CHAPTER 15 BEFORE THE ROCKS CRY OUT
In some churches the closest that we come to praising God is saying 'Amen' after a traditional hymn. Realizing this, several questions began to run through my mind concerning the whole area of praising God. What does the Word say about praising?, Why does the Lord want us to praise?, What is the purpose that it fulfills? And finally, "What if anything is its relationship to the end times?" As usual the search for the answer to these queries took me on a beautiful journey through the Scriptures, and I would like to share that venture with you.
The emphasis which God places upon praising Him is undeniable Ps.113:3 states that from "the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised." According to Heb.13:15 we are to continually offer up a sacrifice of praise, His praises should always be on our lips (Ps34:1). Anyone who is truly seeking the Lord will be praising Him, for we are told in Ps.40:16 that all who seek Him are to rejoice and be glad in Him. They will always be saying, "the Lord be exalted." All to often some skeptics point to the fact that many of these commands to praise are found in the Old Testament; whereas, we are under the New Covenant. However, Ro.15:11 directs us to "praise the Lord all you Gentiles, and sing praises to Him all you people."
The poor and the needy are to praise Him (Ps.74:21), indeed all who fear the Lord are to praise Him (Ps.22:23). We are even to praise Him while we are speaking to Him with prayers and petitions (Phil.4:6). According to Ps.81:1 and Zeph.3:14 we are to sing for joy to God our strength, and shout aloud to the very God of Jacob. After all, has He not taken away our punishment (Isa.53: 5)? We are to rejoice greatly (Zech.9:9) just as the people of Jerusalem did during Jesus' triumphal entry (Mk.11:8-10).
Think about that for a moment. They rejoiced greatly, and all they could do was see Jesus. Today, the very God who walked among them dwells within us (I John 4:4&15, John 14:23 & Acts 2: 4). They were to rejoice for they had been given a teacher for righteousness. John 16:13 promises us the Holy Spirit, the very Spirit of Truth which guides us into all truth. He is our teacher and we are to rejoice also (Joel 2:23). In addition, the Holy Spirit counsels us, and Ps.16:7 tells us that we are to praise the Lord who counsels us. Surely all this gives me reason to "... rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful to God my Savior" (Hab.3:18).
In Isa.43:21 the Father tells us that the people he formed for Himself were formed that they may proclaim His praise. That applies totally and completely to today, for according to Ro.9:8 and Gal.3:29 we are the seed of Abraham, the chosen people, the very Israel of God (Gal.6:16 Jerusalem Bible translation). The mystery of Christ is that through the Gospel, the gentiles and the Jews are heirs, members together of the same body, and equal partakers in the promise of Christ Jesus (Eph.3:6 & Ro.10:12). Therefore, we also have been formed in order to proclaim His praise. If that isn't clear enough, I Pe.2:9 says that "... you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood ... that you may declare the praise of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light." Rev.4:11, while offering up praise unto God says, "... for Thou hast created all things and for Thy pleasure they are and were created." We know from Ps.149:4 that the Lord takes delight in His people, and we see in vs. 1-3 that they are praising Him when He takes delight in them. Our God is the Most High God, King over all the earth, and all the nations of the earth should clap their hands and shout unto God with cries of joy (Ps.47:1). In II Cor.11:33 Paul accepts without question the premise that our Father in heaven is to be praised forever.
According to Ps.33:1 "it is fitting for the upright to praise Him." How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasing and fitting that we should praise Him (Ps.141:1), for praise befits our God (Ps.65:1). When we seek God we are to remember that we call upon Him who is worthy to be praised (II Sam.22:4). And that also goes for today, just as it did in the Old Testament. According to Rev.4:11 our God is "worthy to receive...praise for You (God) created all things..."
Let us never forget that praise belongs to God, not to us. Prov.27:21 points out that man is tested by the praise he receives. In Acts 12:23 King Herod was being praised by the people, and we are shown that "...immediately because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down ... and he died."
Every time the twenty four elders are mentioned in Revelation as a group, they are praising God (see Rev.4:11, 5:8&10, 5:14, 11:16-18, & 19:4). Ps. 96 clearly foresees volumes of end-time praising. In vs.4 we are shown that our great Lord is worthy of praise. Verses 11-13 advise us that the sea will resound with His praise, the fields will be jubilant, and all the trees of the forests will sing for joy. They will do this before the Lord our God "... for He comes, He comes to judge the earth." We see in Ps.98:4 that all of the earth will burst into jubilant song. Verse 9 reminds us again that we should "... sing before the Lord, for He comes to judge the earth." It is indeed good to praise the Lord and to make music unto Him, the Most High God (Ps.92:1).
The first time that the word 'praise' is used in the Bible, is in Gen.29:35. In that verse Leah has just given birth to Jacob's son, Judah. There in we are told that 'Judah' means 'praise' From this we can begin to see the position that praise is to have in our worship of God. Nu.2:3 tells us that while the Israelites were in the wilderness, the tribe of Judah (praise) camped on the east side of the tent of meeting (Moses tabernacle) facing the sunrise. When Jesus returns, He will "come from the east and flash to the west" (Matt.24:27). Therefore, the praisers who are figuratively camped on the east, will be the first to behold Him.
So far in this study we have seen many references to praise in the book of Psalms. If we start to read the Psalms we find that the vast majority of them contain praises to God. Jesus said in Lk.24: 44 that "everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms." (emphasis added) We are told in Matt.11:13 that the law and the prophets prophesied until John. On the Mount of Transfiguration, Moses symbolized the law, and Elijah symbolized the prophets. They disappeared leaving only Jesus (the Psalms), with the Father telling Peter, James, and John to listen to Jesus (Matt.17:3 & Lk.9:35). (note, This event took place near the Feast of Tabernacles, sometimes called the 'Feast of Booths.') In Eph.5:17-18 we are told among other things, that we are to "understand what the Lord's will is ...," and then it tells us that His will is for us to "be filled with the Spirit ..., speak to one another with psalms ..." Indeed, we are to let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly as we sing Psalms with gratitude in our hearts to God (Col.3:16-17).
In the Psalms we find that David had declared that he would praise the Lord with all of his heart, soul, and body (Ps.11:1, Ps.138:1, Ps.108:1 & Ps.103:1). Like him we should sing praises to our God as long as we live (Ps.104:33). We are to praise Him more and more. Our mouths are to tell of His righteousness and of our salvation through Him all day long (Ps.71:15). According to Ps.145:21 and 149:6 our mouth is to speak His praise. His praise is to be on our lips (Ps.34:1); indeed, our lips are to overflow with praise to Him (Ps.119:171). Needless to say, this praising is to take place more then just once a week. "Sing to the Lord, praise His name, proclaim His salvation day after day" (Ps.96:2 emphasis added).
The very heavens praise His wonders (Ps.89:5) and all He has made will praise Him (Ps.145: 10). According to Lk.19:40 if we fail to praise Him, the very rocks will cry out. In I Sam.5:3-4 we are shown that the stone god Dagon fell on its' face before the presence of the Ark of the Covenant. This seems to me to clearly indicate the position that praise is to have in our worship. Ps. 100:4 tells us that we are to "enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name, for the Lord is good, and His love endures forever." The very gates we go through are called 'praise' in Isa.60:18.
That last quote, "give thanks to the Lord for the Lord is good and His love endures forever," is found throughout the Psalms In fact, it is the very beginning of Psalm 118, which is one of the most important statements made during the Feast of Tabernacles Ps. 113 through 118 were sung each morning during the feast, and Ps. 120 through and including 134, called the Songs of Assent, were sung by the Levite priests each night.
In Numbers chapter 29 we find that the quantity of sacrifices which were offered during the Feast of Tabernacles far and above exceeded those offered during either of the other major feasts. The three major feasts were Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles (or Booths; see Deut.6:16). Remember, we are now priests, and we are to offer the sacrifice of praise from our lips. These sacrifices are to be great in number (I Pe.2:9 & Heb.13:15 & Hosea 14:2).
Even in the Old Testament David realized that praising God's name in song and glorifying Him with thanksgiving was more pleasing to the Lord then all of the animal sacrificing which took place (Ps.69:31). We are to offer our bodies as sacrifices unto God (Ro.12:1) that they may be pure vessels unto Him (II Tim.2: 20). Remember, the vessels used in the end-time Feast of Tabernacles as described in Zech.14:20 will have been purified and made holy unto the Lord.
During the Feast of Tabernacles all the people were to build booths and live in them in remembrance of the time that they were in the wilderness (Lev.23:42-43). When the people dwelt in the wilderness the Father's presence was visible; He dealt face to face with Moses (Nu.12:8). We are shown in Ex.34:29 that because Moses dealt face to face with the Father, his face became radiant. We are also told in Ps.105:4 that we are to seek the Lord's face at all times.
On the Mount of Transfiguration the Father spoke to Peter, James, and John. While he did so, Jesus' entire body was transformed, or transfigured with revealed glory from God. Peter's response was to build a booth to celebrate this revealed glory (Matt.17:1-13). However, Lk.9:33 indicates that Peter did not understand that it was not necessary to build a physical booth. When the Lord returns we will not be dwelling with Him in a booth made of sticks. We will not need a mere symbol of our one-on-one relationship with Him. Rev.21:3 points out that at that time we will dwell with Him and He will be dwelling with us.
We are told to be transformed into the very likeness of Jesus (II Cor.3:18). While the process is to begin now, there is every possibility that it will most likely not be completed until Christ's return (Phil.3:21). At that time we will experience the reality of the Feast of Tabernacles, that glorifying one-on-one relationship with the Father (Zech.14:16). While it is true that now we may spiritually enter into the Father's presence through prayer, (the curtain has been torn), during Tabernacles it will be as it was when Moses spoke with God - physical, and face to face.
Jesus was the Passover Lamb (John 1:29, John 19:36, Nu.9:12, Ex.12:46, Lk.22:7 & I Cor.5:7). The Holy Spirit is our Pentecost experience (Acts 2:1). Our relationship with the Father will be our Tabernacle Feast. Just as the Old Testament Feast of Passover was a foreshadow of Christ's death, and the Old Testament Feast of Pentecost was a foreshadow of the Holy Spirit being with us on the earth, so also is the Old Testament Feast of Tabernacles a foreshadow of what will be our experience of dealing with the Father on the earth in the physical realm.
Right now we are told in Heb.12:22 that we have come to Mt. Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. However Rev.21:1 shows us that there is a New Heaven and a New Earth with vs. 10 revealing the fact that the Holy City Jerusalem comes down out of Heaven to remain on the earth. Our Tabernacle fellowship with the Father will be physical in nature, and it will take place here on the earth. Heb.8:5 reminds us that the Old Testament sanctuary and the duties performed therein by the priests were just a pattern of what was to come.
The Psalms are yet to be completed. We are to enter into His presence with praise. The 24 elders are always praising God, and so should we. The Feast of Tabernacles and praise are inseparable If you were on the outside of old Jerusalem and wished to enter directly into the main square where the Feast of Tabernacles was taking place, you would pass through the Water Gate (Neh.8:16). As we seek to be led by the Spirit (the River of Water) we will go through that gate and enter His presence with praise.
While teaching on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles Jesus said that streams of living water would flow from within those who believe on Him according to the Scripture (John7:37-39). During the Feast itself, priests would draw water from the pool of Siloam, pass through the Water Gate, and go into the temple. In John 9:11 Jesus healed the blind man by having Him wash his eyes in that pool. Its' waters brought him sight. Likewise, the living water (Spirit) gives us eyes that see that we may know His will and then act upon it. And as we have already seen, part of His will is that we praise Him.
As for now, we should praise Him, among other ways, with hands lifted in the name of the Lord (Ps.141:2, Ps.63:4 & I Tim. 2:8), with clapping hands (Ps.47:1), with dancing and tambourines (Ps.149:3), with shouts and sounds of the trumpet (II Sam.6:14), with symbols, flute, and strings (Ps.105:5), with sounds of the harp (Ps.33:2), with leaping (Acts 3:8 & II Sam.6:16), and bowing down (Ps.95:6). The fullness of the Feast of Tabernacles has not yet occurred, but even now He benefits us when we are faithful in our praising.
Our God inhabits the very praise we offer up to Him (Ps.22: 3). Our praise will silence our foes (Ps.8:2), and our praises will make our enemies fall (Ps.9:3). Remember, we are in a fight against the powers and principalities of satan himself. According to Judges 1:1, Judah (praise) is to lead us into battle. In II Chron.20:17-22 the singers proceeded the armies into battle and the army never had to fight, for the very praise of God confused the enemy and they destroyed themselves.
We know from Ps.149:8 that our praises will bind satan's kings and nobles with shackles of iron, and that when we are praising Him, no strange god can dwell among us (Ps.81:9). As we sacrifice our thank offerings unto God, calling upon Him in the time of trouble, we will be delivered (Ps.50:14 -15). When Paul was in prison at midnight he was praising God, and the very gates flew open (Acts 17:25).
If we will praise Him, we will be exchanging our spirit of fear for His garment of praise (Isa.61:3). We will then discover that God delights in us because of our praise (Ps.149:4). The Father tells us in Ps.89:15 that we are blessed when we learn to praise Him. Knowing what's ahead during the Feast of Tabernacles certainly leads me to shout 'Hallelujah', which means 'Praise the Lord.'
satan and only satan keeps us from praising God as we should. He has come to steal from us (John 10:10). If our pride won't let us praise; it is satan. If we think we look foolish with our hands in the air; it is satan. If we say "I don't feel like it!"; it is satan, for the Psalms say that His praise should always be on our lips, not just when we feel like it. satan knows there is power in praise; he wants to steal that. satan knows God delights in us because of our praise; he wants to steal that. satan knows that praise belongs to God; he wants to steal that. Most of all though, satan knows that praise and Tabernacles go together, and He wants to steal that relationship from us. But praise God, I know what satan wants to steal. I am not unaware of his schemes (II Cor.2:11). I will praise as my God directs out of reverence and love.
The universal sign of surrender is raised hands. Because I have surrendered to my God, I will praise him with raised hands and every other way He directs me to in His words. Under the Old Covenant we were told that God inhabits our praises, under the New Covenant, He inhabits the praiser!!!