PRAISE THE LORD WITH SINGING AND WITH A LOUD VOICE

Proclamation:

“Sing for joy to God our strength; shout aloud to The God of Jacob!”  Psalm 81:1 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by Asaph, the director of music appointed by King David, who was also a seer who was said to prophesy. (2 Chronicles 29:30)  This psalm is a song which was to be sung at their celebration feasts.  Here the people are encouraged to make a joyful noise unto The Lord (Psalm 81:1-3) as they are in several other psalms. (Psalms 100 and 150)  It is a song about the strength of The Lord God, regarding what He had done for them and what He would do.  The psalm was written from the perspective of God with the majority of it lamenting because the people would not listen to Him. (Psalm 81:8-16)

Application:

We are encouraged to sing, and shout, and generally make a joyful noise as we praise The Lord.  He has done great things.  We do not want to displease Him by ignoring Him or by taking Him for granted. (Psalm 81:8, 11 and 13)  We do not want to miss out on blessings (Psalm 81:16) or cause Him to punish us. (Psalm 81:12)  So, let us praise The Lord, and do it often and with a loud voice.  His praise should continually be in our mouth. (Psalm 34:1, 71:6, and Hebrews 13:15)