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SING UNTO THE LORD
by Milford Bowen
 

"Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing." (Psalm 100:1-2). What a way to spend our day with joyful hearts singing God's praises! 

What do we have to sing about? "Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people. . ." (Psalm 100:3). God made us and we're His children, and that is something to sing about! 

Many of the Psalms exhort us to sing praises to God. "O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth. Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day" (Psalm 96:1-2). 

God wants our praises. It's our way of responding to His great love for us. "Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved." (Ephesians 1:5-6). 

He made us accepted in the beloved and our response is giving praise to Him. We sing praises to God. ". . . I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. (I Corinthians 14:15). We bless God when we sing His praises and give glory to him. 

In II Chronicles 29 we have the account of Hezekiah beginning to reign in Jerusalem. Ahaz who was king before him had really messed things up in the house of the Lord. "And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God, and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and shut up the doors of the house of the LORD, and he made him altars in every corner of Jerusalem" (II Chronicles 28:24). 

Then when Hezekiah began to reign he had the temple cleansed. "And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the east street, And said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites, sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of the LORD God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place." (II Chronicles 29:4-5). Hezekiah offered sacrifices upon the altar and "Moreover Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praise unto the LORD with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshiped" (II Chronicles 29:30). They sang praises with gladness as they worshiped the Lord. 

Do you remember the account when Jehoshaphat and Judah called on the Lord for help to fight the battle against the children of Ammon and Moab? "And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's" (II Chronicles 20:15). 

As God directed him, Jehoshaphat appointed singers to go out before the army. " . . . he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever. And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten." (II Chronicles 20:21-22). 

When they began to sing and to praise God, the children of Ammon and Moab became so confused they killed each other. ". . . every one helped to destroy another" (II Chronicles 20:23). All Jehoshaphat and his people had to do was sing praises to God. 

It's such a simple thing for us to do and yet it's what God wants from us. "I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD." (Psalm 104:33-34) What better thing to do than to sing God's praises and be glad in Him. 

In Ephesians we are instructed, as believers, "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;" (Ephesians 5: 19-20). We can lighten our hearts and above all, bless God, as we respond to His great love for us. 

Our response is to give Him the glory and to sing His praises with thanksgiving.