Sermon Devotional: The Goodness of God
Sermon Title: The Goodness of God
Scripture: Psalm 100 (NIV)
As we leave Judges, Ruth, and the passages that traditionally ensconce Holy Week and Easter, we move to a focus on gratitude. Psalm 100, written “for giving grateful praise,” provides words of worship and adoration of God as Creator and Shepherd of the Israelites.
The book of Psalms was gradually compiled during Israel’s long and storied history. Many anthologies of songs have been discovered from this time period in the ancient Near East, many of which contain similar genres such as praise hymns, laments, and prayers for leaders, as well as similar usage of imagery and structure. Interestingly, the book of Psalms is unique among ancient documents in its variety, organization, and monotheistic focus.
Psalm 100 is categorized as a corporate praise psalm, designed for worship in a temple setting. As such, it begins with an imperative – “Shout for joy to the Lord” (v. 1). Rather unusually for the time, the writer’s enthusiasm is evangelistic – “all the earth” (v. 1). An overriding theme is joyful gratitude for Yahweh and the role he plays in upholding his creation. Hearers are also exhorted to praise him because he is good, merciful, and kind, unlike the surrounding local deities who would have been strikingly self-serving and capricious in comparison.
The use of the temple visual in verse 4 grounds the worship of Yahweh in the concrete traditions of the community – “enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise” (v. 4). Temples were critical focal points in the ancient Near East, visual representations of divine order and oversight over creation. A temple was a seat not only of earthly governance and power, but a place where the human intersected with the divine on behalf of the community, as well as a physical location for festivals and feasts. There were elaborate rules designed to mediate the divine presence and ensure that the sacred space was used appropriately by both priests and the public. Syrian, Phoenician, and Mesopotamian temples during this period were structured so that an open-air entry court led to a sacred entry room, which led to an even more sacred room that contained additional elements of worship. The Israelites’ ark of the covenant, as well as Solomon’s temple, used this basic architectural design.
We can imagine, then, a group of Israelites preparing for worship outside the temple gates. They would gather, perhaps in a ritualized way in the early morning, and move together into the first courtyard, sandals slapping on stone pavers. Perhaps they would be singing the very words of this psalm together to a tune lost in the sands of time. They, along with us, would remember at the end of this psalm one final reason we are to praise God – “his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations” (v. 5). Yahweh is not simply an ancient religious explanation for the harsh realities of life. Yahweh was and is a transcendent, holy, and omnipotent God who exists outside of time and space and is sovereign over all things. He is just as present with us today at CCPC as he was in the temple courtyard during the Iron Age. May we each find many reasons to praise him today!
Consider –
╬ We are exhorted to be worshippers. In fact, that is a defining mark of God’s children. However, it is important to remember that worship is not a feeling, but a simple affirmation of faith and gratitude for our Creator and Sustainer God. We worship God for who he is! What specifically do you worship God for right now?
╬ The psalmist declares, “It is he who made us and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.” Even if you have not had direct experience with agricultural practices, what can you imagine are the tasks of shepherds? How has God been like a shepherd to you in the last week?
╬ Lord, we praise you for how you create and sustain all things through the intricacies of time and space and through the complexities of our lives. Not a hair falls from our heads that you do not know about. We have so much to be thankful for. Please forgive us when we lose perspective. Put your praise on our lips and in our hearts. Help us today to be a concrete reason that someone else praises you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Scripture: Psalm 100 (NIV)
“Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.” Psalm 100:3
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.” Psalm 100:3
As we leave Judges, Ruth, and the passages that traditionally ensconce Holy Week and Easter, we move to a focus on gratitude. Psalm 100, written “for giving grateful praise,” provides words of worship and adoration of God as Creator and Shepherd of the Israelites.
The book of Psalms was gradually compiled during Israel’s long and storied history. Many anthologies of songs have been discovered from this time period in the ancient Near East, many of which contain similar genres such as praise hymns, laments, and prayers for leaders, as well as similar usage of imagery and structure. Interestingly, the book of Psalms is unique among ancient documents in its variety, organization, and monotheistic focus.
Psalm 100 is categorized as a corporate praise psalm, designed for worship in a temple setting. As such, it begins with an imperative – “Shout for joy to the Lord” (v. 1). Rather unusually for the time, the writer’s enthusiasm is evangelistic – “all the earth” (v. 1). An overriding theme is joyful gratitude for Yahweh and the role he plays in upholding his creation. Hearers are also exhorted to praise him because he is good, merciful, and kind, unlike the surrounding local deities who would have been strikingly self-serving and capricious in comparison.
The use of the temple visual in verse 4 grounds the worship of Yahweh in the concrete traditions of the community – “enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise” (v. 4). Temples were critical focal points in the ancient Near East, visual representations of divine order and oversight over creation. A temple was a seat not only of earthly governance and power, but a place where the human intersected with the divine on behalf of the community, as well as a physical location for festivals and feasts. There were elaborate rules designed to mediate the divine presence and ensure that the sacred space was used appropriately by both priests and the public. Syrian, Phoenician, and Mesopotamian temples during this period were structured so that an open-air entry court led to a sacred entry room, which led to an even more sacred room that contained additional elements of worship. The Israelites’ ark of the covenant, as well as Solomon’s temple, used this basic architectural design.
We can imagine, then, a group of Israelites preparing for worship outside the temple gates. They would gather, perhaps in a ritualized way in the early morning, and move together into the first courtyard, sandals slapping on stone pavers. Perhaps they would be singing the very words of this psalm together to a tune lost in the sands of time. They, along with us, would remember at the end of this psalm one final reason we are to praise God – “his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations” (v. 5). Yahweh is not simply an ancient religious explanation for the harsh realities of life. Yahweh was and is a transcendent, holy, and omnipotent God who exists outside of time and space and is sovereign over all things. He is just as present with us today at CCPC as he was in the temple courtyard during the Iron Age. May we each find many reasons to praise him today!
Consider –
╬ We are exhorted to be worshippers. In fact, that is a defining mark of God’s children. However, it is important to remember that worship is not a feeling, but a simple affirmation of faith and gratitude for our Creator and Sustainer God. We worship God for who he is! What specifically do you worship God for right now?
╬ The psalmist declares, “It is he who made us and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.” Even if you have not had direct experience with agricultural practices, what can you imagine are the tasks of shepherds? How has God been like a shepherd to you in the last week?
╬ Lord, we praise you for how you create and sustain all things through the intricacies of time and space and through the complexities of our lives. Not a hair falls from our heads that you do not know about. We have so much to be thankful for. Please forgive us when we lose perspective. Put your praise on our lips and in our hearts. Help us today to be a concrete reason that someone else praises you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.