HOW ARE WE TO PRAISE YAH?

Psalms chapter 66






Today we are walking in: How are We To Praise Yah?








Genesis 22:5

And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, H7812 and come again to you.












WORSHIP










Today we look to the word-WORSHIP- H7812 shachah--to bow down; prostrate oneself before superior in homage; before the Most High in worship













The Torah testifies.........……






Genesis 24:26

And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped H7812 the LORD.






Exodus 4:31

And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped. H7812









Exodus 34:14

For thou shalt worship H7812 no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:









Deuteronomy 8:19

And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship H7812 them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.













The prophets proclaim..................









Nehemiah 8:6

And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped H7812 the LORD with their faces to the ground.









Nehemiah 9:3

And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the LORD their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped H7812 the LORD their God.









Jeremiah 25:6

And go not after other gods to serve them, and to worship H7812 them, and provoke me not to anger with the works of your hands; and I will do you no hurt.









Zechariah 14:16

And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship H7812 the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.












The writings bear witness............






Joshua 5:14

And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, H7812 and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?






1Chronicles 16:29

Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship H7812 the LORD in the beauty of holiness.









2 Chronicles 7:3

And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, H7812 and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever









Psalm 66:4

All the earth shall worship H7812 thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.






Chapter 7


HOW ARE WE TO PRAISE Yah?


Be the concert. Don’t just attend one.


Praising Yah has many forms, all of which have a common denominator: Praise is always extroverted. In other words, praise can always be seen or heard. It cannot be hidden or kept silent. Therefore, all expressions of praise must be vocal or in some other way outwardly expressed.


For the Hebrew people, this seemed to be easy. A study of the Old Testament shows that they were an emotional, expressive people. Maybe this is why Yah liked them. They were not afraid to openly show how they felt about Yah. Celebration and exhilaration were regularly part of their worship.


This is not, however, always the case for us. Some Hebrews seem to prefer to sit and soak in worship rather than be active participants. Such behavior is not true praise. Just as you cannot cheer on your favorite sports team without moving around and making some noise, so you cannot praise Yah calmly and quietly. This is not to say that quiet times of worship are not sometimes appropriate—particularly after the presence of Yah has become manifested among His people. Yet, praise must be declared or manifested in some way. Otherwise, it is not praise.


Unfortunately, some of us are so inhibited that we refuse to abandon ourselves to praise. We don’t want to express it in an observable manner. To avoid this outward expression is to disobey Yah, since He specifically commands us to let the sound of our praise be heard:


Praise our Yah, O peoples, let the sound of His praise be heard (Ps. 66:8).


Many people assume that this command refers to singing. Singing is not, however, the only form of biblical praise that can be heard. Shouting, clapping, laughter, singing and praying in the Spirit, and playing musical instruments are all expressions of praise that can be heard. We must be careful, therefore, that we do not exclude certain forms of praise simply because we are uncomfortable with them. Rather, we should seek to understand why we are uncomfortable, and make adjustments that will challenge our comfort zone. Otherwise, how can we fully proclaim the good tidings that are ours in Hamachiach Yahusha?


O Tsiyon, that bring good news, get you up into the high mountain; O Yerushalayim, that bring good news, lift up your voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Yahudah, Behold your Elohiym! YESHA'YAHU (ISAIAH) 40:9 את CEPHER


The Cepher uses the phrase, “lift up thy voice with strength ... “ in this verse. This certainly seems to indicate that our praise is to reveal a definite conviction and involvement. We are not to speak or sing in a timid manner, but with energy and assurance. When we are uncomfortable, it is difficult to be either assured or energetic. Therefore, we must challenge ourselves to go beyond the forms of praise we have always used.


This is not to say that our praise is to be showy for the sake of show. Quite the contrary is true. Our praise is to be genuine and authentic, arising out of our relationship with Yah. Therefore, our praise can reflect no more than is truly inside. If we have no passion in our heart for Yah, we should not be surprised when our praise lacks passion. The absence or presence of passion for Yah within us just naturally becomes evident in our expressions of love, adoration, and appreciation.


PRAISE COMES FROM OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH Yah.


On the other hand, some of us may find a particular form of praise difficult because we prefer to be entertained rather than do the praising ourselves. We love to go to concerts where there is lots of energy and excitement, but we resist showing that same level of intensity in our praise on a Saturday morning.


Praise requires effort on our part. It is not something another person can do for us. Yes, a worship leader can make suggestions that may lead us into praise, but we must make the choice for ourselves as to whether or not we are going to praise Yah.

Some people are also uncomfortable during times of praise because they think they are too dignified to celebrate Yah with abandon. I remember one day after services when one of our members was holding the daughter of one of our pastors. She was content to stay with this person until she saw her daddy. Then she started kicking and pulling away until the woman who was holding her could not hold her any longer. Therefore, she put the child on the floor and watched her run.


People were talking and walking all around, but this little girl didn’t care who else was in the room. She had seen her daddy, and he was her sole focus. She also was unconcerned that her dress was in the air and she was showing her underwear.


Such abandonment is what the Most High wants from us. Often we become self-conscious because we are not Yah conscious. Yes, we may be feeling poorly, or things in our life may seem to be falling apart, but this is precisely when we need to run to our Father. He is the only One who can heal us and put us together again. Whether we feel like it or not, we need to praise Him.


I want to make sure you understand what I just said. You need to praise Yah, and you need to do it with your whole being. Your need is more critical than your level of comfort. Whenever you relinquish your will and praise Yah however His Spirit leads you, you will find that His presence is the only place you want to be. It is also the only place where you can find everything you really need.


Ask anyone you know who is a praiser. He or she will soon tell you that Yah fills those who hunger for Him, and He gives righteousness to those who thirst for it. (See Matthew 5:6.)


Biblical Forms of Praise


Every form of praise contained in the Scriptures is an expression that the Church as a whole, and we as individual members, need to use. I know that some denominations, congregations, and pastors like to choose which expressions of biblical praise they will use, but this is certainly not Yah’s intent. Our degree of comfort or the popularity of a particular form of praise does not change the fact that it is both commanded in the Bible and taught by example.


Singing


Sing unto Yahuah, O ye chaciyd of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 30:4 את CEPHER.


SING aloud unto Elohiym our strength: make a joyful noise unto the Elohiym of Ya`aqov. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 81:1 את CEPHER


O come, let us sing unto Yahuah: let us make a joyful noise to the Rock of our yeshu`ah. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 95:1 את CEPHER.


Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to Yahuah; EPH'SIYM (EPHESIANS) 5:19 את CEPHER.


Let the word of Mashiach dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to Yahuah. QOLASIYM (COLOSSIANS) 3:16 את CEPHER.


Singing is certainly the most common form of praise practiced today. In the Scriptures, singing was part of both private and public worship, as well as of celebrations following a victory Yah had won. Examples of these victory celebrations include the song of Moses following the drowning of Pharaoh’s army, the singing of the Israelite women after David killed Goliath, and the song of David after Yah delivered him from the hand of Saul (see Exod. 15; 1 Sam. 18:6; 2 Sam. 22).


Shouting


Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favor my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let Yahuah be magnified, which has pleasure in the prosperity of his servant. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 35:27 את CEPHER.


Make a joyful noise unto Yahuah, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 98:4 את CEPHER.


Shouting is a less common form of praise today than singing. Nonetheless, singing and shouting are commanded together in the Scriptures, and either word may be used to translate the same Hebrew verb, ranan.


Therefore, shouting and loud singing are to be companions in our praise. Together they express joy and exultation, as is seen following the consecration of Aaron and his sons, when the fire fell from Yah’s presence and consumed the sacrifices (see Lev. 9:24). The people’s rejoicing is described as shouting.


Making a Joyful Noise (So It Can Be Heard)


O bless our Elohiym, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard: TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 66:8 את CEPHER.


Make a joyful noise unto Yahuah, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. Sing unto Yahuah with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm. With trumpets and sound of shofars make a joyful noise before Yahuah, the King. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 98:4-6 את CEPHER.


There is a place for triumphant celebration and loud worship. Yah is not nervous, so we can make noise. Indeed, He evidently enjoys it, for the Bible includes commands that we make a joyful noise before Him. This joyful noise may be singing, shouting, or some other audible form of praise.


Laughter


WHEN Yahuah turned again the captivity of Tsiyon, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, Yahuah has done great things for them. Yahuah has done great things for us; whereof we are glad. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 126:1-3 את CEPHER.


Till he fill your mouth with laughing, and your lips with rejoicing. IYOV (JOB) 8:21 את CEPHER.


This form of praise is rarely used today and is even treated with suspicion by some people. Yet, the Bible tells us to rejoice with laughter. Psalm 126, in particular, paints a lovely picture of laughing with delight over Yah’s goodness in bringing His people back from exile. It is an expression of pure joy and wonder following a difficult season. The same seems to be true in Job, where joy and laughter are also used in a parallel form.


Thanksgiving


And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto Yahuah; because he is good, for his mercy endures forever toward Yashar'el. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised Yahuah, because the foundation of the house of Yahuah was laid. EZRA V'NECHEMYAHU (EZRA) 3:11 את CEPHER.


I will praise the name of Elohiym with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 69:30 את CEPHER.


Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 100:4 את CEPHER.


Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to Yahuah; Giving thanks always for all things unto Elohiym and the Father in the name of our Adonai Yahusha Ha'Mashiach; EPH'SIYM (EPHESIANS) 5:19-20 את CEPHER.


Thanksgiving and praise are often used in parallel constructions in the Scriptures, as is evident in the verses quoted above. In particular, they seem to be paired in public worship. The Book of Nehemiah, where it states that the priests were to stand opposite each other and perform an antiphonal form of praise and thanksgiving, provides an example of this. Ezra 3:11, Psalm 69, and Ephesians 5:19- 20 also seem to indicate that thanksgiving incorporated singing (see Neh. 12:24).


Standing


At that time Yahuah separated the tribe of Leviy, to bear the Ark of the Covenant of Yahuah, to stand before Yahuah to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day. DEVARIYM (DEUTERONOMY) 10:8 את CEPHER.


And to stand every morning to thank and praise Yahuah, and likewise at evening; DIVREI HAYAMIYM RI'SHON (1 CHRONICLES) 23:30 את CEPHER.


Then the Leviyiym, Yeshua, and Qadmiy'el, Baniy, Chashavneyah, Sherevyah, Hodiyah, Shevanyahu, and Pethachyah, said, Stand up and bless Yahuah Elohaykem forever and ever: and blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise. EZRA V'NECHEMYAHU (NEHEMIAH) 9:5 את CEPHER


BEHOLD, bless ye Yahuah, all ye servants of Yahuah, which by night stand in the house of Yahuah. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 134:1 את CEPHER.


Standing is a bit more common form of praise than some are, but we need to increase our times of standing before the Most High in worship. Sometimes after we stand for a while, we become self-conscious and think we are getting tired. Even then we should remain on our feet because standing is an act of honor. We stand in worship because it shows our respect for Yah.


Kneeling


O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before Yahuah our Maker. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 95:6 את CEPHER.


For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Adonai Yahusha Ha'Mashiach, EPH'SIYM (EPHESIANS) 3:14 את CEPHER.


That at the name of Yahusha every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Yahuah is Yahusha Ha'Mashiach, to the glory of Elohiym the Father. PHILIPPIYM (PHILIPPIANS) 2:10-11 את CEPHER.


Kneeling is a form of both humility and honor in our praise and worship. It shows our recognition that Yah is the Most High and we are His people. Some people still kneel for prayer, but in many denominations and congregations, kneeling is no longer practiced at all. Reinstating kneeling to our worship services would do much to restore the sense of reverence that we are sometimes missing.


Clapping Our Hands


O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto Elohiym with the voice of triumph. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 47:1 את CEPHER.


Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 98:8 את CEPHER.


For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. YESHA'YAHU (ISAIAH) 55:12 את CEPHER.


Clapping is a show of approval and appreciation. Yet, many churches don’t encourage people to clap their hands to the Most High. Those who omit clapping from their praise do themselves harm because Yah is the One who determines how we should praise Him.


Moreover, clapping has benefits that we don’t fully understand. Studies done in Japan over the last thousand years have shown that our hands and feet contain nerves that attach to every organ in our body. When we walk, we are therefore stimulating all our organs and giving them life.


The same is true for our hands. Maybe this is why Yah commands us to praise Him with clapping. He knows that as we clap, the nerves in our palms and fingers stimulate our whole body, bringing us life. Thus, when Yah says, “Clap your hands,” He’s really saying, “Get life.” How like our Yah to give us commands regarding praise that not only bring honor to Him but also benefit us in ways beyond the blessings of obedience.


If you don’t believe me, try this sometime. When you are getting drowsy in the middle of the day, or you have trouble getting up in the morning, start clapping. You will feel your whole body wake up and start to work again.


Dancing


Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 149:3 את CEPHER.


Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and flutes. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 150:4 את CEPHER.


Yahuah Elohayka in the midst of you is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over you with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over you with singing. TSEPHANYAHU (ZEPHANIAH) 3:17 את CEPHER.


Few congregations use dance in worship, and some folks actually disapprove of it, but dancing before the Most High is scriptural. In truth, Psalm 149:3 specifically admonishes us to let people praise Him with dance. Sometimes this is the only form of praise that can adequately express the intense joy and longing that well up inside us. We know we must move physically to release our love and devotion to the Most High.


Certainly dancing must be done decently and in order. Yet, we must be careful not to limit such expression because we do not believe in it or do not understand it. Dancing is both an acceptable and essential part of our worship .


At times, our dancing may even become boisterous as we leap and show great joy. This was surely true for Miriam and the other women in Exodus 15 who celebrated Yah’s victory with timbrel and dance. It was also true of Yahusha when the disciples He had sent out two by two came back telling of all they had seen and done. Luke 10:21 says that Yahusha “rejoiced in spirit” (KJV). The Greek word that is translated here rejoice means to “jump for joy” (Strong’s, G21). In a similar manner, the word giyl (Strong’s, H1523), used in Zephaniah to speak of Yah’s rejoicing over us, means “to spin under the influence of a violent emotion, i.e. usually rejoice.”


I wonder how often the Most High is dancing in the Spirit but we are sitting still. He is having so much fun, but He is watching us and wondering why we don’t dance too. If the joy of the Most High is truly in our heart, it will sometimes show up in our feet!


Uplifted Hands


Thus will I bless you while I live: I will lift up my hands in your name. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 63:4 את CEPHER.


Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless Yahuah. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 134:2 את CEPHER.


I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. TIMOTHEUS RI'SHON (1 TIMOTHY) 2:8 את CEPHER.


Many of us sing about praising Yah with uplifted hands, but we seldom do it. Yet, we see here that we are commanded to lift our hands in Yah’s sanctuary. The sanctuary is where we come to worship. It’s Yah’s holy dwelling place. Therefore, if Yah says to lift holy hands, we’d better do it. If we don’t obey this command of the Most High, we can’t expect Him to keep His promises to us, since He is holy and cannot lie. Our obedience is what opens Yah’s hands to give us what He has promised.


Therefore, our praise must meet Yah’s requirements all the time. We can’t choose when and where we will lift our hands or do any of the other forms of praise. Obedience requires that we follow the leading of Yah’s Spirit wherever we are and whenever He prompts us to praise.


This is what obedience is. It’s going against our own will to fulfill the will of another; it is submitting our desires to the desires of someone else. In essence, we object to our own personal wishes so we can submit to the wishes of another. Praising with uplifted hands is thus a matter of obedience, not of personal preference.


Making Music on Instruments


And David and all the house of Yashar'el played before Yahuah on all manner of instruments made of fir wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on shofars, and on cymbals. SHEMU'EL SHENIY (2 SAMUEL) 6:5 את CEPHER.


Halleluyah. Hallelu-El in his sanctuary: praise him in the expanse of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. Praise him with the sound of the shofar: praise him with the psaltery and harp. Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and flutes. Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise Yah. Halleluyah. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 150:1-6 את CEPHER.


Psalm 150 in its entirety exhorts us to praise the Most High, and instruments are an important part of this praise. Instruments are not, however, to take over the praise and worship time. This is not Yah’s intent. Praise through musical instruments isn’t to be offered until after we have brought our sacrifice of thanksgiving and raised our voice in praise.


How We Praise Depends on How Well We Know the One We Praise


The characteristics of our praise to the Most High depend on the depth of our relationship with Him. If we have built an intimate, lasting friendship with Him and have become perceptive praisers, we can expect that all these forms of praise will be part of our experience. Should this not yet be our practice, we can start where we are and ask Yah to lead us into the less common forms. Those persons who sincerely desire to obey Him in praise will find that He soon answers their prayers.


PRAISE REVEALS ON THE OUTSIDE WHAT IS HAPPENING ON THE INSIDE.


In truth, the more we abandon ourselves to the work and leading of Yah’s Spirit within us, the more we emulate the praise that is pictured in the Scriptures. And why should we not, since praise leads us to our heart’s true home. There, as Yah’s presence comes to us and stays with us, we discover the depths of joy and wonder reserved for those who wholly give themselves to the praise of Yah. Our praise is no longer governed by traditions or comfort zones. Instead, we find that we need every form of worship Yah has given us because no one form or expression can adequately reveal the love, adoration, and faith we feel inside. True praise shows forth in some observable manner our delight and our wonder that Yah has chosen us to be His children and even now draws us close to Him.


PRINCIPLES


1. Praise takes many forms but must always be visible or audible.


2. We cannot choose which forms of praise we want to use. We need to praise Yah with our whole being.


3. Nobody can praise Yah for us.


4. Biblical forms of praise include:


-Singing
-Shouting
-Making a joyful noise
-Laughter
-Thanksgiving
-Standing
-Kneeling
-Clapping
-Dancing
-Uplifted hands
-Making music on instruments