PSALM 100 - The People of God in the Presence of God.
(Bible quotes are from the New English Bible, unless otherwise stated)


A psalm for giving thanks.

STEPS TO GOD'S PRESENCE

1.  Acclaim
2.  Worship
3.  Enter his presence.

V1
Acclaim the Lord, all men on earth,

(NIV) Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth

Acclaim - to applaud loudly or enthusiastically, to hail as king.

A call for all people to acknowledge God as Lord and King and applaud him for all that he is and does.

V2.
worship the Lord in gladness;
enter his presence with songs of exultation.

God is to be worshipped.  We can be glad in our worship - reverence is not necessarily a solemn and serious business.  When we come into his presence, we should come with praise.  When we praise him, we are reminded of his glory, goodness, greatness, kindness, generosity and love - all things to be joyful about.  We praise him with songs of exultation - with rejoicing, in celebration.

V3.
Know that the Lord is God;
he has made us and we are his own.
his people, the flock which he shepherds.

These lines tell about God and our relationship with him. We can have confidence in who he is and where we stand with him.

  • He is GOD - we have no doubt about his position of Lordship
  • He made us - we are his creation, we are nothing without him, he understands everything about us.
  • We are his own - we belong to him, he takes responsibility for us, we are linked in a bond with him.  What a wonderful place of security!
  • We are his people - all who belong to him and to his Kingdom share the same 'nationality', no matter what their human origins.

    • We are the sheep he shepherds - we are dependant on him; we need to be led, protected and fed by        him;  he cares for us.

    V 4.
    Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise.
    Give thanks to him and bless is name;

    The process of entering into God's presence brings increasing intimacy with him.  Each step in these lines brings us into closer contact with God: first through the outer gates, then into the courts, then into the inner sanctum of closeness to him where we can speak to him - give him thanks and praise personally.

    Three steps in praise:

  • thanksgiving - look at what he's done for us. Thank you, God!
  • praise - looking at who he is.  You're wonderful, God!
  • blessing his name - a personal relationship indicated by being able to use his name and bless it.

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    V5.
    for the Lord is good and his love is everlasting,
    his constancy endures for all generations.

    Reasons for giving thanks to God, for praising him and for seeking to know him personally:

  • He is good
  • His love is everlasting.
  • His attitude towards us is one of faithful, unchanging love. No matter what we do, he is totally committed to loving and he never changes.

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    God is the same in the past, the present and the future.

    This means there is hope for everyone.