#831 Not Unto Us

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!

2 Serve the Lord with gladness!

Come into his presence with singing!

3 Know that the Lord, he is God!

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

and his courts with praise!

Give thanks to him; bless his name!

5 For the Lord is good;

his steadfast love endures forever,

and his faithfulness to all generations.

A Psalm of thanksgiving.

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth - This is a fruit of the Spirit, joy, which shines upon the face, springs forth from the mouth. The smallest inkling of our salvation will become the seed from which the sapling of our praise grows forth. Oh that God has revealed what we could never find, and so the tree grows, our branches spread forth and the more we know Him, the more becomes our praise. Joy will not be guilty of ritual obeisance, of vane repetition, she comes of a will that has been set free, a heart that is anxious for the Lord's day. 

Serve the Lord with gladness - I have already taken all my dreary cares, every hurt, and sin I knew or have as yet not understood, and laid them before the Lord. For this, He has made me glad, that I may cast all my cares upon Him and now with gladness I come to serve. It is not a service of the lips, but my lips carry the praises of my heart. I will rejoice for He has made me glad. 

…19 Aware that they wanted to question Him, Jesus said to them, “Are you asking one another why I said, ‘In a little while you will not see Me, and then after a little while you will see Me’? 20 Truly, truly, I tell you, you will weep and wail while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21 A woman has pain in childbirth because her time has come; but when she brings forth her child, she forgets her anguish because of her joy that a child has been born into the world.… John 16: 19-21

Know that the Lord, He is God - From Spurgeon's treasury of David:

- Our worship must be intelligent. We ought to know whom we worship and why. "Man, know thyself, "is a wise aphorism, yet to know our God is truer wisdom; and it is very questionable whether a man can know himself until he knows his God. Jehovah is God in the fullest, most absolute, and most exclusive sense, he is God alone; to know him in that character and prove our knowledge by obedience, trust, submission, zeal, and love is an attainment which only grace can bestow. Only those who practically recognise his Godhead are at all likely to offer acceptable praise. It is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves. Shall not the creature reverence its maker? Some men live as if they made themselves; they call themselves "self-made men, "and they adore their supposed creators; but Christians recognise the origin of their being and their well-being, and take no honour to themselves either for being, or for being what they are. Neither in our first or second creation dare we put so much as a finger upon the glory, for it is the sole right and property of the Almighty. To disclaim honour for ourselves is as necessary a part of true reverence as to ascribe glory to the Lord. "Non nobis, dominc!" will for ever remain the true believer's confession. - C. H. Spurgeon

Enter His gates with thanksgiving - This is not owned by the rich, not relegated to the strong, but the joy of everyone who comes to know God. That I may come to the gate and see the courts inside, this must cause the heart to break forth. No sickness, pain or struggle can ever take away my thanks, I am a freed man, one who has known God's mercy, and to know and love God is eternal blessing.

…5 Now if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, you will be My treasured possession out of all the nations—for the whole earth is Mine. 6 And unto Me you shall be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you are to speak to the Israelites.” 7 So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the LORD had commanded him.… Exodus 19: 5-7

4 As you come to Him, the living stone, rejected by men but chosen and precious in God’s sight, 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture: “See, I lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone; and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame.”…

…7 To you who believe, then, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” 8 and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the message— and to this they were appointed. 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.… 1 Peter 2: 4-9