Raise A Shout

Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth.
Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before Him with joyful singing.
Know that the LORD Himself is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving
And His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
For the LORD is good;
His lovingkindness is everlasting
And His faithfulness to all generations.
—Psalm 100:1-5

There is a progression here that I’ve missed for years.

The Psalmist starts with shouting!

What? That doesn’t sound very dignified.

It isn’t intended to. This “shouting” is an aspect of worship that is missing from most of our experiences.

In Hebrew, it is not figurative. It describes a very literal shout. A victory shout, to be specific. It is an unrestrained eruption of emotion in the presence of our victorious King. It is not in response to an order or instruction that now is the time to shout. It is a spontaneous reaction to something we know or have witnessed.

Most of us have no concept of living in the fear that was not uncommon in Israel. When their enemy advanced toward their city, there was a very real possibility that if defeated, the people would face slavery, exile, or even death. So as their Champion [or King] and his army left the city to meet the enemy in battle, all the hope of the people behind the gate rested on the shoulders of this Champion. As he fared, they fared. Their fate was completely out of their hands.

It is easy to understand then, that when he returned in victory, the celebration was spontaneous, unbridled. The triumphant return of the victorious King.

The Psalmist is pointing out that it is appropriate that we should shout when we consider Who God is — our Ultimate Champion — and what He has accomplished for us. What he is describing is energy. Volume. Celebration.

It is striking that we so naturally scream until we lose our voices in support of our favorite sports team; but we are uncomfortable showing the same expression of joy and excitement when we approach God.

Psalm 100 suggests that our worship starts with shouting in response to God’s power and faithfulness before we enter a time of contemplation.

Moving forward, we are reminded to “serve.” Here, the Hebrew speaks of work or labor, but it could also naturally apply to worship. Joy that does not lead to some sort of service is only momentary enthusiasm. It has no power.

But when we enthusiastically celebrate God, we are naturally led into a heart that longs to serve.

Our worship becomes more intimate. Not necessarily quieter, but more personal. We draw near, because we find that God is not distant. He invites us to approach Him. In response to His invitation, we boldly come.

Know that the LORD Himself is God.

We begin to see just how big He actually is. At the same time, we become aware of just how small we are.

We are sheep — made by Him. Sheep are powerless to survive on their own. They are completely dependent on their shepherd for survival.

The truth is that God has already demonstrated the lengths He will go to secure our eternal destiny. In light of this realization, how can we restrain our shouting?

Finally, we enter.

The image is of one entering the Temple courts — where celebration and sacrifice were the purpose of the visit. It implied a journey. A pilgrimage. Again, soliciting an expression of joy... and shouting.

We are invited to become part of the worship that has surrounded His presence from the beginning of time.

“For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting And His faithfulness to all generations.” —Psalm 100:5

What better reason do we need to...

Shout?