Psalm 100 — The LORD Is God, We Are His Sheep
Introduction: This brief psalm of only five verses contains a depth that is belied by the brevity. It has been a favorite in the church for centuries, and perhaps the rich content in few words has been an important factor to that popularity among the people of God. It expresses some important aspects of our relationship to our God, including some similar wording and metaphors that link it to other scriptures to add depth of meaning.
NOTE: All Bible text is taken from the World English Bible.
A — Praise the Lord and Serve Him with Joy
Psalm 100 “1 Shout for joy to Yahweh, all you lands! 2 Serve Yahweh with gladness. Come before his presence with singing.”
Comments: At the outset of this psalm, “all you lands” are being addressed. Psalm 66:3–4 tells us that there will be a time when the people of the whole earth will submit to the Lord’s authority and will sing and shout praises to his holy name. God had already established the requirement that his chosen people Israel serve the LORD. Deuteronomy 10:12 “Now, Israel, what does Yahweh your God require of you, but to fear Yahweh your God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” Christians should also serve the Lord joyfully with their whole life. Colossians 3:23 “And whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord, and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.” We have good reason to serve the Lord with joy, for Jude 1:24 tells us he is able to present us faultless before his presence in great joy.
B — Know the Lord and That We Are His
Psalm 100 “3 Know that Yahweh, he is God. It is he who has made us, and we are his. We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.”
Comments: His Word is truth, and it settles all matters. Genesis 2:7 “Yahweh God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” The message of “no other God” did not change through all the period of the judges and the kings. Isaiah 45:22 “Look to me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.” This continues as an unchangeable truth because of the ministry of Christ Jesus. Philippians 2:9–11 “Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” The LORD will take care of those that he has set apart as he is the Good Shepherd of their souls. John 10:27–28 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”
C — Respond to the Lord
Psalm 100 “4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, and bless his name.”
Comments: We who belong to the Lord have an unparalleled reason to gather together to bring praise and thanksgiving to his name. Hebrews 10:24–25 “Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good works, not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as you see the Day approaching.” The absence of God’s temple here on earth does not prevent the worship the Lord desires of us. Isaiah 66:2 “to this man will I look, even to him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at my word.” Hebrews 13:15–16 “Through him, then, let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of lips which proclaim allegiance to his name. But don’t forget to be doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.”
D — The Lord Is Faithful to All Generations
Psalm 100 “5 For Yahweh is good. His loving kindness endures forever, his faithfulness to all generations.”
Comments: Though there may be present suffering for the sheep of God’s pasture, his goodness will surely come to pass. Even in the dark days of Judah, as the southern kingdom was being conquered, Jeremiah could write: Lamentations 3:24–26 “Yahweh is my portion, says my soul; therefore will I hope in him. Yahweh is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him. It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of Yahweh.” In the present generation we still must place our full trust in the enduring word of the Lord. Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
Reflections in Prayer
Lord, I want to have a song in my heart even when there is none on my lips so that all of my service to you will be rooted in the incomparable joy you provide. I firmly believe that you are God alone, and that you are my loving creator. I thank you Lord that you have made me one of your sheep because I know that as the good shepherd you gave your life that I might live eternally. I thank you Lord with all my heart and I want to continually come before you with praise to your holy name. You are indeed good with no trace of evil. I know that I will have joy throughout eternity with you because your loving kindness endures forever. All praise to the true and living LORD! Amen.
Published 16 April 2011