Praise and worship is a large, central part of any church service. From traditional hymns to more contemporary worship songs, many Christians love to sing songs to worship God. Whether they are traditional songs or newer ones, they all contain some beautiful melodies and lyrics. Have you ever been moved emotionally by a praise song? Maybe you’ve cried, raised your hands, or lifted up a desperate prayer.
Have you ever had times where the music moves you, even if the lyrics don’t? Maybe you’re listening to an instrumental piece or a song in another language and can feel the emotion put into the piece. But think about how much you would be even more moved when you fully understand the lyrics or the intent behind the song.
Sometimes we sing along or do things that we don’t fully understand. But let’s think about it from God’s perspective – if we’re singing praises to Him, but don’t know the meaning of the lyrics, or why we praise God, then do you think it’s truly pleasing to Him?
The True Meaning of Praise
What does “praise” actually mean in the first place?
The dictionary defines praise as, “offering approval or admiration; offering homage to God or deity through song or words.”
When you do something well at your job, in school, at home, etc., I’m sure you’ve received praise from those around you. We often congratulate and admire people who do good works or accomplish great things in their lives.
When we praise God, we’re giving glory to God for what He has done. Psalms 19:1-2 says,
“The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours out speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge.”
To truly understand what God has done and rightly praise Him for it, we need to engrave God’s Word on our hearts and minds. But how can we give God glory when we don’t know what He has done?
Maybe we know some of the things God has done, but not all. Or maybe we lack a deeper understanding of God’s true glory, just as a child doesn’t really understand all that their parent has done for them when they’re young. But as they grow and learn more about their parent, they’re able to fully appreciate and express their gratitude for everything their parent has done for them.
The Language of the Bible and How It Can Help Our Praise
The Bible is full of beautiful psalms, proverbs, and other passages that reflect God’s heart and give glory back to Him. Many song lyrics that we sing today are often just the verses of psalms set to a tune.
However, these words have an even deeper meaning behind them than what we see on the page. Much of the language in the Bible is figurative, or metaphorical.
Figurative Fields, Buildings, and Water
In 1 Corinthians 3:9 Paul says,
“For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.”
Here, people are compared to a field or building. What do we do with fields? We plant things in them. But if we are spiritual fields, then what is planted within us? Jesus explains that we need to have God’s word, which is likened to a spiritual seed (Luke 8:11), planted in our hearts so that we grow into believers who are in God’s image.
We know that buildings house things. They are places where people gather or enter. While we all live in different kinds of buildings, big or small, clean or dirty, we can understand that the building that we live in is a home. And spiritually, we are a building that God’s Spirit wants to dwell in – to make His home in (1 Corinthians 3:16).
In Deuteronomy 32:2 God says,
“May my teaching drop as the rain,
my speech distill as the dew,
like gentle rain upon the tender grass,
and like showers upon the herb.”
God’s Word is compared to rain according to this passage. So when we sing praise songs about rain falling down to the earth, are we really just singing about physical rain coming down? Some might think it’s likening rain to something that cleanses us. But even with that, what has the power to cleanse our hearts? God’s Word.
So when we begin to understand the Bible on a deeper level, knowing the figurative language, then those praise songs we sing in church on Sundays take on an even greater meaning. Our praise becomes more meaningful to God and to us because we understand the true meaning and glory of God.
Do You Know the Songs Mentioned in the Bible?
“And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,
“Great and amazing are your deeds,
O Lord God the Almighty!
Just and true are your ways,
O King of the nations!”
Revelation 15:3
“The song of Moses” and “the song of the Lamb”, do you think these are actual songs?
The Song of Moses
We can read the song of Moses in Deuteronomy 32. It is Moses giving the law of the Lord to Israel. He tells of what God has done for His chosen people. The Mosaic Law isn’t just the Ten Commandments, but encapsulates all of the Old Testament, including the prophets.
All of those books tell of what God has done and what He will do. Are you able to sing this song? In other words, do you know the prophecies of the Old Testament?
The Song of the Lamb
Then what is the song of the Lamb? The “Lamb” is Jesus (John 1:29), and Jesus was the one who fulfilled all of the prophecies concerning him during his ministry. When Jesus came at the first coming, everything he spoke and did fulfilled the Old Testament. So that testimony of Jesus’s works becomes the song of the Lamb. The apostles and early Christians sang the song of the Lamb all throughout the earth and spread the gospel of Jesus.
There are many believers who know some or most of the lyrics, because many of us, since almost birth, have grown up hearing the gospel of Jesus. But does that mean we completely understand what we’ve heard?
When you were young, didn’t you used to sing along to songs that you knew all the lyrics to but didn’t fully understand what they meant? And later when you got older, you heard the song again and were shocked from now being able to understand the lyrics fully.
It’s the same for singing praise to God. We might know the lyrics, but we need to have a complete and full understanding of them in order to sing the song properly.
Why is this important? The true meaning of singing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb means that you completely understand the prophecies and the fulfillment of the Law of Moses and Prophets, and how Jesus fulfilled them all.
If you do truly understand, then you would follow what those songs say – you obey the Old Testament and Jesus’ teachings. Along with that, you’ll also have a greater appreciation and reverence for God, who promised and fulfilled all of these things.
Sing to the Lord a New Song
Did you know that there is also a new song mentioned in the Bible? In Revelation 5 and Revelation 14, we read of a new song being sung by God’s spirits in heaven and by His people on earth at Mount Zion. If the “Song of Moses” is the Old Testament Law and prophets, and the “Song of the Lamb” is the fulfillment of those prophecies, then what would the “new song” be?
Well, what’s left to be fulfilled? Isn’t it the prophecies that Jesus made throughout the gospels and the book of Revelation? So if those people who are standing on Mount Zion can sing the new song, that would mean that they understand the true meaning of the prophecies of Revelation and the parables that Jesus spoke. Wouldn’t it be amazing to know the lyrics of that new song?
We sing praises to God to glorify Him for His works, for His prophecies and their fulfillment. We can truly praise God by understanding His Word and living a life of faith according to His Word. As we learn the songs in the Bible, we must learn to sing them correctly.
How do we do that? We need to read the Bible and pray to God daily for understanding instead of relying on our own thoughts. We must learn the true meanings behind the lyrics, because if we mishear them, we won’t be able to sing them perfectly when the “concert” (fulfillment of His prophecies) comes.
Let’s warm up our voices, get out our song book, and start practicing so that we can praise and glorify God with complete understanding of what we’re singing.
Written by Kenny
Read More
Zeal Without Knowledge…It’s Not Good – The Proverbs Series
The Danger of Adding Our Own Thoughts to the Bible
How to Worship God According to the Bible
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