1Sing for joy in the Lord, O you righteous ones; praise is becoming to the upright. 2Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre; sing praises to Him with a harp of ten strings. 3Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully with a shout of joy.
This descriptive praise psalm rejoices in God for who He is, His work in creation, and His general work in our lives. This contrasts with what we might call declarative praise, which rejoices in God for what He has done explicitly for us. Overlap between these two kinds of praise is unavoidable, for we, created but fallen beings, cannot wholly escape our self-interest. But our praise must always be moving to the higher sphere of being consumed with God Himself. We move from praising Him for the gifts given to us to praising Him for being the kind of God who gives. Every parent knows the difference in a child when he or she moves from enjoying a gift to being thankful to the parent for the present, and ultimately to enjoying the parent whether a gift is given or not.
God made us in His image and likeness; therefore, we reach our highest purpose in life when we reflect our Lord back to Himself, as it were. We mirror Him, of course, with our actions, to the extent that we live Christlike. But in praise, we reflect back to Him with our words, engaging our minds in the contemplation of His character and doing so in His presence. There is no higher occupation for our minds and hearts than to worship Him.
So this psalm focuses, in verses 1-5, on praising God with our emotions as well as our minds. (Note: Although the author is not stated, this was part of a group, Psalms 3-41, considered an original collection of songs by King David.). Our praise should be like “a new song,” not stale, old, and monotonous. Praise is a joyful liveliness of heart. We should pull out all the stops!
Why praise God so greatly? In verses 6-12, we see God in His awe-inspiring creation. Think about this: God simply spoke the world into existence (vs. 9). He blesses His people: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord [Yahweh], the people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance” (vs. 12). Peter tells us, “[Y]ou are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession” (1 Pet. 2:9). How good is that!
Verses 13-17 show us God is worthy of praise for His direction in human affairs. The best-laid plans of men are subject to God’s sovereign control! Finally, in verses 18-21, we praise Him for His faithfulness in watching over those who take their faith in Him seriously. He is to be praised for being our help and shield, for being trustworthy. In the end, we join with the psalmist in prayer …
“Let Your lovingkindness, O Lord, be upon [me], according as [I] have hoped in You.”
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