Psalm 100

[ayin jade]

Thanksgiving is this week and in honor of that holiday, I opted to post a study on a psalm of thanksgiving.

For those not in the US, below is a brief bit of background on the american holiday. (Yes I know canada has this in october.)

A holiday to thank our Lord for all of our blessings, it was first celebrated in 1621. Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast. The New England colonists were accustomed to regularly celebrating "thanksgivings"—days of prayer thanking God for blessings such as military victory or the end of a drought. Some historians believe this idea came from the Jewish Sukkot. The feast in 1621 lasted 3 days. Thanksgiving was officially declared an american holiday in 1863. It has not been commercialized but its value as anything other than a day to pig out and watch tv is a bit diminished with the advent of the Christmas shopping season starting the next day. I admit in my family it is a day to pig out and then go play outside in the lovely Arizona weather. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. Anyone interested in more information can find it here.

To remind folks about the meaning behind thanksgiving, giving thanks to the Lord, here is a bible study on psalm 100.

[ayin jade]

Psalm 100

The scope of the psalm is to exhort all people to praise the Lord, to serve and worship him, from the consideration of His goodness and mercy, truth and faithfulness. An exhortation to praise God and rejoice in Him. Psa_100:3, for His greatness; Psa_100:4, and for His power.

All nations are exhorted to praise the Lord, Psa_100:1, Psa_100:2; to acknowledge him to be the Sovereign God and their Creator and that they are His people and the flock of His pasture, Psa_100:3; to worship Him publicly, and be grateful for His mercies, Psa_100:4. The reasons on which this is founded; His own goodness, His everlasting mercy, and His ever-during truth, Psa_100:5.

The author is anonymous. One scholar believes that it is likely that it was composed after the captivity, as a form of thanksgiving to God for that great deliverance, as well as an inducement to the people to consecrate themselves to Him, and to be exact in the performance of the acts of public worship. The Arabic version (of the transcripts used to translate the bible) ascribes this psalm to David as does the Targum. Another scholar believes that it was supposed to have been used when peace offerings for thanksgivings were offered up as in Lev_7:11. The Syriac inscription (another of the transcripts used) is very odd in that it states: "concerning Joshua the son of Nun, when he made the war of the Ammonites to cease; but in the New Testament, when the Gentiles are converted to the faith.''

[ayin jade]

Psa 100:1 A Psalm of praise. Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.

All ye lands - “all the earth.” The idea in the psalm is, that praise did not pertain to one nation only; that it was not appropriate for one people merely; that it should not be confined to the Hebrew people, but that there was a proper ground of praise for “all.” The ground of that was the fact that they had one Creator, Psa_100:3. The psalm is based on the unity of the human race; on the fact that there is one God and Father of all, and one great family on earth.

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord - all the inhabitants of the earth, who are called upon to shout unto him as their King; as the angels did at his birth, the disciples when he made his public entrance into Jerusalem, the apostles at his ascension to heaven, the saints when the marriage of him, the Lamb, will be come, and both men and angels when he shall descend from heaven to judge the world; and such a joyful noise or shout should be made unto him as to a triumphant conqueror, who has got the victory over sin, Satan, death, and the grave, and every enemy of his and his people, and made them more than conquerors through himself; Psa_95:1 Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the Rock of our salvation.

This song of praise should be considered as a prophecy, and even used as a prayer, for the coming of that time when all people shall know that the Lord He is God, and shall become His worshippers, and the sheep of His pasture. Great encouragement is given us, in worshipping God, to do it cheerfully. If, when we strayed like wandering sheep, He has brought us again to His fold, we have indeed abundant cause to bless His name. The matter of praise, and the motives to it, are very important. Know what God is in Himself, and what He is to you. Know it; consider and apply it, then you will be more close and constant, more inward and serious, in His worship. The covenant of grace set down in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament, with so many rich promises, to strengthen the faith of every weak believer, makes the matter of God's praise and of His people's joys so sure, that how sad our spirits may be when we look to ourselves, yet we shall have reason to praise the Lord when we look to His goodness and mercy, and to what He has said in His word for our comfort.

Psa 100:2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

Serve the Lord with gladness - That is, In your worship, and in all your acts of obedience. Let there be joy in this service. Let it not be with the fear of slaves; not as a matter of compulsion and force; not with reluctance, moroseness, or gloom. Let it be a cheerful, happy service; let it be freely rendered, let it be an occasion of joy to the soul. The service of God is a source of the highest joy that man knows.

Serve the Lord with gladness - It is your privilege and duty to be happy in your religious worship. The religion of the true God is intended to remove human misery, and to make mankind happy, not through material things of this world but in the joy of reconciliation to the Lord. He whom the religion of Christ has not made happy does not understand that religion, or does not make a proper use of it.

Come before his presence with singing - As expressive of joy. So the birds sing; so nature rejoices; so should man - intelligent, redeemed, immortal man, be joyful.

come before his presence with singing - to the throne of His grace with thankfulness for mercies received, as well as to implore others; and into His house, and at His ordinances, beginning public worship with singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs;

[ayin jade]

Psa 100:3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Know ye that the Lord, he is God - Let all the nations know that He is the true God. The idols are vanity. They have no claim to worship; but God is the Creator of all, and is entitled to universal adoration.

It is he that hath made us - The fact that He is the Creator proves that He is God, since no one but God can perform the work of creation. The highest idea that we can form of power is that which is evinced in an act of creation; that is, in causing anything to exist where there was nothing before. Every created thing, therefore, is a proof of the existence of God; the immensity of the universe is an illustration of the greatness of His power.

it is he that hath made us - as men, without whom nothing is made that was made; in Him we live, move, and have our being; and, as new creatures, we are His workmanship, created in Him, and by Him; regenerated by His Spirit and grace, and formed for himself, His service and glory; and made great and honorable by Him, raised from a low to an high estate; from being beggars on the dunghill, to sit among princes; yea, made kings and priests unto God by Him.

And not we ourselves - We are not self-created; we derive our being from Him. All that we have and are, we owe to Him.

not we ourselves - that is, we did not make ourselves, neither as creatures, nor as new creatures; as we have no hand in making either our souls or bodies, so neither in our regeneration, or in the work of God upon our hearts; that is solely the Lord's work.

And the sheep of his pasture - As the shepherd owns the flock, so God is our owner; as the shepherd guards his flock and provides for it, so God guards us and provides for us. His sheep also by gift and purchase, called by Him, made to know His voice, and follow Him; for whom He provides pasture, leads to it, and feeds them with it Himself.

We are his people - By virtue of creation we are his people; by choice and covenant; by His gift, and His own purchase; and by the power of His grace, bringing to a voluntary surrender and subjection to Him; even the Gentiles, who were not His people, but now His people, 1Pe_2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for possession, so that you might speak of the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; We ought to serve and glorify him: we are His by creation Act_17:28 For in Him we live and move and have our being, as also certain of your own poets have said, For we are also His offspring.

Psa 100:4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

Enter into his gates - The gates which lead to His temple, or to the place of public worship.

Into his courts - The “courts” were the open spaces which surrounded the tabernacle or temple. It was in these that worship was celebrated, and not in the tabernacle or temple. Psa_65:4 Blessed is the one whom You choose, and cause to come near You. He shall dwell in Your courts; we shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, of Your holy temple. Psa_84:2 My soul longs, yea, even faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh shout for joy to the living God. Psa_92:13 Those that are planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.

Be thankful unto him - That is, offer thanksgiving and praise. For all good things come from Him. Come before Him with a grateful heart. Psa_50:14 Offer to God thanksgiving; and pay your vows to the Most High; Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

Bless his name - Bless Him; praise Him; ascribe honor to Him; acknowledge Him as God. Psa_72:19 And blessed be His glorious name forever; and all the earth is filled with His glory! Amen and Amen.

[ayin jade]

Psa 100:5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

For the Lord is good - He is not a being of mere “power;” he is not merely the Creator; but He is benevolent and is therefore worthy of universal praise. In the former verses, His claim to adoration is founded on the fact that He is the “Creator,” and has, as such, a right to our service; in this verse, the claim is asserted on account of His moral character:

1) His benevolence;

2) His mercy;

3) His truth;

a) the fact that He is a God of truth; and

b) the fact that His truth endures, or that in all generations He shows Himself to be faithful to His promises.

The first of these is his “benevolence:” “The Lord is good.” As such, assuredly, God is worthy of praise and honor. A being of “mere” power we could not love or praise; a being whose power was united with malignity or malevolence, could only be the object of hatred and terror; but a being whose power is united with goodness or benevolence ought to be loved.

For the Lord is good - Goodness the perfect, eternal opposition to all badness and evil, is essential to God. Mercy and compassion are modifications of His goodness; and as His nature is eternal, so His mercy, springing from His goodness, must be everlasting. And as Truth is an essential characteristic of an infinitely intelligent and perfect nature; therefore God’s truth must endure from generation to generation. Whatsoever He has promised must be fulfilled, through all the successive generations of men, as long as sun and moon shall last.

For the Lord is good - Both in a providential way, and in a way of grace, and does good; He is the good Shepherd, that has laid down His life for the sheep; and the good Samaritan, that pours in the wine and oil of His love and grace, and His precious blood, to the healing of the wounds made by sin: while He was on earth, He went about doing good to the bodies and souls of men; and He continues to do good unto them, and therefore should be praised, served, and worshipped:

His mercy is everlasting - This is the second reason, drawn from His moral character, why He should be praised and adored. A being of mere “justice” may be feared and respected; but a character of “mere” justice would be to man an object of dread. Man, in order to find happiness and security, must find some other attribute in God than mere “justice,” for man is a sinner, and needs pardon; he is a sufferer, and needs compassion; he is to die, and needs support and consolation. It is, therefore, a ground of unspeakable joy for man that God is not a Being of “mere justice,” but that there is mingled in His character the attribute of mercy and kindness. But for this, man could have no hope; for, as a sinner, he has no claim on God, and all his hope must be derived from God’s infinite compassion. To all this is added the fact that this mercy of God is “everlasting.” Its fruits - its results - will extend to the vast eternity before us; and in all that eternity we shall never cease to enjoy the benefits of that mercy; never be suffered to fall back on the mere “justice” of God.

And his truth endureth to all generations - That is, forever. It is the same in every generation of the world. This is the third reason derived from the moral character of God for praising Him; and this is a just ground of praise. We could not love and honor a God who was not true to His promises, and who did not Himself love the truth; we could not honor one who was changeable and flexible - who loved one thing in one generation and a different thing in the next; who in one age was the friend of truth, and in the next the patron of falsehood. It is the just foundation for praise to God - our God - that He is essentially and always - in all the generations of people - toward all in the universe - a Being of unchangeable benevolence, mercy, and truth. Such a God is worthy to be had in universal reverence; such a God is worthy of universal praise.

Note:

I have forgotten to add this to other studies Ive posted here about the psalms. It is posted in one of my studies already though. Here is my disclaimer about sources used and how I study.

I read a chapter then I go over it verse by verse. I read through commentaries etc to glean background information, rejecting what does not seem correct and keeping what does. I mix it up, add some of my own, interspersed with paragraphs from the commentaries. The commentaries and all my notes are what I post with each verse. For copyright purposes, I use the KJV since it is not copyrighted in the US, and for posting publicly, I use commentaries whose copyrights are open. When reading my study/ studies, I encourage you to use whichever version of the bible you are most comfortable with. I used the following commentaries: John Wesley's Explanatory Notes; Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge; Spurgeon's A Treasury of David; Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary; Keil and Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament; Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary; Albert Barnes Notes on the Bible; Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible; John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible and Strong's Concordance. I have read modern commentaries but have not posted from them in my public studies.