Introduction:
Psalm 100 fits naturally with Ps 101. Ps 100 is pure delight—it catches up the
whole person in exuberant worship and is an excursion into the courts of heaven (v4). Ps
101 brings us down to earth with the hard facts of reality and what it means to live a
life of worship in a rotten world, with the demand for consistency of character and
behaviour if we are to honour the God of love and justice. That is the down-to-earth test
of our up-in-the-heavens experience. These psalms belong together—we need both.
Either without the other is a travesty of what it means to be a Christian. Together they
show that blend of joy and responsibility involved in being a member of God’s flock:
heavenly praise—earthly practice, love—justice.
Heavenly Praise, Psalm 100:
The psalm begins with a fanfare or shout of acclamation from the whole earth, affirming
the kingship of Yahweh. At the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, when the crown was placed
on her head, the shout of ""Long live the Queen!" was both a recognition of
majesty and a personal submission to the monarch. That theme of these kingly psalms is the
starting place of all true worship. Unless I affirm the Lord is my king I cannot approach
him rightly, or at all. If I do, whatever my nationality, background or culture, I am
equal with every other created human being as I find fulfilment in acknowledging that God
is God, and praising him. Note the emphasis on joy (v1)—not a joy so deep that it
never surfaces, but exuberance of song and jubilation. It is a festival atmosphere as we
come to worship Yahweh, conscious of the privilege that is ours, aware of the love and
goodness that are his, so that we could not approach him any other way. V4: you cannot
come to worship God with an ungrateful attitude or a complaining disposition. If you are a
moaner and groaner, you worship—yourself! You are consumed with self-pity. People who
come into God’s presence have something to thank him for. They dwell on his
name (nature, v4b) and that lifts them above their own little concerns, worries,
irritations.
Another consequence (v2)--they serve: the proof of the reality of the shout. As in the coronation the peers do homage to the monarch, so Christian worship is a glad and willing service, in which we give all that we are and have to the king for his sole use. Note again the emphasis on joy and gladness. True service to God is singing service! (v2b) As we come together to worship on Sundays it should be one of the most joyful occasions of the week. We can focus all our attention on our king, praise him for all that he is and for all that he has done for us. That is why we call it a service. We pledge ourselves to be his bond slaves, to live for his glory.
If our hearts and wills are to be stirred like that, our minds need to be engaged (vss 3-5). The exhortation is always founded on truth. We are not just given an invitation to worship, but incentives—the verb "know" (v3) is important. How we worship depends on what we know. We are to focus on the character of our God as we come together. Our God is Yahweh, the God who redeems his people, reveals himself in his Law and binds himself to us by faithful covenant promises that can never be broken. All this lies behind his name. For Israel it meant looking back to see that as a nation they owed their existence to God by his great act in bringing them out of Egypt. He made them, and made them his own through the blood of the Passover lamb. This is even more true of us New Testament Christians. We who were lost and no people have been made the people of God (1 Peter 2:9-10). Those he redeems belong to him, but not just as one of his possessions. The model (v3b), a sheep and the shepherd—we are cared for with detailed, personal concern and conscientious tenderness that never lets us go or gives us up. That is why we worship (v5). He reigns in majesty, unimaginable power and authority belong to him, but our God is good, loving and faithful. Praising God is responding to all we find in him, a treasure store for worship (v5).
He is utterly good, with no hint of evil, no shade of unrighteousness; utterly unchanging in steadfast love (hesed), which never diminishes and never runs short. As long as we live we find his faithfulness goes on and on. Every generation proves the promises, finds them true all the time. Whatever sort of world our children have to live in they will find him as true as today and as he always has been. "The Lord is God, the Lord is good" are two great strands of heavenly worship as we celebrate God’s character and God’s activity. It’s wonderful to be in the heavenlies, rejoicing with and in him. Do not deny yourself that blessing and strengthening which lie at the heart of our worship. But Psalm 100 leads into 101; heavenly praise leads on to—
Earthly Practice, Psalm 101:
The characteristics of God have been brought home to us: love and justice (v1). If we are
to praise God authentically, our worship genuine and not just escapist, we must be
committed to his values in our everyday lives. There is no point in singing God’s
love if we do not love him or our neighbour; no point in worshipping God for his justice
(righteousness) if we do not act justly towards others and have no care for God’s
rule to be exercised in our human society. Such worship, however sincere and enthusiastic,
must be dismissed for its superficiality and hypocrisy. Note that verses 1 and 2 run
together in this psalm of David. The man who sings praise to this God must give attention
to the sort of life he is living, for the God of perfection requires us to be blameless.
The word means "wholeness", integrity, not double-minded, a life which does not
allow compromise to erode its standards, wanting to be like the Lord.
In this instance King David is covenanting to reflect the standards of Yahweh in his government of God’s people. He knows that in his observed outward behaviour and in his inward heart the standards must be equally high, in public and at home. He has a responsibility for himself and then for all under him (vss 4-8). We are not kings, but we have responsibilities for our own lives, our families, friends, colleagues at work, and some for others who work for/under us. In every area this principle of integrity, consistency is vitally important. We know the tragedy that David did not live up to these ideals. In his adultery, in his family conflicts, spilling over to the detriment of his kingdom, he failed. Hence the question (v2) shows the long struggle he was experiencing, which anyone who wants to live a godly life will experience. Before we discuss David and his high ideals (v2a), let us look at our own hearts. Which of us can throw stones? Do our public and private lives really match up? Are you the same at home as at church? What do we feast our eyes on, set our hearts on? What sort of company do we keep? At least David had ideals. Do we?
Beyond our lives lies an inescapable social dimension. We have a responsibility for our part of the society around us. As David regarded his court he was determined not to surround himself with men who were disloyal (v3b); people who could not be relied upon because they were looking out for their own benefit; nor those whose minds and hearts were twisted, set against God and his truth; nor those who try to promote themselves by running down their rivals (v5a); nor those who think too highly of themselves, showing off, putting on the style, blowing their own trumpet (5b); nor those who say one thing and do another (v7), who are one thing to your face and then stab you in the back—"The smile with the knife under the cloak" (Chaucer). None of these could have a part in a godly administration. They are not committed to love and justice. Their sins, if tolerated or indulged, lead to the eventual destruction of the community, whether in the Church or in society as a whole. Such people cannot have a part in the worship of the Lord. David was in a position to do something about it. Each day he dispenses justice (v8). He will be uncompromising in rooting out evil and attentive to the need to surround himself with good, faithful men (v6), whose lives blameless, men moving in the same direction, having the same godly concern. We may not be able to do much about it in a secular society, but if we are responsible for appointments we should exercise a Christian influence in those directions and keep out men of evil. If we are responsible for our homes and families, our own work, ourselves, if we are serious about our worship, it must affect our lives. David failed tragically—we all have and do. But the ideals still challenge us, especially at a time when even amongst Christians excitement in worship so often masks inward emptiness. Let us end by remembering great David’s greater Son, Jesus Christ, who lived a blameless life, died an atoning death. There, love and justice meet, so that sinners like us might serve the Lord with gladness.
© 2001 David Jackman
David Jackman is Director of the Cornhill Training Course in London
Go to: Top | Old Testament Index | Living Word Home