Rejoice Before the Lord

100:1 Shout out praises to the Lord, all the earth! 100:2 Worship the Lord with joy! Enter his presence with joyful singing! 100:3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us and we belong to him; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 100:4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give him thanks! Praise his name! 100:5 For the Lord is good. His loyal love endures, and he is faithful through all generations. Psalm 101 A psalm of David.

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible®, copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

Psalm 100 calls all the earth to praise the Lord with joy. It says we belong to him because he made us, and it calls us to enter his presence with thanksgiving. The psalm ends by grounding worship in God’s good character, his steadfast love, and his faithfulness to every generation.

This psalm gives a clear call to worship. It begins with joyful praise and service from all the earth. Worship is not only private feeling. It is public, glad, and obedient.

The psalm then tells us why the Lord is to be praised. He is God. He made us, so we do not belong to ourselves. We are his people, like sheep in his pasture. That means he has authority over us, and he also cares for us.

The psalm uses temple language. God’s people are told to enter his gates and courts with thanksgiving and praise. Proper worship is marked by gratitude, not pride or entitlement.

The final verse gives the reason for all this praise. The Lord is good. His loyal love continues. He is faithful from generation to generation. Because God is like this, his people should worship him with joy and thankfulness.

• All the earth is called to praise the Lord.
• Worship should be joyful and thankful.
• The Lord is God, our Creator, and we belong to him.
• God is like a shepherd who owns and cares for his people.
• True worship is based on who God is, not on human mood.
• The Lord is good, his steadfast love endures, and he is faithful through all generations.

• Commands: shout praises to the Lord; worship the Lord with joy; enter his presence with joyful singing; acknowledge that the Lord is God; enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give him thanks; praise his name.
• Warnings: do not live as if you belong to yourself; do not approach God with pride or entitlement.
• Promises: the Lord is good; his loyal love endures; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Psalm 100 stands in Israel’s worship life, where God’s people approached him with thanksgiving in his sanctuary. It also widens the call to worship beyond Israel by summoning all the earth. The psalm fits the larger biblical pattern of the Lord’s kingship over the nations and his shepherd care for his people.

Believers should come to God with gladness, gratitude, and reverence. Corporate worship should be centered on God’s character, not on human taste or emotion. This psalm also reminds us that we belong to the Lord, so our lives should be marked by thankful obedience.

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