Who should praise God? Some believers do not have the discernment about worship. They think everyone can worship. Although it is true that everyone can sing, it is not true that everyone can worship. In today’s psalm, the psalmist is not ambiguous when it comes to the business of singing and worship.
Commentary:
Psalm 33:1. The phrase “praise is becoming to the upright” means that praise is befitting to the upright. The Message version translates, “Upright people will sound best when praising.” Certainly if the righteous people do not praise God, only the non-upright people will be left doing the work. Since the non-upright people do not really know God, they would be saying things that they do not mean. That is hypocrisy. What an awful sound that would have been to God.
Psalm 33:3. The psalmist calls for the righteous people to giving God the skillfully played music. Lest we forget that God is worthy of all glory and honor, we must give the Lord our best offering.
In giving our offering, we should also give it from the bottom of our heart. Here, the psalmist calls us to offer with a shout of joy. God loves a cheerful giver. No one should offer out of compulsion.
Psalm 33:4, 6, 9. The word of God is upright, it creates, and it endures forever.
Psalm 33:12-19. God created everyone in the world. He is not partial to anyone, but the Lord looks down from heaven to see who would choose Him as their God.
False idols are creations to comfort men or to fix a situation. They are like horses or strength that gives people false hopes for victory. The upright people would look toward the Lord for deliverance. They rely on the Lord for true salvation.
Meditation:
God is seeking the upright people to worship Him. The upright people are not the sinless people, but they are the saved people who confess their sins and ask Jesus Christ to cover them with His blood. The others have not entered into the righteousness. Their worship does not please God.
The righteous ones need to put in times and effort to make the worship right. Choir members and worship leaders need to practice. Their rehearsal should focus on God knowing that the Lord is the only audience. Their offering needs to be freely given. Worship leaders and choir members cannot participate because they are left with no choice. They are not there because none other would step up, so they have to perform. Leading worship is a privilege and should be cherished.
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you that you uphold justice. We pray that we will follow you and always be the light to shine darkness in this world. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.