Reflections on Psalm 100

 

Psalm 100 (Contemporary English Version)


1. (A psalm of praise.) Shout praises to the LORD, everyone on this earth.
   
2. Be joyful and sing as you come in to worship the LORD!
   
3. You know the LORD is God! He created us, and we belong to him; we are his people, the sheep in his pasture.
   
4. Be thankful and praise the LORD as you enter his temple.
   
5. The LORD is good! His love and faithfulness will last forever.

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This 100th psalm is a very familiar and much-sung psalm. Compared to the others in this group of psalms (95-100), this psalm has a more universal appeal. From the very first verse the appeal to praise the Lord goes out to "all the earth." In this call to praise all the earth is told to "shout triumphantly to the Lord," and to "come before Him with joyful songs." But the greatest praise and worship we can give God, in my opinion, is also mentioned in verse 2 - "serve the Lord with gladness." And, I believe there is biblical support for this opinion. A good example is Romans 12:1 - "Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him. This is the true worship that you should offer." Verse 3 of this psalm gives good reason we should give ourselves to the Lord's service, "He made us, and we are His." But God does not force us to serve Him or even to give Him praise. He allows us to choose whom we will serve and to whom we will give our praise. That is because He is a God of love who desires authentic love in return.

Further reason for our praise and worship to the Lord are given in verse 5. He is good, His love is eternal, and His faithfulness is eternal. At first we accept these attributes on faith because reliable sources tell us it is so and because God puts within us a sense of Himself. But after over 50 years as a believer and a good number of those years spent in the Lord's service, I can attest to the truth of these attributes from first-hand experience.