Praise

Praise

All of God’s Covenant is designed to bring Him praise.

“For I will proclaim the name of the LORD; ascribe greatness to our God.” Deuteronomy 32:3

The worldview of God’s Law begins and ends in worship. As we focus on the vision of God and His promises, take up the disciplines provided to help us realize that vision, and practice the worldview to which that vision and those disciplines lead, we will necessarily be involved in honoring and glorifying God, and bringing praise to Him. God instructed Moses to “write this song and teach it to the people of Israel. Put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the people of Israel” (Deut. 31:19). The song Israel was to learn begins and ends in praise to God, and it is pervaded throughout with the celebration of His greatness and mercy.

But that song was merely emblematic of the ways God had built praise into His Law. The sacrifices and offerings which the people were to bring would daily remind them of His worthiness and enable them to praise Him from the fruits of His blessings. The weekly Sabbaths, annual feasts, and seven-year Sabbaths also would have kept the Lord and His blessings before the minds and in the hearts of His people.

Praise to God pervades the practice of the Law of God, as it must the practice of the worldview contained in that Law. The Law and promises of God are not, in the end, merely for the blessing of His chosen people. Rather, the blessings God bestows on His people are so that they might glorify, honor, and praise Him, thus holding Him up for all the nations to see that the Lord our God is good and holy and just and merciful and true. God gave His Law so that the knowledge of His glory might cover the earth as the waters cover the seas. We are faithful to His promises, His commandments, and the worldview of God’s Law when praise and glory to God are the constant fruit of all we say and do.

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T. M. Moore, editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.