REVIEW
 
Praise the Lord!  This is the title of our current series, and as you just witnessed, we are not just wanting to observe what praise is; we want to actually “Praise the Lord!”
 
So we are stretching ourselves a little bit, right? We are finding out what God considers praise to be and then adopting these things into our praise lives. And we are doing this by looking at the various words that are used for praise in the Old Testament.
 
We started off by looking at the most common Hebrew word for praise, the word halal. We learned that this word is used close to 150 times in the Old Testament and is translated “praise” the vast majority of those times. However, even though the word “praise” is obviously its primary meaning, it actually has some interesting other meanings that we learned …
 
We saw that the word halal literally is defined as – "to be clear (originally of sound, but usually of color), to shine (thus to give light) – which results in to make a show, to boast, to rave, to celebrate, and to be clamorously foolish, or act like a madman."
 
So we made the point that when we read these various ways that halal is being described, we don’t see a lot of this reflected in people’s praise lives, do we? No, I see very few people “shining” by acting foolish or like a crazy person during the praise time. And that’s not to condemn us, but it does need to be brought to our attention because if this is how we are called to praise, then perhaps we ought to loosen up a bit. Perhaps we’ve grown up too much.
 
Yes, the Lord desires that our praise to first be “clear” – that is, true, sincere, and genuine. I made the point that this to me describes praising & worshipping God in truth.
In other words, this describes praise that is void of pretense and hypocrisy. He wants praise that is done in truth – that is, purely and sincerely.
 
But at the same time, the Lord also desires our praise to “shine” – that is, for it to first be displayed in how we live our lives. So that means that shining forth His praise is not just what we say, but how we live our everyday lives.
 
However, we also learned that this “shining” describes making a show, boasting, raving, celebrating, and to act clamorously foolish, or like a madman. What this means, church, is that we will stand out of the pack. We’ll be the one that seems to be in the spotlight even though that’s not necessarily our intention.
 
Now I know that a lot of people shun being in the spotlight and have a heart to not do things that draw attention to ourselves, the fact is, if we praise God this way, we will be noticed. Therefore, we learned that while we certainly don’t want to praise God to be seen of men, we also don’t want to hold our praise back because of the fear of man – meaning, while we might not want the attention, we are not going to hold back because of the attention we might get. Amen?
 
Then last week, we covered another Hebrew word for “praise”, the word todah.
 
We saw how from Psalm 42 that this kind of “praise” is the attitude by which we enter the house of the Lord— with the voice of joy and praise. Now we learned how the word “praise” here is not the word halal or any other of the popular Hebrew words for praise; it is the Hebrew word todah which describes "an extension of the hand in adoration, avowal, or acceptance." One expositor went on to say the following: “By way of application, it is apparent in the Psalms and elsewhere that it is used for thanking God for ‘things not yet received’ as well as things already at hand.” In fact, it is actually translated “thanksgiving” half the times it is used in the original King James Version. So the idea of this form of praise is more that of expressing gratitude and the giving of thanks to God.
 
So we looked at a couple of other passages of Scripture where this idea of entering the presence of God (i.e. the house of God) with thanksgiving is described (both of which, mind you, the Hebrew word todah is what is being used.  One is found in Psalm 95:2 where we are told to “come before His presence with thanksgiving” and the other is Psalm 100:4 that describes entering His gates with thanksgiving.

So what we learned is that the best way to enter the presence of God is “with thanksgiving.”
 
So just like the first step into God’s presence is through the gates of God’s House, the first step through the gates of His presence is by thanksgiving. Yes, Psalm 100:4 specifically says how we are to enter through them— it’s with thanksgiving. So what we can see through this statement is the best way to approach God in praise is through the gates of thanksgiving!
 
We learned that one of the reasons for this is because we “magnify God with thanksgiving, again the word todah (See Psalm 69:30). In other words, like a magnifying glass, we increase the size of Him in our own eyes when we thank Him for things He has done, is doing, and promised to do. So todah is what will make the One we are praising larger, bigger, and greater in our eyes – which will usher us into His presence and guess what wells up in us as a result? You guessed it… PRAISE!!! We started off traveling through the gates of thanksgiving and ended up in the courts of praise! Praise the Lord!
 
But we also learned that this word todah is oftentimes used when describing the sacrifice of thanksgiving. So I believe that one of the pictures of what it means to enter His gates with thanksgiving might be how the Jewish people would enter the house of the Lord with a sacrifice in hand. And we learned that it’s that offering up to Him the sacrifice of thanksgiving which has great reward in that it will change our perspective, help our focus, and bring His joy & power into the picture! The Lord always blesses the things we do in faith! Amen?
 
But then we learned that this todah kind of thanksgiving is not just what we should start out with; the New Testament teaches us that it’s what we end with as well. You see, even though we’ve seen thanksgiving mentioned being done first in these Old Testament verses, in the New Testament, we see it mentioned it as being done after when we’ve approached God.
 
We looked at three passages of Scripture that teach us this from the New Testament and with all three, we see the phrase “with thanksgiving” being included last. So based on these three passages of Scripture, we learned that not only is thanksgiving the appropriate way to enter into praise; it’s also the right way to end our time of praise as well.
 
Church, thanksgiving is not just something we should do at the end of the year; it is what we must do in the beginning of the year and all throughout it. It is how we come before Him and draw near to Him. It is the gateway into the holy of holies where the manifested glory and presence of God is housed.
 
So, it would behoove us to incorporate this spirit of thanksgiving into our praise lives—for not only is it the right & noble thing to do towards the One who has given us so much, but it also the vehicle that leads us into His presence. Amen. 
 
Why Y’all Do That?
 
Now this week, I’d like us to move into some Hebrew words & examples from the Old Testament of praise in the Old Testament that will answer the question – “Why y’all do that?”
 
You know, there are lot of things that we do in certain Charismatic, Pentecostal circles that I’m not so sure people understand why we do them – whether that be if you are someone who isn’t used to a church like this or whether you’ve grown up in a church that does these things. And the last thing we want to do is do things simply out of tradition or for some other religious reason.
 
So let’s begin answering that question 0f why we praise God like we do …
 
Why Do We Lift Our Hands?
 
The next word I want us to move into this week is actually the root word for the word we covered last week (todah), the word yadah.
 
Like todah which described an extension of the hand in adoration, avowal, or acceptance, the word yadah likewise describes "an extended hand or to throw out the hand.” And here it describes praising God by shooting out the hands, thanking Him with extended hands, or we might say to simply lift the hands in praise & thanksgiving.
 
Now the first time the word yadah was used was when the Lord opened Leah’s womb to bear sons to Jacob and she gave birth to Judah – for she said, “Now I will praise the Lord” and gave Judah his name (See Genesis 29:35).
 
So much can be said for what the Lord gave us through the Tribe of Judah namely the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Lord Jesus Christ – which teaches me what raising our hands in praise & thanksgiving likewise produces in our lives – Salvation (i.e. Jesus)!  
 
We see this illustrated in Second Chronicles 20:20-22 when Jehoshaphat put the praisers in front and appointed them to say, “Praise (Heb. yadah) the Lord, for His mercy endures forever!” The Amplified Bible translates this as “Praise and give thanks to the Lord …” in order to give the full definition of the word yadah.
 
And we know what happened as these praisers led the army into the battle, don’t we? As they went into the battle with hands extended, praising & thanking the Lord, the Lord fought the battle for them! Church, this is how we procure the riches of our salvation – by praising & thanking the Lord with hands lifted high!   
 
So have you ever wondered why you see some people lift their hands during the praise & worship service? Well, here is one of your reasons – it’s because it’s Biblical since one of the Hebrew words for praise specifically describes it.
 
But not only do we have this Hebrew word that clear describes praise being done with lifted/extended hands, we have several Scriptures that specifically talk about this too …

1. Psalm 63:4 says, “Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.”
2. Psalm 134:1-2 says, “Behold, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who by night stand in the house of the Lord! Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord.”
3. Psalm 143:6 says, “I spread out my hands to You; My soul longs for You like a thirsty land.”
4. Lamentations 3:41 says, “Let us lift our hearts and hands to God in heaven.”
5. Even in the New Testament, we see this practiced when Paul told Timothy, “I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting;” (See First Timothy 2:8).

 
This is just a few of the Scriptural examples of what yadah describes. But you’ll still have someone who will say, “But I just don’t see the point. What good does it do to lift my hands?”
 
Well, first of all, you don’t have to understand or see the point to do it and reap the benefits of simple obedience. I mean, I don’t have to know why a brown cow, eats grass, produces white milk, that when churned makes yellow butter – to enjoy a good biscuit. Amen?
 
Now I think understanding is important. Don’t get me wrong. But there’s just a lot we aren’t going to understand that we should simply do because we are told to. In fact, there’s a lot of examples in the Bible where people are told to do certain things and simply by following those instructions, miracles came forth. How easy it would be to hear instructions and to say, “Well, I’m sure its not important to do it exactly like that” or “I don’t see the purpose in doing that, so I’ll just do it this way.” I’ll tell you, saints – that’s a sure-fire way to miss a miracle!
 
So when it comes to lifting my hands to the Lord, I don’t necessarily have to know why I’m doing what I’m doing to reap the benefits of the biscuit! Amen?
 
But I will give you a few logical reasons why lifting our hands is important to our relationship with the Lord …

1. It’s a posture of surrender. Therefore, a person with hands in the air is sometimes showing that they give up – not giving up like I’m quitting serving God, but giving up as in relinquishing control over their own life and giving in to God’s will – kind of like we put our hands in the air when we are under arrest.  
2. It’s also a posture of dependence. So a person lifting their hands is humbly showing their need for God while they praise Him kind of like a young child throws out its arms for its dad or mom – which is big sign of humility versus the one who refuses to lift their hands to this unseen God that we ought to be looking to for everything.  
3. It’s a posture of receiving. So extending our arms to Him with open hands can be indicative of our willingness to receive from Him. Therefore, if I have a need for say healing or grace of any kind, me lifting my hands to Him can be me showing my desire & willingness to receive.

 
And there are probably several more things that lifting our hands to the Lord shows, but the fact, the Lord wants His people to be demonstrative in expressing their praise to Him. Yes, while our hearts are where true praise is to begin, the Lord also wants us loving Him with all our strength. So the person who does not show any real physical expressions of praise is simply not doing it right – for when the Lord has our whole heart, our body will come along with it.
 
Jumping, Whirling, Dancing, the Whole Bit!
 
With that being said, let me give you a few more things you and I do with our body to praise God which will answer some more questions like “why do we do this or that” when we praise the Lord …
 
How about jumping? Have you ever seen someone jump during the praise time? Sure, I for one love to jump. And guess what? It’s Scriptural too.
 
We have a Hebrew word alaz (a-lauze), and while this word is not translated as “praise” per se, it is used to describe “rejoicing, exulting, and to be jubilant.” In fact, while this word definitely describes being joyful, it carries the idea of “jumping for joy.”
 
So there you go! Now you have Scriptural precedence for jumping during the song service.     
 
But even if we didn’t have this specific definition to “jump for joy” it should just be self-explanatory that if we are jubilant and rejoicing, things like jumping go along with this joyful heart. Amen?
 
Guess what else comes with a jubilant heart? Dancing and whirling!
 
Of course, we have a great example of this from David’s life: We’ve seen this already in Second Samuel 6:14-16 when we are told – “Then David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet. Now as the ark of the Lord came into the City of David, Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leaping and whirling before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart.”
 
Here we see how David’s jubilant heart resulted in him doing several things:


Yes, he was “leaping,” but he was also “whirling” – which comes from the Hebrew word karar (ka-rare) – which described how David was dancing before the Lord with all his might.
 
Now this doesn’t mean to bring your old worldly barroom dancing up in here, but it describes a joyful dance. In other words, what’s your snoopy, happy dance. That’s what the Lord is blessed when we let it loose for Him. It might be simply just leaping. It might be whirling around. It might waving your hands back & forth. The bottom line is – whatever dance you’d let loose when you are jubilant & rejoicing, feel free to do that at this church!  
 
In fact, this “dancing” before the Lord is also a common biblical practice. We see it in Hebrew word mahol (ma-hole) and this word is used in Psalm 150:4 when the psalmist said to praise Him with the timbrel and dance. One of my favorite instances of this is found in Psalm 30:11-12 for turning our mourning into dancing. So David declared how his sadness & mourning had now been turned into rejoicing & dancing.
 
So when people bring up to me about dancing before the Lord in church, asking me if I think it’s alright, here’s how I answer: Not only do we have several Hebrew words that describe dancing, we have this example from David’s life that proves how we too have every right to dance before the Lord.
 
You see, the Bible teaches us at the Old Testament was a type & shadow of things which are to come. Well, if David danced in the shadow, we sho’ ought to be able to dance in the light. Glory!
 
Is All This New Testament?
 
Now as talk about these various Hebrew words that describe all of this demonstrative type of praise, there are some who think that things have changed since the Cross. For some reason, the majority of the church has adopted this mentality that now we are supposed to praise & worship God “in the Spirit” – meaning, we don’t need any of that physical or emotional stuff anymore. But I’d like to end today by talking about how doing things “in the Spirit” doesn’t mean that we forsake these Biblical examples of praise & rejoicing form the Old Testament. In fact, the Holy Spirit should propel us into even more demonstrative praise!
 
You see, there are other things that you might see in our circles. Yeah, you’ll most likely see some lifted hands. You might even see some people jumping, dancing, etc. But have you ever seen people falling down, running around the church, laughing in the Spirit, and wobbling around like a drunk person? Well, there’s actually some Scriptural precedence for these things because this is the fruit of the Holy Spirit’s outpouring!
 
If you recall, in Acts chapter 2, when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the church, there was a comparison made to the Spirit’s infilling with drunkenness. Let’s look at it this week …
 
On the day of Pentecost, when the disciples were filled with the Holy Ghost in that upper room, we see that while the majority were amazed and perplexed by what they were hearing (i.e. the disciples speaking in other tongues and declaring, in their own tongues, the wonderful works of God), there were others mocking who thought that they were drunk with new wine (Acts 2:13). But then we see Peter correcting them saying, “For these are not drunk, as you suppose…” (2:15). Notice this phrase— “as you suppose.” So, Peter was admitting that they were drunk alright, just not like those people thought!
 
You see, most people “suppose” that the reason this group of people thought they were drunk was just by the tongues they were hearing, but when you hear people praying in tongues have you ever mistaken that with someone being intoxicated? I haven’t. So, what this shows me is that the effects of the infilling of the Holy Spirit can easily be mistaken for the effects of being filled with alcohol.
 
So, what was it that made the onlookers assume that the believers were drunk? It’s because they were acting under a new influence. They were behaving abnormally. They were speaking and moving in a way that was different. No, they weren’t incapacitated and belligerent, but they were joyful and having a good time!
 
You see, the Holy Spirit is compared with wine, not because He brings chaos, but because He brings freedom & joy. Just as people receive wine in celebration, so are we to receive the Holy Spirit with gladness. His presence, like wine, marks the occasion. Wine represents the joy, prosperity, and boldness brought about by the Holy Spirit.
 
Now what does this have to do with us praising God in all of these ways? Well, just think about it: If the infilling of the Holy Spirit has similar effects on us that alcohol has on people, what do you think might make us feel a little freer to dance, jump, whirl, and act what some might call a little foolish? The New Wine; that’s Who!  
 
Staying Full of New Wine
 
You see, Ephesians 5:18 says, “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.” Notice that the apostle Paul here compares being drunk with wine as being filled with the Spirit. One expositor states that the word “drunk” means “to be filled.” So what Paul was literally saying was “don’t be filled with wine, but be filled with the Spirit.”
 
But notice that Paul makes the point of saying that being drunk with alcohol leads to “dissipation.” The word “dissipation” comes from the Greek word “sozo” which is the word translated “salvation.” But this word “sozo” has the alpha negative “a” before it which gives the word “sozo” the exact opposite meaning that it has on its own. It literally describes the opposite of that which has a saving quality about it. Therefore, it rather has a destructive quality. So, Paul was describing how living a drunkin’ lifestyle just leads to destruction and bondage, but how having a Spirit-Filled lifestyle has the opposite effect. It leads to freedom and wholeness!
 
Why do people like to get drunk anyways? It is because it frees them from their inhibitions. Yes, they become free to do the things they normally wouldn’t do. Another reason is because it makes them joyful and fun to be around. Likewise, full of the Holy Spirit, we become free to be ourselves and become joyful and fun to be around.
 
I for one, used to love to dance when I was drinking. But you’d never get me out on that dance floor when I was sober. You know, I think some of us live our lives too sober. No, I’m not advocating we start drinking this world’s alcohol because we just saw how destructive that is to one’s life. No, I’m saying we need to be filled with Spirit and stay filled so that we can experience the freedom to live for and praise God the way we are supposed to.
 
You know, Jesus must have been fun to be around if the kid’s all liked Him, right? Children aren’t drawn to sour-pusses, I can assure you. Speaking of Jesus, Hebrews 1:9 says, “Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than your companions” The Holy Spirit is called the “oil of gladness” because that is what is produced in a believer who is full of the Holy Ghost—JOY! Joy unspeakable and full of glory!
 
You see, the believer does not need wine to experience joy. Wine can only give unfulfilling counterfeits of what the Holy Spirit offers. The Holy Spirit is the wine of Heaven—and the good news is that He is free and He doesn’t give you a hang-over either! So, in essence, Paul is saying, “Hey guys. Don’t get drunk on wine because that just leads to bondage. But instead, be filled up with the Spirit and experience the new wine!” In other words, one doesn’t need alcohol in order to have a good time and enjoy life; learning to drink of and being filled with the Holy Spirit can give one what they felt like only alcohol could give them. Amen.
 
So how does one stay full of the Holy Spirit? Well, let’s look at the next verse and find out how:
 
Ephesians 5:19 says, “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” A major key to staying full of the Spirit is the words that come out of our mouth. In other words, just as our mouth is the primary way one fills their belly with wine, our mouth is the primary way one stays full of the Spirit. Paul said here that we are continuously filled with the Spirit when we let “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs” come out of our mouth. So, what are “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs?”
 
“Psalms” suggests what we would call “scriptural music.” In almost every usage of the Greek word “psalmos” the Psalms of the Old Testament are what is being referred to. So, singing “psalms” would be singing the Psalms of the Old Testament obviously, but it could also include singing other portions of Scripture. The term “hymns” literally describe “festive songs” or “songs of praise specifically addressed towards God.” A hymn differs from a psalm in that while a psalm is generally scripturally-based, a hymn is a song that comes of human origin. Some examples of “hymns” could be “I Sing Praises to Your Name”, “Holy, Holy, Holy”, or “the Doxology.” Then Paul said that the third and final songs that we should sing are “spiritual songs.” The word “spiritual” literally means “non-carnal.” So “spiritual songs” are “songs that are not of human origin”—that is, songs that are given by inspiration of the Spirit. This would include singing in tongues or simply just singing a song in our own understanding that the Holy Spirit puts in our hearts and that did not originate from man.
 
Someone might say, “But it is not always convenient to sing. What do you do in those times?” That Is why Paul’s next phrase in Ephesians 5:19 is “singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” In those times where it is not appropriate to sing aloud, we can make melody in our heart to the Lord. We can always maintain that inner communion with Him. God is a spirit so we can worship Him (or, fellowship with Him) in spirit (i.e. not naturally). So, when we cannot let it come out of our mouth, we need to let it continue in our heart.
 
Actually, this singing and making melody in our heart is always important to do. Sometimes we can just let songs come out of our mouth without our hearts being behind the words. If all we do is just sing psalms and hymns without our hearts truly being involved it will do absolutely nothing to keep us full of the Spirit. That is why Paul went on to say “singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” This means that the songs that come out of our mouth should be aimed at the Lord. That is, that we are not just singing but that we are actually singing to the Lord—making Him the object of all the words that proceed from our mouth. This is getting our heart involved in our psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.
 
But the main point I am making is the importance of praise, worship, and thanksgiving coming out of our mouths regarding maintaining a Spirit-Filled life. Amen. This is how we drink in the Spirit, when His praises come out of our mouth. And just like we need to bathe regularly so that we won’t stink in the natural, we need to be "bathed" in the Holy Spirit continually so that we won't stink spiritually.
 
So yes, being filled with the Holy Spirit won’t make us less free; it will make us more free – for where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (See Second Corinthians 3:17)! Yes, freedom from the law, sin, and death, but also freedom to lift our hands, freedom to jump for joy, freedom to dance & spin around before the Lord, etc.  
 
The Hand of the Lord
 
In fact, you’ll see the Holy Spirit have all kinds of interesting effects on people.
 
For example, have you have seen someone take off running during a church service? I have! In fact, I’ve been that guy numerous times! Someone will say, “Is there any Scripture for that?” Sure, there is!
 
Do you remember when the Bible said that when “the hand of the Lord” came upon Elijah, that he outran the king’s chariot (First Kings 18:46)? Well, the hand of the Lord is a reference to when the Holy Spirit comes upon someone. And what did the supernatural experience of the Holy Spirit produce? He ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel! In other words, he was supernaturally endowed to run.
 
Even David said in Psalm 18:29 that “by the Lord” he could run against a troop and leap over a wall. Notice running & leaping are being referred to here.
 
Someone might say, “Well, all of this is talking about God empowering one for a purpose.” Well, is there not a purpose in praise?
 
I want you to know today that David was first anointed to praise! So much so, that when he played his harp before a demonized king, Saul experienced a freedom during those times. So there was obviously the hand of the Lord on David’s praise life for him to have so much grace that he could pen at least well over 100 God-inspired songs.
 
Well, this wasn’t all He was anointed for. We see in the life of David how he was also a warrior – one who could perform supernatural feats that began with him being able to manhandle both a lion and a bear and also kill tens of thousands of men at a time.
 
So do you reckon there is a connection there? Is it that a person who is powerful in praise will also be powerful in battle.  
 
So what do you reckon can happen when the hand of the Lord comes upon us? Running & leaping is certainly a viable option.  
 
But the fact is, when the natural comes into contact with the supernatural, something’s got to give. And it sure won’t be the supernatural!
 
Do you remember the story of when, at the tomb of Jesus, a couple of angels came and rolled the stone away? Well, we are told that there was a couple of Roman soldiers there that fell like dead men. Someone will say, “Well, that was because a couple of heavenly beings showed up.” I’ll tell you, there’s a Heavenly Being who is here today and He came in like a rushing mighty wind!  
 
Also, in the Garden, the Bible tells us that when the soldiers came to arrest Jesus, that the men fell over backwards when Jesus said, “I am He.” Someone will say, “Well, they were right in the presence of Jesus.” Jesus said where two or three are gathered together, I am there in the midst of them! So we today are also right in the very presence of Jesus! Glory!
 
Church, this new wine of the Holy Spirit will have some very similar effects on us that alcohol has on people in the world. It’ll embolden us! It will free us from all our inhibitions! It will bring us joy – joy that will cause us to dance, jump, run, fall, laugh, etc. This is one of the many benefits of the Spirit-filled life, and one of that we should take advantage of during our praise services! Let’s let the hand of the Lord come upon us today, amen?  

REVIEW
 
In this series of teachings entitled “Praise the Lord,” our goal is that before we are done, this phrase will mean much more to us than it ever has before.
 
You see, this phrase is not just there for informational purposes; it’s there telling God’s people what to do. In other words, it’s a call to action. So if I read in the Bible, “Praise the Lord!”, what should my response be? It should be to praise the Lord! Yes, if the Scriptures say, “Hallelujah”, then I should stop what I’m doing, act on it, and begin praising the Lord right then! Amen?
 
But we are learning about this subject of praise so that it becomes something that we do the way the Lord intends for us to. Yes, we are looking at some things that reveal to us what God considers true praise to be and what it will look like in our lives.
 
So what we began doing last week was looking at some of these Hebrew words for “praise” and some of the Scriptures that they are used in. And last week, we started off looking at the most common Hebrew word for praise, the word halal.
 
We learned that this word is used close to 150 times in the Old Testament and is translated “praise” the vast majority of those times. However, even though the word “praise” is obviously the primary way this Hebrew word is translated, it actually has some interesting other meanings that we can learn from …
 
We saw that the word halal literally is defined like so – "to be clear (originally of sound, but usually of color), to shine (thus to give light) – which results in to make a show, to boast, to rave, to celebrate, and to be clamorously foolish, or act like a madman."
 
So when we read these various ways that halal is being described, we don’t see a lot of this reflected in people’s praise lives, do we? No, I see very few people “shining” by acting foolish or like a crazy person during the praise time. And that’s not to condemn us, but it does need to be brought to our attention because if this is the job detail of praise, then perhaps we ought to loosen up a bit. Perhaps we’ve grown up too much.
 
Yes, the Lord desires that our praise be “clear” – that is, true, sincere, and pure. I made the point that this to me describes praising & worshipping God in truth.
This describes praise that is void of pretense and hypocrisy. He wants praise that is done in truth – that is, sincerely and without shame.
 
But the Lord also desires our praise to “shine” – that is, for it to first be displayed in how we live our lives but also by what the rest of halal’s meaning – “to make a show, to boast, to rave, to celebrate, and to be clamorously foolish, or act like a madman." This means we will stand out from the pack. We’ll be the one that seems to be in the spotlight even though that’s not necessarily our intention.
 
You know, I’ve had people try to tell me about what everyone else is doing during times of praise & worship, and I’ve told these folks – “Yeah, but what were you doing?” Well, the obvious answer was – they weren’t praising God themselves because they were obviously too busy judging how everyone else was doing it. Amen?
 
So we learned that while we don’t want to praise God to be seen of men, we also don’t want to hold our praise back because of the fear of man. We serve a God who is worthy of all the glory, and He deserves our clear and shining praise. Amen?
 
The Todah Package
 
Now another word for “praise” that I would like us to tackle today is a very appropriate one for what we are celebrating this week …
 
Let’s look first at Psalm 42 where we get our very popular song “As the deer” from. This Psalm begins with that chorus, and then when we get to Psalm 42:4, the psalmists say, “When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me; For I used to go with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with the multitude that kept a pilgrim feast.”
 
So this psalm is describing how the Jewish person would take their pilgrimage to Jerusalem and to the house of God during their feast days. And I want you to notice how the psalmists said that they approached the house of God (i.e. the Temple): It was with the voice of joy and praise.
 
Now the word “praise” here is not the word halal or any other of the popular Hebrew words for praise; it is the Hebrew word todah and this word describes a different aspect of praise. In fact, it comes from the same principal root word as yadah, which we will learn more about next week, but here it is used more specifically.
 
Todah literally describes – "an extension of the hand in adoration, avowal (i.e. an open declaration or acknowledgement), or acceptance." One expositor went on to say the following: “By way of application, it is apparent in the Psalms and elsewhere that it is used for thanking God for ‘things not yet received’ as well as things already at hand.”
 
In fact, it is actually translated “thanksgiving” half the times it is used in the original King James Version. So the idea of this form of praise is more that of expressing gratitude and the giving of thanks to God.
 
So how appropriate is this for today? We are looking at the Hebrew “praise” word for thanksgiving on the week where we celebrate Thanksgiving.
 
So what I want you to see from Psalm 42:4 is that the way the psalmists describe going to the Temple on these Jewish holidays was with both the voice of joy and the voice of thanksgiving.
 
Now as I consider this, I cannot help but think of other Psalms that say the same thing. One of them is Psalm 95:2 where we are told to “come before His presence with thanksgiving” – again, the same Hebrew word todah. But probably the more well known one that also uses this same Hebrew word for praise is the 100th Psalm.
 
The 100th Psalm reads like so … First of all, its described by the Psalmist as “A Psalm of Thanksgiving (or Praise).” In fact, this word for “thanksgiving” is the Hebrew word todah. Then he said, “Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.
 
Notice Psalm 100:4. Again, it says, “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” The word for “thanksgiving” here is again the word todah.  
 
But what I wanted you to notice here is that like Psalm 42 described approaching the House of God during their feast celebrations, the Psalmist here is also obviously painting the picture of entering the Tabernacle/Temple as well. But what we see in Psalm 100:4 is describing how one truly enters the Holiest of holies, where God’s presence is. And the first step through the gate is “with thanksgiving (Heb. todah).”
 
So just like the first step into God’s presence is through the gates of God’s House, the first step through the gates of His presence is by thanksgiving. Yes, Psalm 100:4 specifically says how we are to enter through them— it’s with thanksgiving. So what we can see through this statement is the best way to approach God in praise is through the gates of thanksgiving!
 
You see, giving God thanks for things that He has done, is doing, or even what He will do in the future is what causes us to enter the presence of the Lord the right way. For one, being thankful to our Creator, Savior, etc. is just the noble thing to do, so it is both the appropriate and acceptable way to approach God. In other words, it is the spirit by which we draw near to God. So, when we look at wonderful promises like James 4:8 that if we draw near to God, He will draw near to you, we understand the first steps to drawing near to Him—and it is “with thanksgiving.” Therefore, when you and I draw near to God with thanksgiving, He will draw near to us—meaning, His presence will be manifested in our lives, and we will experience more of His joy, peace, and power. Therefore, it’s also the best way to increase our awareness of just how awesome He is!
 
How does this work, you ask? Well, one way is how King David said in Psalm 69:30 that we magnify God with thanksgiving (Hebrew word todah), and the word “magnify” means to increase the size of something (or in this case, Someone). This means that through thanksgiving we can actually make God bigger in our eyes, like a magnifying glass makes objects bigger when we look at them through it. Now, of course, we are not going to be able to make God any bigger than He already is, but what this means is that we can make our view & perspective of Him bigger! So todah is what will make the One we are praising larger, bigger, and greater in our eyes! This is what David was saying.
 
So this is exactly why the Psalmist said that we are to enter into His gates with thanksgiving – It is because when we start off by giving thanks to God, He gets bigger and greater in our sight. Then our perspective changes! All the cares of this life begin to shrink, and all that God has done becomes magnified in our sight. This stirs us up, and guess what wells up in us as a result? You guessed it… PRAISE!!! We started off traveling through the gates of thanksgiving and ended up in the courts of praise as Psalm 100:4 teaches us.  
 
The Sacrifice of Thanksgiving
 
In fact, oftentimes, this word todah is used when describing the sacrifice of thanksgiving (See Psalm 107:22, 116:17, Amos 4:5, Jonah 2:9). So I believe that one of the pictures of what it means to enter His gates with thanksgiving might be how the Jewish people would enter the House of the Lord with a sacrifice in hand.
 
You see, a lesson I feel we can take away from this is that a lot of times offering thanks to God will feel a lot like a sacrifice. In other words, you won’t always automatically feel thankful. On some days, you might be focused on some current challenges, or your emotional state might just be in a bad place. So at these times, stirring ourselves up to offer up to God thanksgiving might be more of a sacrifice.
 
So we make it a point during these times to stir ourselves up to be thankful by purposefully and intentionally recalling things the Lord has done, is doing, and has promised He will do.
 
You see, it’s important in the eyes of the Lord that we do not just praise or thank Him when He does something for us. Sure, we should certainly do it at those times too, but what about the times where things aren’t going the way we’d like them to? What about the times where we don’t “feel” very thankful? Do we at those times just cater to the feelings & emotions that we are having, or should we still praise & thank Him like we would when we feel like it? I believe that’s when this sacrifice of thanksgiving is to be offered – when it costs us something. Amen?   
 
But again, what have we learned? It’s that offering up to Him the sacrifice of thanksgiving has great reward in that it will change our perspective, help our focus, and bring His joy & power into the picture!
 
Therefore, learning to thank God when we don’t feel like it and giving that sacrifice of praise will never be left unrewarded when done right. The Lord always blesses the things we do in faith! Amen?
 
New Testament Thanksgiving
 
But that’s only half of it …
 
Thanksgiving is not just what we should start out with; the New Testament teaches us that it’s what we end with as well. You see, even though we’ve seen thanksgiving mentioned being done first in these Old Testament verses, in the New Testament, we see it mentioned as being done after we’ve approached God.
 
Let me give you three passages of Scripture that teach us this.
 
In Colossians 4:2, the apostle Paul says, “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.” So Paul was wanting to make sure we apply the last two words of this verse to how we approach the Lord in prayer — “with thanksgiving.”
 
We see this echoed by Paul in Philippians 4:6 when he said that “in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving we let our requests be made known unto God.” So again, we see the prayer and then the supplication followed up by “with thanksgiving.” So if the giving of thanks is left out, we do not have the complete recipe for having the peace that surpasses all understanding come through our prayer life (See Philippians 4:7).
 
And finally in First Thessalonians 5:16-18 we see yet another example of where the apostle Paul puts the giving of thanks at the end. In these verses, the apostle Paul said to the church of Thessalonica: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
 
Now in the middle verse here, we see the meat—and that is that we are to pray without ceasing. But notice how Paul starts off by saying, “Rejoice always.” But that’s just one half of the sandwich. Notice the other half in verse 18 where Paul goes on to say, “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
 
So, now we learn that not only are we to always rejoice in our unceasing prayer & praise life, but in everything, we are to give thanks to the Lord as well. And Paul goes on to reveal to us that this three-part instruction in verses 16-18 is “the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” In other words, we see here that the will of God in Christ Jesus for us when approaching Him is one that is always enveloped in unceasing joy and thanksgiving.  
 
What an awesome way to approach God, huh? Start it off with a good attitude that is rejoicing no matter if it’s a good time or a bad time. Let joy be what prefaces everything! Then be sure that after you pray to give thanks in everything as well!
 
So based on these three passages of Scripture, not only is thanksgiving the appropriate way to enter into praise; it’s also the right way to end our time of praise as well.
 
The Thanksgiving Turkey Sandwich
 
So if we combine together the truths of the Old Testament that teach us to come before Him and enter His gates “with thanksgiving” with the truths of the New Testament that teach us to end our times before Him “with thanksgiving,” guess what we get? We get the perfect Thanksgiving turkey sandwich!  
 
I’ve spoken before about the “sandwich technique” being a wise way to handle things. Like for instance, if I was dealing with a person and needed to give them some tough to swallow criticism, it would be good to begin that conversation with something positive and then end it with another positive. This way I’m “sandwiching” the tough part with two pleasant things. So today, I want us to look at the perfect Thanksgiving turkey sandwich 😉  
 
You see, if the bread we make the sandwich on is either stale or bland, it can kind of ruin the whole sandwich, right? I mean, you can have the best quality meat, cheese, and other fixings, but if your bread is not good and fresh, you probably will not say it was the best sandwich you’ve ever eaten. Well, I believe there is a spirit / attitude that our prayers can be sandwiched in that makes our constant & continual prayers to be offered up to God more appealing to Him …
 
Church, thanksgiving is not just something we should do at the end of the year; it is what we must do in the beginning of the year and all throughout it. It is how we come before Him and draw near to Him. It is the gateway into the holy of holies where the manifested glory and presence of God is housed.
 
So, let’s incorporate this spirit of thanksgiving into our praise lives—for not only is it the right & noble thing to do towards the One who has given us so much, but it also the vehicle that leads us into His presence. Amen. 

PRAISE THE LORD!
Part Three & Four – Foundations of Praise
 
 
REVIEW
 
So we started a new series of teachings a few weeks ago entitled “Praise the Lord,” and my intention is that at the end of this series, this phrase means much more to you than it ever has before. Yes, I want it to not just be something that we say, but to be something that we do the way the Lord intends for us to.
 
Let’s look over again at the last Psalm we have recorded – Psalm 150 – where the Book of Psalms comes to a dramatic climax. Again, this psalm is a beautiful summary of the common theme we see in the first 149 psalms, and that is the title of this series, “Praise the Lord!”  
 
This Psalm reads – “Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty firmament! Praise Him for His mighty acts; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness! Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with the lute and harp! Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes! Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!”
 
But what we noticed about this phrase/word is that it is a call to action. No, it’s not just there for informational purposes; it’s there telling God’s people what to do. So if I read in the Bible “Praise the Lord!”, what should my response be? It should be to praise the Lord, right? Yes, if the Scriptures say, “Hallelujah”, then I should stop what I’m doing and praise the Lord right then! Amen?
 
So, we’ve seen that praising God is not just something we are to observe; it’s what we are called to do! Yes, everyone is called to be a praiser, not just a select few.
 
In fact, we learned that praising God is more like a profession, occupation, and vocation for us. And like any full-time occupation, there are benefits to doing our job – which we learned are found in the 103rd Psalm when David described all of God’s benefits such as our salary, health/medical insurance, life insurance, dental insurance, etc. Yes, being about our Father’s business yields so many wonderful benefits, so it is in our best interest to walk in our calling.  
 
However, in order to partake of your employer’s benefits, you need to be a good employee, right? So we looked at some verses that describe what being a good employee looks like and learned from that how we can praise the Lord in a way that fully pleases our Master!
 
For example, we learned that being a good employee doesn’t just mean we show up and clock in to work. Likewise, we are not participating in the praise service just because we are here in the room when the song service is going on. No, doing our job well means we are participating by engaging the Lord, opening our mouths, pouring out our hearts, lifting our hands, setting our feet to dancing, etc., etc., etc.  
 
So if you missed either of these first two teachings, I’d encourage you to go back and watch or listen to them because today, we will begin building on these truths of doing our job well and reaping all the benefits of praising the Lord …
 
JOB FUNCTIONS OF PRAISE
 
But this week, I want to pick back up on this idea of being employed to praise – because like it is with any place of employment, there are certain job functions that are given to us. Yes, like it is with any job, we have a list of duties that our job entails so that we know specifically what is expected of us by our employer. And when it comes to these job functions, we are not at liberty to do just whatever we want when we work for someone else. No, we do it their way or it’s the highway, right?
 
Well, our vocation of praise actually does have some very specific job functions too! Yes, the Lord gives us some very specific ways that our praise of Him is expected to be done.
 
You see, if we look at all the various words used to translate praise and how they are used in context, we get some very specific & Scriptural ways in which praising the Lord is to be done. In fact, in the Hebrew language that the Old Testament was written in, we have a lot of different words used for praising God and all of them describe specific demonstrative actions that reveal what true praise is to look like.
 
Now as we begin looking at these things, you will be tempted in something … Your mind will try and come up with every reason why you can’t do things. You might say, “Pastor, that’s just not the way I am.” Well, like it is when it comes to our jobs, that won’t necessarily fly. If, say, we are in a customer service position, we can’t just wear our feelings on our sleeves when dealing with the customers, right?
 
Well, likewise, we can’t just let the way we feel determine how we praise the Lord either. Like Isaiah 61:3 says, putting on the garment of praise is our responsibility. Yeah, our feet might feel heavy, but if we kick those shoes off and set our feet to dancing, we are doing our job well.
 
I understand that we all like to do what we feel like doing, but I believe one of the best ways to honor the Lord is to do what He tells us to do regardless of the way we feel. It’s called faith. It’s also called honor, when we obey in the face of contrary feelings.
 
You know, there were a lot of folks the week before last who “put on” costumes and “dressed” themselves in things that weren’t at all who they are. Heck, they might have even worn a mask that had a smiling face when underneath, they didn’t feel happy at all.
 
Well, being spiritual is a lot like that – Sure, we have feelings, emotions, and personalities that are not inclined to praise God like we see described in the Scriptures. But “putting on” the garments of praise, like we are called to put on love, humility, kindness, etc., is just what we do as spiritual beings. In other words, we don’t let the way our flesh feels or has been trained determine the way we praise our God. Amen?
 
So what I want to begin doing this week is to look at these words and some of the Scriptures that they are used in so that we can get a clear picture of what the Lord considers true praise to be. And we will begin this week, with the most common Hebrew word for praise, the word halal.
 
So what we are about to learn about this Hebrew word halal is what we need to be prepared to put on. Happy Halal-ween! LOL!
 
First of all, let me remind you that the phrase “praise the Lord” that is used as a bookend on the 150th Psalm actually comes from the word halal, but it adds the word ya to it, which is the word for Yahweh/Jehovah (i.e. God or Lord). So halal is the primary word for praise that is used in hallelujah.
 
But by itself, the Hebrew word halal is used close to 150 times in the Old Testament and is translated “praise” the vast majority of the time. However, even though the word “praise” is obviously the primary way this Hebrew word is translated, it actually has some interesting other meanings that we can learn from …
 
The word halal literally is defined like so – "to be clear (originally of sound, but usually of color), to shine (thus to give light) – which results in to make a show, to boast, to rave, to celebrate, and to be clamorously foolish, or act like a madman."
 
Okay, so when I read these various ways halal is being described, I don’t see a lot of this reflected in people’s praise lives, do you? No, I see very few people “shining” by acting foolish or like a crazy person during the praise time. And that’s not to condemn us, but it does need to be brought to our attention because if this is the job description of praise, then perhaps we ought to loosen up a bit and get to steppin’. 
 
But you see, even though we might not see it too much in our modern-day world, we do see it illustrated in the Scriptures, don’t’ we? We’ve looked at this already, but the way David danced before the Lord with all his might when leading the Ark of the Covenant back into Jerusalem certainly looks a lot like halal is being described here. Both David & his wife considered the way he was praising God as being “undignified” and that was obviously because it was considered crazy & foolish.

So let’s now look at these descriptions of halal in detail:
 
PRAISE IN TRUTH
 
The first definition of halal as being “clear” is very important. This means that true praise has a clear sound to it – meaning, it’s pure. It’s true. In other words, God doesn’t want our praise to be with pretense. He wants it pure, true, and clear (i.e. sincere). So if you and I are going to praise the Lord according to His standard, then it must be in this manner.
 
You see, what happens a lot of times during times of praise is we hold on to our dignity. We don’t let loose and praise Him with reckless abandon. And if we were being honest, what is happening during those times is we are holding the way we look and the way we sound to others as being more important than the Lord’s opinion. It’s tight but it’s right.
 
Church, the Lord wants clear praise – that is, praise that is void of pretense and hypocrisy. He wants praise that is done in truth – that is, sincerely and without shame.
 
I believe this is what Jesus meant in John chapter four as He ministered to the woman of Samaria: You see, she brought up to him a great religious debate between the Jews and the Samaritans during that time - where ought one to worship - in Jerusalem or on this mountain? (See John 4:20) And of course, this is always what religion wants to do – argue about the technicalities of where to praise & worship and when to praise & worship. But Jesus corrected that error by saying that God is seeking people who will worship Him in spirit and in truth (See 4:21-24). So Jesus corrected this religious debate by basically saying – “It is not where you worship that matters to God. He is more interested in how you worship Him than where you worship Him.” And according to Jesus, the specific way He is seeking us to worship Him is in spirit and truth.
 
What does this mean—in spirit and in truth? Well, this can be argued up and down, but the bottom line is that Jesus was referring to the unseen aspect of worship.
 
“In the spirit” is obviously referring to connecting with God, who is a Spirit- spirit to Spirit. In other words, it is praising & worshipping Him from the inside out, which is an attitude of the heart. “In truth” obviously refers to worshipping Him in all sincerity – totally void of any pretense and hypocrisy. This is what God wants – praisers who do it from their heart and are sincere!  
 
So our praise is to be clear, not convoluted with ulterior motives and hidden agendas. The Lord wants our praise to first be done purely and freely. Amen?
 
BE THE LIGHT
 
Now this leads me to the next part of our definition for halal: It means to “shine (to bring light).”
 
So we will see here in a moment what “shining” will look like, but I want to first draw your attention to something very important about praise – that its not just something we do by our actions; its something we also do by just letting God be who He is in us. Amen! 
 
I believe Psalm 148, which is loaded with halal’s, shows us how praise is given to the Lord like this. This Psalm describes how all of God’s creation is called to praise the Lord! This includes everything such as the sun, moon, fire, hail, snow, clouds, mountains, trees, cattle, birds, etc., etc., etc.
 
Now how do all of these things halal Him? Sure, man can do some things to praise the Lord, but what does the rest of God’s creation do to praise the Lord? Well, they do this –They “shine” and “make a show” of the glory of God – teaching us that praise is not just something we do; its something we are. Yes, our lives & existence can praise the Lord! And as we learn what praise actually is, you’ll see that it is indeed more than just our own words; it is also who we are that generates His praises from others.
 
For example, have you ever visited a place and saw how beautiful the trees, mountains, waters, etc. were and glorified God for the beauty of His creation? Well, that’s how something else that God has created can generate God’s praise, because you praised Him for what they were putting forth.   
 
 
THE HEART OF PRAISE
 
Now what did we say was the result of this “shining”? It means that as the definition of halal goes on to say, our praise will “make a show, to boast, to rave, to celebrate, and to be clamorously foolish, or act like a madman."
 
Do you know what this means? It means you will stand out of the pack. You’ll be the one that seems to be in the spotlight even though that’s not necessarily your intention. No, if your praise is bringing light then folks will notice you – not because you want the attention or for people to look at you but because you simply don’t care that people are watching you. There’s a real difference there.
 
You see, while we don’t want to praise God to be seen of men, we also don’t want to hold our praise back because of the fear of man. We serve a God who is worthy of all the glory, and He deserves our clear and shining praise. Amen?
 
When we are doing it with the right heart and with no flesh holding us back, it will result in us maybe “making a show, boasting, raving (to speak out wildly & enthusiastically), to celebrate, and to be clamorously foolish, or act like a mad man."
 
Now the only place I ever seem to see what is being described here as being done is at a sporting event when someone experiences their favorite team doing something exciting. Sure, I see those people acting like “mad men, clamorously foolish, and raving.”
 
You see, why is it that these “fanatics” act “clamorously foolish” and like “mad men”? Well, the answer is simple. It’s because their fandom has a big chunk of their heart. Therefore, the key to operating in this kind of praise is having a heart full of the Lord. 
 
You know, sometimes in our attempt to do things correctly we forget a simple thing that God desires above anything else. And that is that He wants our heart. We can learn how to technically praise God better, but if our heart is not right, then it does not avail anything. I wholeheartedly believe that God would rather us have right hearts with wrong heads, than right heads with wrong hearts. In other words, regarding praising Him, He would rather have us saying the wrong things with the right heart behind it rather than saying the right things with the wrong heart.
 
Think about it like this: Whenever your kids were young and showed a lot of excitement when you got home from work, didn’t that bless you? I mean, when they met you at the door smiling, jumping, and clapping their hands because they were just so excited daddy or mama was home, that had to make your heart feel good, right? Well, that’s what I’m referring to here. God wants our hearts to be so full of Him that we show genuine & sincere excitement for Him, and we praise Him out of hearts that are so appreciative and in love with Him.
 
You see, when your kids did this to you, what exactly blessed you about it? Was it what they said, or how they said it? Was it because they so eloquently worded what they said or was it the fact that you knew, even though they used such simple terms, it came from their heart? Of course, it is what came out of their heart that blessed you. Well, God is the same. He would rather us mean what we say than say things that have no meaning to us. And He would rather us show great zeal & enthusiasm at the same time. It’s all about the heart, church.
 
A MORE EXCELLENT WAY
 
So now that we’ve dealt with some important foundation issues about praise like how it needs to be done in truth, how our lives can actually praise God just like our words, and how the principal thing is the heart behind our praise, let’s now begin to look at some technicalities of praise. Yes, let’s look at a few verses where halal is being used so that we can see from a Scriptural example what praise looks like …
 
The first time we see the word halal being used in the Bible is in Genesis 12:15, but it was not used regarding praising the Lord. In verses 14-15 we are told – “So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman (Sarai), that she was very beautiful. The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s house.”
 
The word “commended” in verse 15 is the word halal. So what were these princes of Pharaoh doing? They were praising Sarai to Pharaoh. Now does this mean that they were approaching Pharaoh and saying, “Oh Pharaoh, we praise this woman!” No, of course not! What they were doing was more like this – “Yo Pharaoh, this chicha is gorgeous, man! She is one hot tamale! You need to see about her!” Someone’s thinking, “They didn’t talk like that!” You’re not that old! How would you know? LOL!
 
My point is that when folks saw how beautiful Sarai was, they started talking. And some of the people that started talking were the Pharaoh’s men. Likewise, when you and I see just how beautiful the Lord is, we will start “commending” Him to others – that is, we will tell of His beauty in a similar way that we would “praise” someone else for their good looks.
 
Here is another example of halal that is similar …
 
In Second Samuel 14:25 the Scriptures teach us that Absalom was “praised” for his good looks. Does that mean that people went around saying, “I praise Absalom! Oh, I praise Absalom!”? Of course not! Since it was his good looks that they were praising this is probably what they went around saying – “Girl, isn’t that Absalom good looking!?! My, oh my, his hair is so beautiful! What a man!” Church, this is praise!
 
So if this is what it means to “praise” God, how do we technically do it? How do we technically commend, applaud, or boast of Him? Is it by saying, “I praise You Lord! I magnify You! I glorify You!” Well, that is what most of us do, but is it the best way?
 
Certainly, as I previously made a point of, the attitude of the heart is what really counts. I have been in certain services where we sung things like “Praise the Name of Jesus, I Exalt Thee, O Magnify the Lord, etc.,” and you could tell that God was pleased. So I am not saying that we cannot minister to God by using this kind of terminology. Again, the heart behind it is what is most important. But what I am saying is there is a more excellent way of ministering to Him. (I feel like Paul when he said, “And yet I show you a more excellent way” in First Corinthians 12:31)
 
Let me give you another Scriptural example …
 
Last, but not least, in Second Chronicles 5:13 we have a great example of true praise… It says, “… and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying: ‘For He is good, for His mercy endures forever,’…” Notice that it says that they praised the Lord saying. In other words, they were praising God as they said something. Said what? “For the Lord is good and His mercy endures forever!” (which is definitely the single most used “praise phrase” in the whole Bible). You see, this is a true statement of praise – To declare that God is good and that His mercy lasts forever is the praise of God.
 
So from these examples can you see what it truly means to praise God? It means to declare how beautiful and lovely He is to you! It means to boast in all that He has done for you! It means to tell how good and merciful He is!
 
You know, I think this would be a good time for me to demonstrate what true praise looks and sounds like  …
 
“God, I thank you for being so faithful to my family. You have been so good to us. Thank you for being true to your Word and performing your promises in our lives. You are so good! Your mercy endures forever! Your love never ends! Hallelujah! What a great God you are. You always provide for us, and we have never lacked any good thing. You are worthy to receive all praise, honor and glory. There is none like you. There is none higher than you. There is none who can compare to you. You are holy! Great is your name! I love you so much Lord. You deserve all of my heart. So I give it to you because you’re worthy.” Amen!
 
Church, this is how we clothe ourselves in praise. It’s what we put on. So while I’m not a fan of celebrating Halloween, I am a fan of this – Happy Halal-ween.