Hebrews chapter 13
Today we are walking in: Why 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 8
WHY ARE WE TO PRAISE Yah?
Praise brings Yah into your environment.
Why should you praise Yah? This is a good question. Does Yah have an ego problem so that He needs you to tell Him how great or good He is? Does Yah have fits of depression so that He needs you to encourage Him occasionally? Does Yah have an emotional problem that makes Him crave your praise and attention?
Yah Does Not Need Your Praise
No! Yah does not need your praise. He’s the same yesterday, today, and forever (see Heb. 13:8). He isn’t moved by what you say or do.
I used to think that I moved Yah when I praised Him. Therefore, I praised Him in a loud voice and with loud instruments. I thought if I praised Yah loudly, He would respond quickly. I found out, however, that Yah is not moved by me. He’s the same whether or not I praise Him. He is not emotionally unstable so that my praise changes how He feels about Himself—or about me.
If Yah were moved by my praise—or by my lack of praise—I would be able to determine what kind of day Yah has. How absurd! If this were true, He would not be— indeed, could not be—the faithful, unchanging Yah He is. Instead, the quality of His day would depend on the quality of my praise.
Yah IS THE SAME WHETHER OR NOT YOU PRAISE HIM.
Why, then, if my praise does not move or change Yah, does change sometimes come because of praise? Who does the praise affect?
Praise Affects You
Yah is the same all the time, but you are not. This is why you need the stability of Yah’s unchanging presence to keep your world in balance. You need Somebody who is, and always will be, the same every day, all day.
Our days go up and down—sometimes higher, sometimes lower. This is never true for Yah. His days are always up. He’s there all the time with the same attitude, the same perspective, and the same abilities. Consequently, His presence in your day is quite important.
When He is with you because you have created an atmosphere in which He can dwell, your day is a day of His making no matter what it holds—thus, the common saying, “Most High, help me to remember that there is nothing in this day that you and I can’t handle together.” In other words, Yah makes your day when you give it to Him at the start through praise.
So if you were just fired, say, “Yah, make my day,” and invite Him to come to you through praise. Then He can turn your firing into a hiring. Likewise, if you wake up feeling ill, say, “Yah, make my day,” and praise Him despite your illness. This gives Him the opportunity to get into your environment where He can touch and heal you.
PRAISE INVITES Yah TO “MAKE YOUR DAY.”
In essence, no matter what is going on in your life, if you will invite Yah into your day through praise, He will fill your life with Himself. Then the words, “make my day,” become more than a cute saying. They become reality as Yah takes the threads of your life and weaves His tapestry. This is why the apostle Paul could say,
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love Elohiym, to them who are the called according to his purpose. ROMAIYM (ROMANS) 8:28 את CEPHER.
When Yah’s plans and purposes are worked out in your life, every day and all day becomes good.
Praise Puts Yah to Work
Praise also invites Yah to do more good things for you. In fact, He enjoys showing us that He is even greater than we imagined and much more capable than we have yet seen.
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, Unto him be glory in the called out assembly by Mashiach Yahusha throughout all ages, world without end. Amein. EPH'SIYM (EPHESIANS) 3:20-21 את CEPHER.
I wonder, therefore, what our life would be like if we consistently attracted Yah through praise. What would our families, neighborhoods, and nations look like? Would counselors and social workers be out of work? Would the bars and clubs in our town be empty and our services be full? Would divorce, abortion, and child abuse become scourges of the past? Would decent housing be available for everyone and would the streets of our cities be safe to walk at night?
Such scenarios may seem to be impossible, but Yah specializes in the impossible. There is no telling what is possible when He arrives and takes over.
Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, evidently knew this. When threatened by a vast army that struck terror in his heart, Jehoshaphat turned to Yah for help. He proclaimed a fast, called the people together, and had a praise session in front of the Temple.
Yah SPECIALIZES IN THE IMPOSSIBLE.
And Yahushaphat stood in the assembly of Yahudah and Yerushalayim, in the house of Yahuah, before the new court, And said, O Yahuah Elohai of our fathers, are not you Elohiym in heaven? and rule not you over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in your hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand you? DIVREI HAYAMIYM SHENIY (2 CHRONICLES) 20:5-6 את CEPHER.
Do you see what the king did? He bragged about Yah. He proclaimed that power and might are in Yah’s hand, not man’s. He testified to his faith that no one can withstand Yah. Then he reminded Yah what He had already done for His people and confirmed his faith that Yah was up to the job.
O ELOHAYNU, will you not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that comes against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon you. DIVREI HAYAMIYM SHENIY (2 CHRONICLES) 20:12 את CEPHER.
“Tell us what to do, Yah. We’re not doing anything until You tell us what we should do. We’re just waiting here for
You because You are our Yah and we trust You.”
Praise, expectancy, and obedience. This Jehoshaphat’s response to the threat of war. This should be your response as well in the face of adversity, because praise is the secret to the power of Yah.
I know that some of you have little time for this “spiritual stuff” because your needs are practical needs. Indeed, I’ve heard people say, “Yeah, I appreciate all this praise and other things you’re talking about, but let’s
was become practical now. Let’s be reasonable. All this spiritual stuff isn’t going to pay my mortgage or get my boss to stop hassling me or get my kids to quit hanging with the wrong crowd or get my spouse to stop running around. I’m dealing with real issues here, and I need real answers.”
You are exactly right. You are dealing with real issues— issues that are every bit as threatening as the army that would soon be on Judah’s doorstep. So maybe you had better deal with them the same way Jehoshaphat dealt with the Moabites and the Ammonites:
And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Teqoa: and as they went forth, Yahushaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Yahudah, and ye inhabitants of Yerushalayim; Believe in Yahuah Elohaykem, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto Yahuah, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise Yahuah; for his mercy endures forever. DIVREI HAYAMIYM SHENIY (2 CHRONICLES) 20:20-21 את CEPHER.
What did Jehoshaphat do? As he led his people into battle, he said, “Let’s sing. I want you to thank Yah for His faithfulness and to celebrate His love. Tell Him how beautiful His holiness is.”
This may appear to be an unreasonable response, but let’s see how it worked out.
And when they began to sing and to praise, Yahuah set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Mo'av, and Mount Se'iyr, which were come against Yahudah; and they were smitten. For the children of Ammon and Mo'av stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Se'iyr, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Se'iyr, everyone helped to destroy another. And when Yahudah came toward the watchtower in the wilderness and saw among the multitude, and lo, the carcases of Naphaliym on the earth - none had escaped. DIVREI HAYAMIYM SHENIY (2 CHRONICLES) 20:22-24 את CEPHER.
Wow! Not one man from the attacking army escaped the vindication of Yah.
To understand what was so special about Judah’s victory, you need to understand the significance of their praise. Those singers out in front of the army weren’t just having a casual praise session. They were doing serious business because they were appealing to Yah’s integrity. This is what “the splendor of Yah’s holiness” (vs. 21) refers to. His holiness means that He can’t do anything other than what He has promised. Therefore, the men at the head of the army were praising Yah as though the army coming at them was already dead! They were rejoicing in Yah’s faithfulness before He had been faithful. Why could they do this? They believed that the One who had made the promise would do exactly what He had said:
Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the yeshu`ah of Yahuah with you, O Yahudah and Yerushalayim: fear not, nor be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them: for Yahuah will be with you. DIVREI HAYAMIYM SHENIY (2 CHRONICLES) 20:17 את CEPHER.
The average person would have run from that approaching army. He would have sought some way to escape the coming destruction. This was not what Jehoshaphat did. His words to his people show just how different his response was:
And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Teqoa: and as they went forth, Yahushaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Yahudah, and ye inhabitants of Yerushalayim; Believe in Yahuah Elohaykem, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. DIVREI HAYAMIYM SHENIY (2 CHRONICLES) 20:20 את CEPHER.
A song of faith in the night is the highest form of praise. It shows that you believe Yah’s word to you to be true, and you trust Him to fulfill it. You attract Him through praise because your praise shows that you have faith:
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that comes to Elohiym must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. IVRIYM (HEBREWS) 11:6 את CEPHER.
Faith pleases Yah. This is why, when the bulldozer is coming toward you and you begin to praise Him, Yah says, “I will deliver you from the hands of this enemy.” He begins to work for you because He is pleased with your praise and the faith that enables it.
Praise Puts Flesh to Our Faith
Praise fixed firmly upon faith opens the door for Yah to work for you, in you, and through you. It allows Him to handle all the things in your life that you cannot. This was certainly true for one leper whom Yahusha healed. The Gospel of Luke tells us that ten lepers begged Yahusha for mercy, but only one returned to thank Him (see Luke 17:17-19). Praise also followed the faith of the blind beggar who told Yahusha that he wanted to see (see Luke 18:35-43).
So, what are you waiting for? You need to praise Yah in the midst of your problems, and you need to do it now. Your praise is what attracts Yah to you. It is what gets you into His presence.
- Praise Him because you believe in Him and want to please Him.
- Praise Him because you want to honor and obey Him.
- Praise Him because you know you cannot live apart from Him.
- Praise Him because you need Him every hour of every day to be truly human.
- Praise Him because there are circumstances, events, and relationships in your life that you don’t know how to handle.
- Praise Him because He has made promises to you that have yet to be fulfilled.
- Praise Him because you are certain He will be faithful to fulfill all He has spoken to you.
- Praise Him because there’s power in praise and you want to tap every bit of that power.
- Praise Him because His ultimate goal is that you will bask in His presence and eat at His table for-evermore (see Ps. 23).
PRAISE IS YOUR YAH-GIVEN PRIVILEGE AND RESPONSIBILITY.
Finally, if these aren’t enough reasons why you should praise your Yah, praise Him simply because His presence is more important to you than anything and everything that’s keeping you from praising Him.
PRINCIPLES
1. Yah does not need your praise.
2. Your praise does not change or affect Him.
3. Your praise changes and affects you.
4. Praise brings Yah into your day so He can handle whatever comes your way.
5. Praise turns impossibilities into victories.
6. Praise based on faith thanks Yah for what He will do, before He does it.
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