and deeds.  He is worthy of our worship; He has no equal.  mjm