Call on the Name of the Lord, and Thank Him (Part 3 of 3)

"Praise God from whom all blessings flow," and then tell others what He has done for you!

November 13, 2021

"O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon His name: make known His deeds among the people.  Sing unto Him, sing psalms unto Him:  talk ye of all His wondrous works.  Glory ye in His holy name:  let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD."

Psalm 105:1-3

Part 3

Yesterday:  Sing to the Lord!
“Sing unto Him.”
“Sing psalms unto Him.”
“Talk ye of all His wondrous works.”

 

Today:  Glory in His Holy Name!

“Be proud of His holy name.  You followers of the LORD, be happy!” (Psalm 105:3, HSB [1]).

 

“Glory ye in His holy name.”
We, sinful humans, are a proud people.  Sadly, our pride gets us into trouble when we put it into use most of the time.  Human pride is at the heart of our sin.  It is the reason sinners believe they can stand up and shake their fists in God’s face and not be called into account for it.  Our pride makes our hearts want to brag about our accomplishments, possessions, or standing in society.  Most often, when we boast, we brag about the wrong things.  The Bible shows us that we ought to brag on the Lord and not ourselves if we want to brag.  That’s the basic idea of these words “glory ye in His holy name.”  Boast in the Lord.

“Glory in the God whom you serve, as the only true God” [2] (Wesley).

“We can glory in many things.  Some glory in wealth or status, while others glory in pleasure or entertainment.  God’s people rightly find their greatest glory in His holy name” [3] (EWC).

“Show the name Jesus: exult in it – praise it.  His name was called Jesus; because He came to save His people from their sins” [4] (Clarke).

David had the right idea when he said –

My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad” (Psalm 34:2).

“In the LORD shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory” (Isaiah 45:25).

Instead of being proud and glorying in all the wrong things, Jeremiah points our hearts in the right direction when he gave us God’s thoughts –

“Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:  But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD” (Jeremiah 9:23-24).

There is coming a day when we will all stand before Christ.  Unrepentant sinners will stand before Him at the Great White Throne Judgment.  There they will give an accounting of their sinful lives, no bragging, no embellishments, just the naked unvarnished truth about how they rejected God.  And believers, we will stand before Him at the Judgment Seat of Christ.  There all that is important to us is that we have Christ!

“That no flesh should glory in his presence.  But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:  That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:29-31).

But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (Galatians 6:14).

 

“Down at the cross where my Savior died,
Down where for cleansing from sin I cried,
There to my heart was the blood applied;
Glory to his name!

Glory to his name,
Glory to his name;
There to my heart was the blood applied;
Glory to his name!” [5]

 

“Let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD.”
Interestingly, those who are seeking the Lord are not only happy in Him but safe.

“His name means His attributes that are revealed to man. Israel should depend on the Lord (look and seek His face), remembering His miraculous works” [6] (BKC).

Let the heart of them rejoice – That is, the heart of those shall rejoice who seek the Lord: therefore it is added: – [7] (Clarke).

Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore” (Psalm 105:4).

“Seek His strength; that is, His grace; the strength of His Spirit to work in us that which is good, which we cannot do but by strength derived from Him, for which He will be sought.  Seek to have His favor to eternity, therefore continue seeking it while living in this world; for He will not only be found, but He will reward those that diligently seek Him” [8] (Matthew Henry).

And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee” (Psalm 9:10).

“I love them that love me, and those that seek me early shall find me” (Proverbs 8:17). [9]

Seek ye the LORD while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near:  Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:6-7).

The LORD is good unto them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him” (Lamentations 3:25).

And Jesus taught us –

“And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened” (Luke 11:9-10).

“Let … Them Rejoice”

“True devotion leads to deep inward joy which will find expression in thanksgiving” [10] (CB).

Thank you, dear Lord, for your goodness to me!

 

Quote:  “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him” (Colossians 3:17).

 

 

 

[1] HSB is the Harvest Study Bible from Harvest Ministries in Guam.
[2] John Wesley.  John Wesley’s Notes on the Bible, the electronic version in eSword.
[3] EWC, Enduring Word Commentary, the electronic version in eSword.
[4] Adam Clarke, Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible, the electronic version in eSword.  Psalm 105:3.
[5] This is the first stanza, and the refrain for “Down at the Cross Where My Savior Died” (1878), by E.A. Hoffman (1839-1929).  Tune: GLORY TO HIS NAME (Stockton).  Copyright status: Public Domain.
[6] BKC, Ross, A. P. (1985).  Psalms.  In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 869).  Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.  The emphasis is theirs.
[7] Adam Clarke, ibid.  The emphasis is his.
[8] Henry, M., & Scott, T. (1997).  Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary (Ps 105:1).  Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems.
[9] In Proverbs 8, these words are from wisdom personified.  God, who is all-wise, invites us to seek Him and come to Him in the scriptures.
[10] CB is the Cambridge Bible, the electronic Bible notes in eSword.  Psalm 105:3.