MAY ALL OF THE MEN OF GOD BE CLOTHED IN RIGHTEOUSNESS

Proclamation:

“May Your priests be clothed with Your righteousness; may Your faithful people sing for joy.”  Psalm 132:9 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  The name of the human author of this psalm of ascent is unknown.  Some Bible scholars attribute it to King David while others say that it was written about David by someone else.  The psalmist begins by asking The Lord God to remember David, the oath he made, (Psalm 132:1-5) and the oath which The Lord made to David. (Psalm 132:11-12)  He prayed for the men of God and the people of God. (Psalm 132:9)  He then presents statements that The Lord God has chosen Zion for Himself.  He will bless the people of Zion and her priests. (Psalm 132:15-16) 

Application:

All men of God, regardless of the title by which they are called be it priest, pastor, preacher, minister, bishop, reverend, or whatever, they should be holy, clothed in righteousness.  They should be filled with The Holy Spirit and full of the grace of God.  One should be able to see the fruit of The Holy Spirit in their lives and their behavior.  However, preachers are human, they are not perfect and the all need prayer.  All of the saints, the people of God, should shout for joy.  They should make a joyful noise and praise The Lord.  Neither the priests nor the people are required to be perfect, but they should believe, read, and follow The Word of God.  Both should loudly proclaim to the world that they belong to The Lord God and both should pray for each other.  Pray for your pastor, and for every preacher you know, in addition to praying for every child of God.

SING PRAISES AND SHOUT TO GOD WITH CRIES OF JOY

Proclamation:

“Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.  For The Lord Most High is awesome, The Great King over all the earth.”  Psalm 47:1-2 (NIV)

Explanation:

This psalm was written as a song, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, by an unknown human author for the sons of Korah to sing.  This psalm, along with psalms 46 and 48 are considered to be songs of triumph.  This psalm is also a prophetic psalm.  The ascension of Christ into heaven is prophetically spoken of in this psalm. (Psalm 47:5)  The unknown psalmist encouraged the Gentile people to praise The Lord, to rejoice and be glad, and to sing praises to God. (Psalm 47:1, 6, and 7)

Application:

As believers we know that The Lord God is awesome.  He is The King of all the earth. (Psalm 47:2 and 7)  He reigns over all nations on the earth from His throne in heaven. (Psalm 47:8)  Because He is our King, and The King of kings, we should sing and praise His holy name for He is worthy to be praised. (Psalm 47:9)  We are exhorted to praise The Lord publicly, cheerfully, and intellectually with an understanding of who He is and what He has done. (Psalm 47:1, 6, and 7)

PRAISE THE LORD

Proclamation:

"Shout for joy to The Lord, all the earth.  Worship The Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs ... Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise;  For The Lord is good and His love endures forever;  His faithfulness continues through all generations."  Psalms 100:1-5 (NIV)

Explanation:

This psalm was penned by an unknown human author but it was clearly written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  The author encourages all of the people of the earth to shout praises unto The Lord.  They are exhorted to sing songs of praise and to worship The Lord with joy.  They should enter into His presence with a spirit of thanksgiving and praise.  The author’s point was that The Lord God deserves all glory, honor, praise, and worship.

Application:

The Bible repeatedly encourages believers to praise The Lord.  "Young men and maidens, old men and children.  Let them praise the name of The Lord, for His name alone is exalted; His splendor is above the earth and the heavens." (Psalms 148:12-13)  Praising The Lord is a good thing to do. (Psalm 147:1)  There are many ways that we can praise Him but here we are encouraged to shout and make a joyful noise unto The Lord. (Psalm 100:1)  We are also encouraged to sing songs of praise.  Your singing may be off key, like mine is, but as long as we are making a “joyful noise unto The Lord” we are okay.  So, "Let the saints rejoice in this honor and sing for joy..." (Psalms 149:5)  I don’t know about you but I will praise The Lord for the rest of my life, for as long as I live. (Psalm 146:1-2)  We all should be truly thankful for all of the things that The Lord has brought us through.  We should praise Him for all that He has done, is doing, and will do.  "Let everything that has breath praise The Lord.  Praise The Lord." (Psalms 150:6)  The angels in heaven praise Him by shouting “Hallelujah”, which is the highest form of praise. (Rev 19:1)  We should praise Him now while we are able.  Let’s not wait until we get to heaven to praise Him.  Praise His holy and righteous name.  Hallelujah!!!  Praise The Lord.