I love doing word studies as part of my daily Bible study. Look at Psalm 33:1-3:
1 Rejoice in the Lord, O you [uncompromisingly] righteous [you upright in right standing with God]; for praise is becoming and appropriate for those who are upright [in heart]. 2 Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre; sing praises to Him with the harp of ten strings. 3 Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully [on the strings] with a loud and joyful sound.
"Rejoice" in Hebrew is the word "ranan". This word means a little something more than you probably had imagined! It means: to emit a stridulous (shrill or grating) sound; to shout; to give a ringing cry; to cry aloud; "used to express joy, exultation, which seems to demand loud singing". "Praise" in verse 1 is "tehillah", which means adoration; public praise; thanksgiving. "Praise" (KJV) or "give thanks" (AMP) in verse 2 is "yadah", which means: to revere or worship with extended hands. "Sing praise" in verse 2 is the Hebrew word "zamar", which means: to make music accompanied by the voice (singing along with instruments). Can you imagine all of the sights and sounds that would be the result of obedience to just these two verses? Then we have verse 3 that speaks of singing a new song and ALSO playing skilfully and LOUDLY on instruments! For your information, Heaven is NOT a quiet and serene place where people walk around in a fog and strum on harps! It is a very powerful atmosphere filled with LIFE and with the unending praise of the angels and the people of God! We will LOVE it! HALLELUJAH! I also saw two other very important Truths in today's Psalm reading! Look at verses 8-9:
8 Let all the earth fear the Lord [revere and worship Him]; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. 9 For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.
EVERYTHING that the God of the Bible has spoken has come to pass, or is very soon to come to pass! HIS Word does NOT return to Him without having accomplished what He spoke it out to do (Isaiah 55:11)! What is one of the things that is soon to come to pass? Look at verses 10-12:
10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nought; He makes the thoughts and plans of the peoples of no effect. 11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the thoughts of His heart through all generations. 12 Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He has chosen as His heritage.
We have already witnessed what verse 12 has accomplished in the history of our own nation! The original colonists who settled in this land determined to have a government based on the Word of God before they ever stepped off of the ship that brought them here! When we set up our government as a constitutional republic after the Revolutionary War, the very basis of of it was the Word of God! We became the most blessed, prosperous, creative and powerful nation that had ever existed! We are also witness to what happens when a nation's leadership turn the nation away from the God of the Bible! Are YOU ready to stand up and speak up for the godly principles of our constitution? Let's do our part to take this nation back to our righteous beginnings! Only God knows how long we have to do this before the appearing of Jesus, but let's determine to have Him find us busy about it when He DOES appear! AMEN! Here is Hillsong United with "Praise Him":
Shalom in Him!
