Psalm 100: Music for the Gods

Suppose we are creating a religion that worships some god. What kind of music would fit a god? Maybe a very serious song, or maybe an intimidating song. I'm not saying there aren't happy songs to the gods, but I think they're not as common as in Judeo-Christian worship songs.

YHWH is the one, the only one, who brings joy to our hearts.

In Psalm 100 we read:

2 Serve Yahweh cheerfully.

    Come into his presence with a joyful song. 

why rejoice before the Lord?

Because:

• He created us, 
• we are His people (chosen by Him) whom He cares for, 
• we are grateful to Him. 
• He is good
• He is merciful
• He is faithful, trustworthy

The Psalm ends with:

5 Yahweh is good.

    His mercy endures forever.

    His faithfulness endures throughout every generation.

Psalm 99: Look to the Lord

My wife always says I'm terribly focused on myself. As a retiree, I swim Monday through Friday for 45 minutes every day. My goal is to age healthily.

In Psalm 99, the psalmist is focused on the Lord and how He has led His people with emphasis on Moses, Aaron and Samuel.

It is much better to have a healthy mind than a healthy body. In a way, a bad mind leads to a bad body.

In Psalm 99 the Lord is teaching me that it is very important to escape from myself, to contemplate and praise Him.

We read in Psalm 99:

9 Highly honor Yahweh our Elohim.

    Bow at his holy mountain.

    Yahweh our Elohim is holy!

Others gods (me included) aren't holy, only YHWH.

psalm98 - orchestra

It is pleasant to listen to music played by an orchestra. It is better when the orchestra is praising the Lord as in Messiah of Handle.

In a orchestra there is diversity, union, harmony.

However the focus is not on the orchestra, but in the Lord:

In Psalm 98, God made a world of wonders!

and He thought about us:

3 He remembered to love us, a bonus

To his dear family, Israel—indefatigable love.

In verse 5:

5 Round up an orchestra to play for God,

Add on a hundred-voice choir.

The Lord invites me not only to listen to the orchestra but also to be part on it. Why? Because He simply loves me.

psalm 97: who exalts the Lord?

The creation exalts the Creator. The heavens (clouds, darkness, fire, lightnings) serve the Lord. The earth sees amd trembles. The mountains melt like wax at His presence. However, mankind are a little different.We have men (in Zion) who trust in the Lord and those who serve false idols. 

Let all be put to shame who serve carved images,

Who boast of idols.

Worship Him, all you gods. 

Those who trust the false idols will be disappointed but:

8 Zion hears and is glad,

And the daughters of Judah rejoice

Because of Your judgments, O Lord.

The Lord expects some behavior from those who trust in Him:

• hate the evil v10
• shine more and more v11
• grow in satisfaction, gladness v11
• rejoice in the Lord v12
• give thanks at the remembrance of YHWH. v12

psalm 96: worship YHWH

There is a problem with men in general, me included: every one wants to be praised.

Since I was born, I wanted to be the number one in my class. Why? I would say to prove that I am more worthy than others. 

When everyone wants to be praised, we have competition and hate.

Psalm 96 says:

4-5 For God is great, and worth a thousand Hallelujahs.

His furious beauty puts the other gods to shame;

Pagan gods are mere tatters and rags.

YHWH is great and worth my praise. Imagine a world where everyone praises YHWH: no competition, but love instead. YHWH is not static in heaven, but we read

Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy

13 Before the Lord, for He is coming,

For He is coming to judge the earth.

He will judge the world in righteousness,

And the peoples in His faithfulness.

He is coming to judge the world and the peoples in His faithfulness. I will be judged by my faithfulness to Him. May the Lord not allow me to live for my honor, to praise myself. Let YHWH be praised by my life. 

Psalm 95: lessons from Meribah

Psalm 95 talks about Numbers 20 when the people of Israel complained to Moses due to the lack of water.

They were in a desert. As they didn't find any water, they began to question Moses: "why did you bring us here? To die?".

Perhaps I would act as the people of Israel. I would say as the people of Israel in Numbers 20:5:

- Why did you make us come up from Egypt, to bring us into this wretched place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, nor is there water to drink!”

However in Psalm 95 we read the Lord saying:

For forty years they watched me at work among them,

    as over and over they tried my patience.

And I was provoked—oh, was I provoked!

    ‘Can’t they keep their minds on God for five minutes?

    Do they simply refuse to walk down my road?’

The Lord appeared to Israel in a supernatural way for forty years. It was expected that they trust in the Lord, but at that moment they were very focused on drinking water. The Lord was provoked by the lack of trust. How did the Lord reacted to it?

Exasperated, I exploded,

    ‘They’ll never get where they’re headed,

    never be able to sit down and rest.’”

I am retired now. I want to be able to trust in the Lord, sit down and rest.

psalm 94: A good person who is against evil doers.

On 2006, 15th of May, Sao Paulo had a lockdown. Everyone (millions) returned home earlier (causing a huge traffic jam) and after that, all streets were desert because a criminal organization (PCC) determined so.

Normal citzens were subjected to evildoers.

In Psalm 94:

3-4 God, the wicked get away with murder—

    how long will you let this go on?

They brag and boast

    and crow about their crimes!

5-7 They walk all over your people, God,

    exploit and abuse your precious people.

They take out anyone who gets in their way;

    if they can’t use them, they kill them.

They think, “God isn’t looking,

    Jacob’s God is out to lunch.”

The psalmist has courage and confronts them:

8-11 Well, think again, you idiots,

    fools—how long before you get smart?

Do you think Ear-Maker doesn’t hear,

    Eye-Shaper doesn’t see?

Do you think the trainer of nations doesn’t correct,

    the teacher of Adam doesn’t know?

God knows, all right—

    knows your stupidity,

    sees your shallowness.

However, the psalmist knows that he may become a target of evildoers. He asks:

16-19 Who stood up for me against the wicked?

    Who took my side against evil workers?

If God hadn’t been there for me,

    I never would have made it.

The minute I said, “I’m slipping, I’m falling,”

    your love, God, took hold and held me fast.

When I was upset and beside myself,

    you calmed me down and cheered me up.

In general, it seems that good people are coward, but the psalmist is brave because he trusts in the Lord.