Well, today is likely the end of our teaching series on the subject of praise. And in this series of teachings, we are learning what true praise looks like, and also learned some powerful truths about it.
 
One of the main things I hope we’ve taken out of this study is how praise is not just to be something that we observe, but that it’s something that we all need to participate in. Yes, that includes during the song services we have here corporately, but also in our homes, in our automobiles, and everywhere for that matter. Church, our lives are meant to bring forth His praise – not just “some times” or “occasionally,” but as David said in Psalm 34:1 – at “all times” and “continuously!”
 
I also hope that we’ve learned how the Lord desires our praise to come from hearts that are full of gratitude & excitement for all that He is and He has done for us. This will result in a whole lot more “expressive, unreserved, and emotional” kind of action on our part, which will mirror a lot of what we see in the Hebrew idea of praise.
 
I plan to review the specifics of what we’ve learned already, but for now, let’s get right into how the Lord would have us to conclude this study …  
 
Baraking = Blessing
 
Let’s move on to the last Hebrew word for “praise” that I wanted to cover – one that leads us into the holy of holies – the Hebrew word barak (baw-rack).
 
This word barak means to "to bend the knees & kneel down, to bless God as an act of adoration." This word is actually translated to “bless” over 300 of the 338 times it’s used! Sometimes it is used to describe man being “blessed” by God, but it is also used as man “blessing” God.
 
Now, of course, this does not mean that God’s creation can “bless” God like He “blesses” us. He alone is the giver of every good & perfect gift and only He, as being the source of any & all blessings, can empower one to prosper. But there are verses (and we will look at some of them here shortly) that describe us “blessing God” and some that describe Him as the “blessed God.” So perhaps the terminology “blessed” (i.e. bless-ed) more accurately conveys God being blessed. We see barak used this way in Psalm 18:46 when David said, “Blessed be my Rock” or in Psalm 28:6, 31:21, 41:13, etc. when the psalmists said, “Blessed be the Lord.” So He is the “blessed One forever”! Which means what?
 
Well, I think a good way to answer that question is like so – When an individual was “barak’d” (i.e. blessed) by the Lord, how was that described? Well, a perfect example of this is found in Genesis chapter 12 when God told Abram how He would “bless” Him. He said in Genesis 12:1-3, “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
 
So when God told Abram that He would “barak” him, how did He describe this blessing? He said He would make him into a great nation. He said He would make his name great. He said that he would be a blessing. He said that those who blessed him would be blessed and those who cursed him would be cursed. And finally, he said that all the families of the earth shall be blessed through him. So when we consider this, what are we doing when we “bless” the Lord? We are declaring how great His kingdom is (i.e. make him into a great nation)! We are stating how great His name is (i.e. make his name great)! We are telling Him how much of a blessing He is (i.e. be a blessing)! We are inferring that everyone who praises Him will be blessed by Him and everyone who speaks against Him will be cursed (i.e. bless those who bless you & curse him who curses you)! And finally, we are declaring that everyone who is blessed, obtained that blessing through Him!
 
In other words, one of the ways that I am “blessing” the “blessed” One is by declaring how great His name and His kingdom are, how much of a “blessing” He has been to me personally, and how He is the source –  any & all “blessings” come through Him. This is a way of “barak’ing” the Lord, church!  
 
You see, this is an important part of understanding this Hebrew word for “praise” because when you study this concept of “blessing” in the Old Testament, you’ll realize that it’s done with words. Sure, one received the blessing of God when hands were laid on them, etc. But the primary way you see the blessing of God transferred was through words.
 
We see this in how God blessed His creation in Genesis when we are told that God “blessed” things like the fish, birds, and mankind, “saying …” In other words, the way the Lord blessed His creation was by speaking words like “Be fruitful and multiply.”
 
We also would see it in how the Patriarchs would bless their sons. They would speak words of life & blessing into them and this was how the blessing of God was transferred to the firstborn (or at least that was who it was intended for).
 
One of our most well-known examples of this is in what is commonly known as “The Priestly Blessing.” It is found in Numbers chapter 6 …
 
In Numbers 6:22-27 we are told – “And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ‘Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them: ‘The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.’ So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them.”
 
So notice that the Lord told Moses to tell Aaron and his sons that “this is the way you shall bless (i.e. barak) the children of Israel. Say to them …” In other words, the way the priests were to “barak” the people was to speak this particular blessing over them.
 
So guess how you and I can “bless” the Lord? We could say something to Him of the same effect – “Lord, you have blessed me and kept me. Lord, you’ve made Your face to shine upon me, and you’ve been so gracious to me. Lord, you have lifted up Your countenance upon me and given me Your peace.”
 
Do you see what I’m doing here? I am praising the Lord! How? By blessing the blessed One! Amen!  
 
So yes, the blessing is voice activated. It is released through speaking words. Therefore, when we “bless” the Lord, what we are doing is, with our mouths, we are declaring good things about Him. Amen?
 
A good example of this is found in Luke 6:28 when Jesus taught how we should love our enemies: He said, “bless those who curse you …”
 
The New Testament word for “bless” is the Greek word eulogia, which literally means to “to speak well of.” It is actually transliterated as our English word “eulogy,” which is what we do at funerals when we speak good things about the deceased.
 
So Jesus was teaching us that when people “curse” us – they insult us, falsely accuse us, and simply speak negatively about us – we are to speak positively about them.
 
So this is the idea of blessing in both the Old & New Testaments – it is to speak good things about someone else and to “praise” them.
 
Bless the Lord!
 
Let me now show you a few places where barak is used in the Psalms:
 
One very well-known verse is Psalm 34:1 when David said, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
 
So here we learn that David’s aim was to “bless the Lord” at all times! That means when times are good and when times are bad. That means when I feel like it and when I don’t feel like it. “At all times” means at all times, church!
 
So what am I going to do at all times? I am going to barak the Lord, which means I am going to declare how blessed He is and how blessed I am because of Him!
 
Do you know why I believe David chose to use the word barak over all the other praise words to describe what He was going to be doing at all times? It was because the concept of “blessing” is “at all times.” In other words, it doesn’t change & is consistent. No, being blessed is not something someone is one day and then they’re not on another. The blessing of the Lord is the same, yesterday, and forevermore!
 
So when David said he would bless the Lord at all times, it makes sense because we have a reason to bless the Lord at all times. He is always faithful! He does not change! We are always blessed! That doesn’t change! Therefore, we ought to be able to bless the Lord at all times!    
 
Another very popular section of Scriptures where this word barak is used is the 103rd Psalm. In fact, I believe this word is used six times in this Psalm! But the most familiar portion of this Psalm that contains barak is the first two verses. Let’s look at them …  
 
Psalm 103:1-2 says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits;”
 
So in these verses that we quote often in our church, since the word “bless” comes from the word barak, we know specifically what David was telling his soul to do, right? He was telling his soul, which like all of our souls, was inconsistent to say the least. Some days our soul might feel like praising God and rejoicing in Him, and some days it might feel like curling up in bed, shutting the blinds, and sucking its thumb.
 
But like we saw in Psalm 34:1, we are to “bless” the Lord at all times, so sometimes our soul might just need a little reminder that its time to “bless” God as an act of adoration, because He is worthy! Amen?  
 
Now I want to look at one more verse where this word barak is used, but is translated in a different way:
 
In Psalm 95:6 the psalmist says, “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.”
 
The word “kneel” in this verse is the word barak, which if you noticed earlier, was a part of its definition.
 
So even though this word is translated “praise” a couple of times and “bless” an abundance of times, there is a strong implication of “worship” in this word – because when you study it out, you’ll find that kneeling & bowing down are associated with the idea of “worship.”   
 
In fact, notice at the beginning of this verse how the psalmist used the word for “worship” in conjunction with this idea of kneeling & bowing down before the Lord.
 
What is Worship?
 
So let’s now look at this word which is the most common Hebrew word used to translate “worship” because I don’t believe one can separate the idea of praise & worship …
 
This is the word shachah (sha-ha) and it literally means “to bow down.” It is used almost exclusively to describe the bowing of one’s knee or head towards the object of their worship. In fact, this word was used in some places to describe one individual in the Old Testament bowing down towards another individual – meaning that they were, in essence, worshipping another person.
 
For example, Lot “worshiped” the strangers who came to Sodom – that is, he prostrated himself before them (Genesis 19:1). Abraham “bowed down” before the Hittites (Genesis 23:7). Jacob “bowed down” to the ground seven times as he approached his brother Esau (Genesis 33:3). Joseph’s brothers “bowed down” before him with their faces to the ground before he revealed himself to them (Genesis 42:6). Moses “worshiped” his father-in-law (Exodus 18:7). Abigail “worshiped” David by prostrating herself before him.
 
In all of these references, as well as many more like them, the terms “worshipped & bowed down” were derived from this Hebrew word shachah. Now in each of these instances, they were not worshipping the other individual in the sense that we think of “worshipping” but, nonetheless, these examples give us a clear description of what biblical worship is and what it does.
 
You see, in these people’s culture, they bowed down before those to whom they wanted to show respect and honor. In other words, they saw these other individuals as so worthy of their respect and love that they expressed that love through prostrating themselves before them. Therefore, the act of falling down is biblical worship and reveals the heart of the worshipper – respect and honor towards the one being worshipped.   
 
We still see this today in many cultures. For instance, in many Asian cultures, they bow to those whom they respect. In other places, it is customary to bow to those of higher rank.
 
Now it is important to note that simply bowing, getting on our knees, or even laying prostrate is not necessarily evidence that we are worshipping God. It is what is behind that physical action that counts. In other words, it is the heart behind the action that creates true worship. So one can bow and not be truly worshipping from God’s perspective. However, these outward actions, such as getting on our knees and bowing before the Lord, can certainly reveal the inner heart that is overflowing with respect and honor for God. 
 
Here’s an interesting point about “worship”: Our English word “worship” itself comes from two Old English words: weorth, which means "worth," and scipe or ship, which means something like shape or "quality." We can see the Old English word ship in modern words like friendship and sportsmanship – which describe the quality of being a friend, or the quality of being a good sport. So worth-ship is the quality of having worth or of being worthy. Therefore, when we worship God, we are acting as if God has worth and are telling Him that He is worthy. Therefore, worship means to declare worth, to attribute worth. And one of the responses of one who sees the “worth” that God is “worthy” of is to kneel or bow down like we see in the Hebrew words barak & shachah.
 
You see, church, while the emphasis in this series has been praise, it’s important to realize what praise leads us unto – and that is worship.
 
Do you recall how I’ve made the statement several times from Psalm 100:4 that we enter His gates with thanksgiving (i.e. todah), and into His courts with praise (i.e. tahilla)? Well, there is another part of the Tabernacle/Temple that is left to enter, and that is the Holy of Holies.
 
Let’s look at a couple of other verses where this word “worship” is used …
 
Psalm 132:7 says, “Let us go into His tabernacle; Let us worship at His footstool.”
 
So we already know how we are to go into His tabernacle. It’s with thanksgiving & praise. But notice how the psalmist says that we are to worship at His footstool. So this shows the aim. It’s to worship!
 
Psalm 138:2 says, “I will worship toward Your holy temple, and praise Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.”
 
So again, the worship is aimed towards His holy temple. But the good news now, saints, is that we are that temple! And now the dwelling place of God is in a born-again believer! Amen!
 
So how can we enter into the Holy of holies through worship? Well, that is because now, under this New & Better Covenant, you and I can enter into the place that the Old Testament saint had no right to enter. Now we can boldly enter the Holiest and where His presence dwells! Amen! And its thanksgiving & praise that leads us there.
 
Review
 
So let’s quickly recap what we’ve learned in this series:
 
We’ve seen that praise is the calling of every believer. Yes, for all of us who have been called out of darkness and into His marvelous light, we are chosen to declare the praises of Him (see First Peter 2:8). Therefore, 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.
 
In fact, we learned that praising God is more like a profession, occupation, and vocation for us. So if you and I read in the Bible “Praise the Lord!”, what should our 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!
 
In fact, we ought to live our lives to praise the Lord like some live their lives devoted to their occupation. Praise should be our occupation, church!
 
And the “gospel” is this – 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 in all the ways that the Lord reveals to us that we are to praise the Lord …
 
So we began looking at a bunch of the Hebrew words for praise that reveal to us what true praise is to the Lord. We looked at the following words:
 
Halal – The most popular praise word, being translated this way over 150 times in the Old Testament. In fact, it is part of the word you hear a lot in church, the word hallelujah, which simply means “Praise (i.e. halal) the Lord (i.e. Yahweh).” And this key word describes an expressive & excited side of praise in that it describes acting “clamorously foolish” in praise – which taught us how our praise might reflect more of the actions of a child than it does the lack of actions of an adult. So like I said, perhaps we have grown up too much when it comes to praising the Lord.
 
Todah – The next word we looked at describes the idea of thanksgiving, and we learned how important of a role that this praise of thanksgiving plays in us entering into the presence of the Lord and magnifying His name. But we also saw how thanksgiving is a great way to end our praise time because we are concluding our praise with the reminder of all of who He is, what He has done, and what He will do.
 
Yadah – We then learned how the lifting & extending of our hands is a valid form of praise in that the root word for todah describes this action. This led us into a few other words that describe us jumping (alaz), whirling around (karar), and dancing (mahol). So all of these joy-filled physical actions are a part of our job in praising the Lord.
 
Shabach – But we saw how praise is not just lifting our hands; it’s also lifting our voices. We saw how there are a lot of Old Testament verses and Hebrew words that describe us shouting and raising our volume beyond the normal level. And we learned that this is all because we will lift our voices for what we are excited about. We also saw that there were other words such as ranan, pasah, and rua that describe this crying aloud, breaking out, or shouting joyfully. So shouting & lifting our voices are a part of the life of praise.
 
Zamar – Then we learned last time of just how important praising God with instruments is because of the Hebrew words for praise that describe to “pluck the strings of an instrument” like a harp. So yes, not only can we praise God with our voices, but we can praise Him with the various instruments we have available to us, just as long as our heart is set on praising Him.
 
Tehillah – Then we saw how praise is also done with a song. In other words, while one can praise God just simply by talking about how great & awesome He is, we can also sing praises unto His name. So singing songs of praise unto God is a big part of staying full of joy and getting rid of the devil & all his effects.
 
Barak – And finally, we saw today how bending our knee, kneeling down, and blessing the Lord is another way that one praises God because worship is a big part of our Christian responsibility unto God. Yes, the apostle Paul teaches us that it is our “reasonable service” (Romans 12:1-2).
 
So I hope that everyone will continue to adopt all of these forms of praise into your life – yes, certainly during our praise services here at church, but also in your everyday life. Praise is a calling, saints! Let’s continue to “Praise the Lord” in our lives by not just observing it; but by doing it! Amen!

REVIEW
 
Well, we are heading to the end of a teaching series on the subject of praise where we are learning what true praise is and what it looks like! And what we have been learning is how it is a whole lot more “demonstrative” than most of the church acts like it is.
 
In fact, I looked up some synonyms of this word “demonstrative” and saw that some other words were “expressive, unreserved, and emotional.” And, church, this is exactly what we’ve been seeing in the various Hebrew words for praise – that it involves a lot more “expression” in an “unreserved” and even “emotional” manner. Yes, that’s what you would have seen in an Old Testament praise service!
 
But for some reason, the majority of the church today thinks things have changed. Yes, many Christians have 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 the truth is doing things “in the Spirit” doesn’t mean that we forsake these Biblical examples of praise & rejoicing form the Old Testament. In fact, we learned how the Holy Spirit should propel us into even more “expressive, unreserved, and emotional” praise! Amen?
 
We started off by looking at the most common Hebrew word for praise, the word halal. Then we looked at the word todah, the word commonly used for thanksgiving. Then we looked at few words that describe why we do the things we do when we praise God like lifting our hands, jumping for joy, dancing and whirling around, etc.
 
And then last week, we looked at some of the Hebrew words that talk about how our voice volume is also important in how we praise the Lord: We saw how one of the Hebrew praise words, the word shabach (shaw-bakh), literally means, "to shout, to address in a loud tone, to command, to triumph."
 
Now this is a far cry from praising Him quietly in our hearts, isn’t it? Is there a place for being quiet and being still & knowing that He is God? Absolutely! Likewise, there is a place for being loud and shouting forth His praises with a voice of triumph! So if I am consistently only doing one of these two things, then I’m missing it. There is a time & place to do both, and we need to be willing to praise Him both ways, not just the way we are comfortable with.  
 
And we learned through this word shabach that it also means to soothe, still, or pacify – which sounds a lot to me like how a parent might seek to quiet their baby when they are crying. What do they do? They try and “still” the baby by picking it up and holding it. They try and “soothe” the baby by maybe rocking it back and forth. And they attempt to “pacify” it by giving it a pacifier or bottle.  
 
So isn’t that interesting? The word that describes shouting & addressing in a loud tone also describes the stilling of the raging seas.
 
We looked at how Psalm 8:2 teaches us this when it says, “Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.” So praise “stills” the avenger – specifically, shabach is what will still or pacify the devil! Isn’t it interesting that this loud & high-volume kind of praise is what stills & quiets the enemy?
 
We also looked at a few other words that also describe us “crying out, breaking forth, and shouting joyfully.” And through one of these words, we looked at the very familiar story of the Battle of Jericho, where “shouting” was a catalyst for a supernatural miracle.
 
We learned from this story of the walls of Jericho coming down what strongholds are and how they keep one from being free themselves to letting others in. We saw how important it is that we follow the Lord’s specific instructions in order to “see” those walls come down in our lives. And we specifically noticed how on the seventh day, when the priests blew the trumpets, that Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city!” So when it comes to strongholds in our lives, where we feel “shut up,” we can see that breaking out and shouting is the key to seeing those walls come down! Amen?  
 
Yes, again, as that company’s commercial used to say, for some stains, you got it shout out! Amen!
 
The Issue of Instruments
 
So now that we’ve been seeing that praise is described as everything from the lifting of our voices, to jumping, dancing, & whirling about, to offering up thanksgiving, to raising our hands, etc. one might wonder – If praise is described by all of these things that any individual can do at any time, what do we need musical instruments for?
 
Well, there is another Hebrew word for praise that both legitimizes the use of instruments and shows the importance of them in how we praise the Lord. Let’s look at it …
 
There is the word zamar means "to pluck the strings of an instrument, to sing, to praise; a musical word which is largely involved with joyful expressions of music with musical instruments.” So this Hebrew word for praise means to play upon an instrument; to make music, accompanied by the voice; hence to celebrate in song and music -- give praise, sing forth praises, psalms.
 
Let me give you a few times this is used in the Scriptures:
 
In many of the initial times it’s used in the Old Testament, it was used like so – to “sing praises to His name” (Second Samuel 22:50, Psalm 7:17, 9:2, 18:49, etc.). In fact, by my count, it is used as “sing praises” around 30 of the times it was used. This reminds me of that beautiful chorus that was popular some years back – “I sing praises to your name, O Lord, praises to your name, O Lord. For your name is great and greatly to be praised …”
 
So, yes, it does describe singing with our mouth, but by its definition, it obviously means to sing with our music as well. In fact, there are several instances where this word zamar is used like that. Let’s look at a few of them …
 
Psalm 33:2 says, “Praise the Lord with the harp; Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings.”
 
Psalm 71:22 says, “Also with the lute I will praise You— And Your faithfulness, O my God! To You I will sing with the harp, O Holy One of Israel.”
 
Psalm 98:5 says, “Sing to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and the sound of a psalm.”
 
Psalm 144:9 says, “I will sing a new song to You, O God; On a harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You,”
 
Psalm 149:3 says, “Let them praise His name with the dance; Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp.”
 
So notice that with all five of these passages of Scripture, that we see praising God (Heb. zamar) “with the harp.”
 
Isn’t that interesting that one can praise God with an instrument? I’ve always looked at it like we praise God with our voices, but apparently the Lord receives praise from the instruments we play as well.
 
Now specifically, we see the Scriptures saying that we zamar the Lord with a “harp.” So does that mean that this is God’s instrument of choice that He receives praises from? In other words, must one use a harp to have it be considered praise by the Lord? Of course not!
 
You see, for some things in the Bible, we have to understand that they were unique to their culture. Now this certainly does not include certain moral issues or other things that are just as right/wrong today as they were centuries ago, but for other things like what instruments we use, those are unique for the time periods. Therefore, these verses from the Psalms are not to be taken so literally that we assume we have to go back to using harps and other instruments that they used back then. Heck, in a couple of these psalms, you see them talk about praising Him with the “timbrel” and a “lute.” I’d have to look up what a timbrel even is!
 
So no, this is one of those times where we can assume that praising God can also be done with the instruments of our generation just like David praising God with the instruments of his day. For one, how would our current set of instruments even have been on the psalmist’s radar to include them in writings from centuries ago? Just like the apostle John didn’t have the reference point to describe what he was seeing from the end times, David and the other psalmists wouldn’t have had the reference point to describe the instruments & technology that obviously hadn’t been invented yet. Amen?  
 
And this leads us to an interesting point:
 
You know, one thing I have come to discover is how easy it is for our own personal preferences and traditions to get in the way of appreciating the various instruments we have available to us.
 
I’ve run into some from the older generation that didn’t particularly like guitars – whether that be acoustic, electric, or bass. So if a praise & worship leader was playing say an acoustic guitar, they would immediately turn them off, saying things like – “I don’t like all ‘dat guitar strumming.” And most of the time, the reason that was the case was because they had come up in a generation where other instruments like an organ or a grand piano were what churches used during the song service.
 
So which generation is right? Is the piano better than the guitar? Is the timbrel better than a standard drum set that we use today? In short, does God have a preference on what instruments He is being praised with? I know religious folks might say, yes, but I say, no. I believe God is pleased with whatever instrument we choose to praise Him with, when the heart of the one playing it is to glorify & magnify His name! Amen?  
 
Anointed Music
 
Now I understand that most of us in here today, don’t play instruments. So how does praising God this way apply to the ones of us who don’t? Well, today we have a wonderful thing called technology, and through it, we can play music in various ways.  
 
So I bring this to our attention because I also believe that one can “zamar” the Lord by simply popping in a CD, streaming a song off of a website or app, or tuning into a Christian radio station.
 
But just simply “playing” praise music is not considered us praising the Lord any more than someone simply playing an instrument is praise. It’s the heart in playing it. It’s how that person accompanies that praise music. In other words, are they playing it with the purpose to praise God. Then it can be the same as playing an actual instrument.
 
And here’s the awesome part, I’ve seen similar effects from playing anointed praise & worship music as we read about in the story of David playing his harp with Saul – how he would see relief from the demons that were troubling him.
 
If you are unfamiliar with this story, we see in First Samuel chapter 16 how David was sought out to play for Saul when the distressing spirit came upon him, and we are told that when David would play that the spirit would depart from Saul, and he would be refreshed and well.
 
So this shows me that anointed music can expel demonic activity, and this would include anointed praise coming from an instrument and anointed praise coming from some other audio source. The fact is, the anointing destroys the yoke (Isaiah 10:27)! So if that anointing is on a song, instrument, or voice, it can do the same thing as David’s anointing did for Saul. Amen?  
 
In fact, the next word for praise that I want us to look at also teaches us how praise can both expel darkness & invite light. Let’s look at it …
 
 
Songs of Halal
 
The next Hebrew praise word I want us to look at is the word tehillah (te-hi-law). This word comes from the word we’ve already covered, the Hebrew word halal and of the 47 times it is used in the Old Testament, it is translated “praise” every time in the original King James Version.  
 
Tehillah describes the “singing of halals, to sing or to laud with hymns of praise.” So while other usages of praise can describe simply declaring God’s praises, this word specifically refers to the singing of His praise. In other words, tehillah describes the songs one sings to praise God. This is why it describes the word “hymn” which is literally just a song of praise.
 
You see, in the church when we refer to “hymns,” we automatically think of what is contained in the hymn books—thereby, many see hymns as the old songs, written in old books, for old people. But that’s not exactly what hymns are. When considering the literal definition of “hymn,” we can clearly see that we are singing hymns every Sunday in most churches because they are simply “songs of praise.”
 
Do you see how religion skews our view of these things and how we wrongly associate things based on our traditions? We need to eliminate these things from our way of thinking and view these terms from a literal, biblical perspective.
 
So just like we talked about how there are not any instruments that are “better” than others, the same goes for the songs we sing.
 
You see, there has always been this debate in the church between using a hymn book with these wordy songs versus having more repetitive words put on the screen in the modern era of music. Which one is right? That’s what the common thought is – that one is right, and the other isn’t.
 
I’m here to tell you today that one isn’t any better than the other. In fact, there are advantages to both styles of “praise songs.” Let me give you a couple of examples …
 
When it comes to the older hymns sung in prior generations, the good part of that was how instructive those songs were. Yes, a lot of those hymns would teach people good doctrine. So the songs contained in the hymn books were beneficial in that they introduced more truth than many of the modern-day songs do.  
 
However, more of the modern-day songs are better because they give more of the opportunity to camp on certain truths and sing them directly to the Lord. Yes, in the repetition of certain phrases & statements, people are able to pour out more of their heart in praise to God. So for that reason, these songs that have very simple chorus’ are good.
 
But the main point I am making is that one is NOT better than the other. There is a place and a benefit in both styles of songs. Like we made the point of when talking about the instruments, the key is in the hearts of the people singing them, not in the style of songs themselves.
 
So if you are in a place where a tehillah (i.e. a song of praise) is being sung, and it’s not your particular taste, style, or preference, don’t miss the potential benefits in it. Choose to pour your heart into it and sing that praise to God with everything that is in you. Amen?
 
How To Abide in His Presence
 
Now this Hebrew word for praise is actually used in some of our most well-known verses about praise in the Old Testament. Let’s look at a few of them …
 
The first one I want us to look at is in the verse that we are all familiar with – Psalm 34:1. This verse says, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
 
With the word tehillah being used for “praise” in the second part of this verse, we can see exactly what it is that is to continually be in our mouth – it’s a song or hymn. In other words, David was saying that what was going to constantly be in his mouth was a song.
 
You know, I’ve always found that some of the happiest people are people who sing continually. In fact, the Lord showed me before that the people who constantly praise Him like this are those who “abide” in Him.
 
I remember one day I was asking the Lord to teach me to continually abide in Him. I was saying, “Lord, show me how to consistently abide! Teach me to continually abide in You!” and as I had intended on these words to come out of my mouth, I uttered a different prayer that bypassed my understanding. I prayed- “Lord, let your praise be continually in my mouth!”
 
Now this was obviously a Holy Spirit inspired prayer because I was not thinking this in any way, shape, or form. Then the Lord revealed to me that this was how we continually abide in Him- by His praise being continually in our mouth. Amen! In other words, the way we continually abide in His manifest presence is by His praise being continually in our mouth. 
 
You see, one of the greatest benefits of us singing praises to the Lord at all times is that we will abide in Him. This should be rather obvious to us because of all the Scriptures that teach us how God inhabits the praises of His people and how worship draws us into the holy of holies.
 
Our feelings and experiences are directly tied to our thoughts and focus. So when we fix our eyes on Him—His greatness, glory and power—we begin to sense, become aware of, and feel His tangible presence. It begins to affect our surroundings! Amen!  
 
Another time this word is used is in another verse that we have already used several times in this series – Psalm 100:4. Again, this verse says, “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.”
 
 Ah, so in this verse we see how two forms of praise are used in entering the presence of God: As we saw, the Hebrew word towdah is used to describe how one enters into the gates of His house. But now we see how one walks through the courts of the house of God – its with tehillah.
 
So the best way to enter God’s presence is to start out with “the praise of thanksgiving” (i.e. towdah), and then to walk through His courts with “songs of praise.” So what it is that we are approaching the holy of holies with is a song or a hymn. And like we just learned from Psalm 34:1, it is what will cause us to not just enter His presence, but “abide” in His presence.
 
I personally love this next reference … Psalm 22:3 says, “But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel.”
 
This is the verse that some of us quote as God “inhabits the praises of His people.” That sounds a lot to me like “abiding” and “dwelling in God’s presence,” amen?
 
So what is it that the Lord inhabits? It’s the tehillah of His people! So God is enthroned upon the “songs of praise or the hymns” of His people!
 
Are you starting to see that? This is where God abides! It is where He dwells! No, not just in any form of praise, but specifically in the place where songs of praise are on people’s lips. He loves it, and this is where you will find Him – in the environment of hymns.  
 
And here’s the awesome part: Where God dwells, sadness, mourning, grief, and depression don’t. Now that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a place for these things at times, like say if we lost a loved one or are heartbroken over someone else’s loss. Yes, life will have these emotions, but we are not called to live there. As the Bible says, “In His presence is fullness of joy” (Psalm 16:11), so if I’m living, dwelling, and abiding in His presence, I’m not going to be sad; I’ll be glad! Amen?
 
Notice the final verse I want us to look at where tehillah is used:
 
Isaiah 61:1-3 says after Jesus’ quote that the Spirit of the Lord was upon Him because God had anointed Him, “… To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
 
So what is the Holy Spirit—the Anointing of God—meant to do in our lives? One of the things is to do exactly this – to minister to those who mourn and give them joy; to replace that spirit of heaviness that can come upon all of us at times with the “garment of tehillah.” So again, it’s the one who sings songs of praise unto God who is positioned to take off a spirit of heaviness and replace it with a new garment, a song of praise! Amen!  
 
Staying Full of the Anointing
 
Now let me conclude today’s message with this …
 
A couple of weeks ago, we looked at Ephesians 5:18 where the apostle Paul told us that we need to stay full of the Holy Spirit. In other words, it’s not just good enough to be filled at some point in the past, but to be continually filled up with Him.
 
Then we looked at how one stays full of the Spirit of God. The answer is found in verse 19— by “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.”
 
So notice that one of the three forms of songs that Paul describes are these “hymns” we’ve been referring to. Therefore, I see this concept of tehillah as being one of the avenues that God desires to use, to fill us up with His presence.
 
So what are these “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs?”
 
Well, “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 would also include singing other portions of Scripture. The word “hymns” literally describes “festive songs” or “songs of praise specifically addressed towards God.” A hymn differs from a psalm in that while a psalm is scripturally based and might not specifically address God, a hymn is a song that comes of human origin that does specifically praise and worship God. A hymn will always be directed towards God and a psalm will always be full of Scripture. Some examples of “hymns” could be “I Sing Praises to Your Name”, “Holy, Holy, Holy”, or “the Doxology.” 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 and abiding in His presence.  
 
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 our point today is that these songs of praise as well as the instruments that accompany them are a part of abiding in the anointing. Yes, the anointing that destroys the yoke and makes evil spirits depart. So the more you and I live our lives singing & playing songs of praise, the more we can dwell in His presence. Amen!

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 put into practice “Praising the Lord!”
 
So we are stretching ourselves a little bit by 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 because the Hebrew language gives us a much more thorough description of what praise looks like.
 
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 means to make a show, to act clamorously foolish & like a madman.
 
So we made the point that we see very few people acting foolish or like a crazy person during the praise time, don’t we? 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. Yeah, perhaps we’ve grown up too much.
 
Then next, we covered another Hebrew word for “praise”, the word todah, which describes thanking God for “things not yet received” as well as things already at hand. In fact, we learned that 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 learned that this todah kind of thanksgiving is what we should start out with. Yes, it’s how we enter His gates and into His presence! 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’s also the vehicle that leads us into His presence. Amen. 
 
Then last week, we dealt with a few Hebrew words for praise that answer the question – “Why do we praise like we do?”
 
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 we looked at the popular Hebrew word for praise, which is actually the root word for the word we covered last week (todah), the word yadah.
 
We learned that 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.
 
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 we also learned that not only do we have this Hebrew word that clearly describes praise being done with lifted/extended hands, we have several Scriptures that specifically talk about this as well.
 
But even with all this Scriptural evidence, 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, we don’t have to understand or see the point to do it and reap the benefits of simple obedience. 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.
 
But we saw how lifting our hands is not the only demonstrative form of praise that the Bible encourages us to practice …
 
We saw how there was the word alaz (a-lauze) which describes “rejoicing, exulting, and to be jubilant.” But we learned how this word carries the idea of “jumping for joy.” So there you go! Now you have Scriptural precedence for jumping for joy during the song service.     
 
We saw how King David did a little jumping himself. But he also liked to “dance” as well.
Yes, he was also “whirling” when they brought the ark back into Jerusalem – 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 with, when we let it loose for Him. It might be simply just leaping. It might be whirling around. It might be 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  the 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.
 
Therefore, we have all kinds of Scriptural proof that lifting our hands, dancing, whirling, and jumping are acceptable forms of praise, but the question many have had is – “Is all of this New Testament?”
 
You see, 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 what we saw last week is that the gift of the Holy Spirit whom we’ve been promised under this new covenant, should propel us into even more demonstrative praise!
 
You see, the Holy Spirit is compared with wine a few times in the Bible because of the freedom & joy that He brings.
 
So 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!  
 
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.  
 
Lifting Our Hands to Lifting Our Voices
 
Now this week, I want us to move into another couple of Hebrew words that describe another very important element of praise …
 
So let me begin by asking a very important question: Now that we’ve learned that certain demonstrative actions like lifting our hands, dancing, jumping, etc. are a part of our praise unto God, what about our volume? Is the level of noise we make with our mouth important?
 
Well, like the lifting of our hands, there are people who like to reason out of this, saying things like “What difference does it make if I lift my hands?” Well, like I made the point of last week, just because we don’t see the purpose of it, doesn’t mean there isn’t one. Again, when we were young and our parents told us to do certain things, we didn’t always understand why what they were telling us to do was important. However, when we matured, we realized that there were just things we simply didn’t see when we were young.
 
Therefore, the lesson is this – God, who is infinitely more wise & knowledgeable than us, is likely giving us instructions in the Scriptures to do things that we just haven’t connected the dots on yet. But a wise person will just do those things, trusting that He knows something we don’t. Amen? Well, like we saw last week, lifting our hands is one of those things that He explicitly tells us is a part of praise. So if I am wise child of God, I’ll lift my hands to the Lord. However, if I’m foolish, I’ll just continue doing what I want, what I think, etc.
 
And so my point is that just as there are a lot in the Scriptures about lifting our hands, there are also a lot of verses about lifting our voice. Yes, our voice volume is another one of these examples of God showing us how He likes to be praised that we might not yet understand …
 
So in order to establish the importance of our volume to the Lord, let’s look at a few more Hebrew words related to praising God and Scriptures that they are used in …
 
Shabach’d!
 
Although there are several words that we will look at today that establish the importance of shouting & lifting our voices, there is one word for praise that we see used in the Old Testament that I want to spend the most time on – It’s the word shabach (shaw-bakh). This word literally means, "to shout, to address in a loud tone, to command, to triumph." So it’s a loud adoration or an unashamed proclaiming with a loud voice.
 
Now this is a far cry from praising Him quietly in our hearts, isn’t it? Is there a place for being quiet and being still & knowing that He is God? Absolutely! Likewise, there is a place for being loud and shouting forth His praises with a voice of triumph! So if I am consistently only doing one of these two things, then I’m missing it. There is a time & place to do both, and we need to be willing to praise Him both ways, not just the way we are comfortable with.  
 
Let’s look at a few instances where this word is used …
 
In both First Chronicles 16:15 & Psalm 106:47, David said, “Save us, O God of our salvation; gather us together, and deliver us from the Gentiles, to give thanks to Your holy name, to triumph in Your praise.”
 
The word “triumph” here comes from this Hebrew word shabach. So the idea here is that God’s people are lifting their voices in victory for His salvation!
 
Psalm 63:3 says, “Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You.”
 
Notice that it was his “lips” that was “shabach’ing” the Lord. So, this is where this loud voice of praise comes from. It’s not in your heart or in your mind; it’s done with your lips.
 
So who all is supposed to do this? Well, Psalm 117:1 tells us who: It says, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples!”
 
“All you peoples” means that every kind of person is called to shabach the Lord! So no, it’s not just those who it’s their “personality” or those who are “wired” that way. It’s all you peoples!
 
Finally, Psalm 145:4 talks about how one generation shall “praise” God’s works to another.  
 
So let’s practice this – If you are 50 years old or older, I want you to lift your voice to a “loud tone” and say this to the rest of the rest of the people in this place today – “Jesus saved me!” Now all of you who are 49 years old and younger, I want you to do the same, and say back to them – “He saved me too!”
 
Guess what we just did? We just “shabach’d” each other!
 
Stilling the Storms
 
Now here is an interesting point about this word shabach: Figuratively, it means to soothe, still, or pacify – which sounds a lot to me like how a parent might seek to quiet their baby when they are crying. What do they do? They try and “still” the baby by picking it up and holding it. They try and “soothe” the baby by maybe rocking it back and forth. And they attempt to “pacify” it by giving it a pacifier or bottle.  
 
Shabach is used this way in Psalm 65:7 & 89:9 in describing how the Lord “stills” the waves of the sea. So isn’t that interesting? The word that describes shouting & addressing in a loud tone also describes the stilling of the raging seas.
 
Now let me show you how this works: Oftentimes in life, we find ourselves caught in the middle of a storm. And in these trials & tribulations of life, it is important that we understand a couple of things:

1. First of all, it is our responsibility to speak to the mountain. No, we don’t talk to God about the mountain, asking Him to remove it for us; we talk to the mountain about our God. We see this in Mark 11:23, when Jesus taught us to speak to the mountain and it would obey us. We see this illustrated earlier in the Gospel of Mark when Jesus spoke to the winds & waves and “stilled” them. So in following both Jesus’ instructions & example, we are to still the storm by speaking to it with authority.
2. Secondly, it is our responsibility to speak to our own soul. You see, it’s not the storm on the outside that will sink you; it’s only the storm on the inside of you that will sink you. In other words, the only thing that can defeat us is letting what’s on the outside get on the inside of us. So this is why it is imperative that we learn to take authority over our soul that can certainly get affected by the mountains & storms of life.   

 
I love what Psalm 8:2 teaches us …
 
The original King James Version reads this way – “Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.”
 
Most of us are familiar with Jesus’ response when the religious leaders derided the children who were praising Him as He entered into Jerusalem on a donkey.  He said, “Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise?’” (Matthew 21:16). 
 
Now what makes this statement so interesting is that looking back at the Scripture Jesus was quoting, He was quoting Psalm 8:2. However, in this Psalm, David did not say, “perfected praise;” He said, “ordained strength.”  You see, the Hebrew word used in Psalm 8:2 for “strength” was correctly translated.  It indeed means “strength.”  So, Jesus gave us His divine commentary by exchanging the word “strength” for the word “praise.”  In doing so, He showed us that praise is the equivalent of strength.  Amen!
 
But Jesus was saying that praise is “strength” to do what? That we might “still” the enemy and the avenger! So praise “stills” the avenger – specifically, shabach is what will still or pacify the devil!
 
Isn’t it interesting that this loud & high-volume kind of praise is what stills & quiets the enemy? Perhaps this is why so many of us get an earful from the enemy and the winds & waves constantly rage around us – It’s because we haven’t gotten loud enough. Amen?
 
Cry Out & Break Forth!
 
But shabach is not the only Hebrew word for shouting or lifting our voices. There are actually several other words that describe something similar:
 
One word is ranan (rah-nan), and this word is used for “crying out or shouting for joy.”
 
It’s used in the following verses:
 
Isaiah 12:6 - “Cry aloud and shout for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, For great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”
 
Psalm 35:27 - “Let them shout for joy and be glad, Who favor my righteous cause; And let them say continually, ‘Let the Lord be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.’”
 
There’s also a word that describes to “break forth” in something. This is the word pasah (paw-tsakh) and describes to break out in a joyful sound, break forth in joy, and to burst forth with a loud noise.
 
You know, a big part of all of this is just “breaking out” of our comfort zone. People might not like to look at it this way, but the fact is, if we do not feel free to praise God in all these way – including lifting our voices – then we are in bondage to something. So the key to breaking the bondage is to “break out.” And like someone who breaks out of prison, they have to do some things that everything around them is telling them not to do to get free.
 
Well, I believe that a lot of times those fortress walls come down and those prison doors swing open when we make the deliberate decision to “break out” in a joyful sound and a loud voice! Amen! (We will see more of this at the end of today’s message)   
 
One instance where this is used is Psalm 98:4,6, which says, “Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises … With trumpets and the sound of a horn; Shout joyfully before the Lord the King.”
 
Finally, let’s look at one more Hebrew word which means something similar and that’s used in these verses – the word rua. It’s used in Psalm 98:4,6 as “shout joyfully.” This word describes “raising a shout” or “giving a blast.” It was used in several Old Testament instances as the catalyst for victories when God’s people would, say, blast a trumpet to sound an alarm or as a war cry or simply lift their voices and shout for the victory.
 
Here’s a couple of other places in the Psalms where it is used …  
 
Psalm 47:1 = “O clap your hands, all you peoples; shout to God with the voice of triumph.”
 
Psalm 95:1-2 = “Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.”
 
The most popular place that we see rua used is in the very familiar story of the Battle of Jericho. So let’s turn over to Joshua chapter 6 and look at the important role that “shouting” plays in the walls coming down in our life …
 
From Egypt To Jericho
 
How many of you know that just as the children of Israel had a Promised Land to possess after their Exodus from Egypt, that there are promises God has made to us that we must possess even after we have experienced our salvation? It’s true. Just because we get saved from “Egypt” does not mean that we automatically are ushered into Canaan Land. There is a process to renewing our minds and a spiritual walk that takes us through the wilderness of this world and into everything God has promised us.
 
So, I want us to conclude today by looking at one very key and critical story in the Book of Joshua of how the children of Israel began to possess what God said was theirs—the Battle of Jericho.
 
Of course, we know that the city of Jericho was the Israelites first victory in their conquest of possessing the Promised Land of Canaan. We have all heard the story of the great walls surrounding this city and how when the Israelites marched around them, they experienced a spectacular victory when the walls fell down. But since this is the first challenge the children of Israel faced in possessing their Promised Land, I see it as both a foundational & fundamental lesson in how we too are to possess our Promised Land.
 
So, let’s begin reading this account in Joshua chapter 6:
 
Joshua 6:1 says, “Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in.”
 
You see, like it was with the children of Israel’s challenge of possessing Jericho, many of us have walls built up from our past—things that keep us from getting out and from letting others come in. Sure, like the children of Israel had already experienced their Exodus from Egypt, the parting of both the Red Sea and the Jordan River, we too might have experienced salvation, being baptized with both water and the Holy Spirit. But there can still be walls that must be torn down that keep us from possessing our full inheritance.
 
A good Scriptural example of this is with Lazarus: After he was raised from the dead—a type of us being raised to a new life when we were born again—he still had his grave clothes on, to where Jesus had to tell those present to loose him and let him go (see John 11:44). This is how some of have lived our entire Christian life—spiritually alive. Sure. But still with our graveclothes on, and these graveclothes keep us from experiencing the complete freedom that is ours in Christ Jesus. Heck, in the spirit, I bet a lot of Christians look like mummies.
 
And I want you to notice how the phrase “shut up” is used here. I understand that this was talking about how fortified Jericho was, but I just think it’s interesting how these words are used here – because one of the things that the walls in our lives can produce is shutting us up. In other words, the reason why we have such a hard time praising God in a loud, demonstrative way is because of the walls that have been erected in our lives.
 
So, these walls need to come down. Like Israel found out how to experience this supernatural victory directly from the Lord, we need to hear from the Lord ourselves and find out how to pull these walls down once and for all. Amen? And I believe a good first step is to study this account of this Battle of Jericho and see how Israel experienced their first victory in possessing their Promised Land.
 
What Is a Stronghold?
 
But I want you to notice how this opening verse of this chapter says that the City of Jericho was “securely shut up” to where “none went out, and none came in.” Did you know that this as a clear description of what the Bible calls a “stronghold”?
 
The most popular reference to this term is found in Second Corinthians chapter 10, where the apostle Paul describes the strongholds, imaginations and renegade thoughts that are to be pulled down by the anointing.
 
Second Corinthians 10:3-5 says, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,”
 
Now this word “strongholds” was originally used in classical Greek to describe a “fortress” and then later came to describe a “prison.” And this is important to understand because I believe both of these describe the “strongholds” that even we believers can have built up in our hearts & minds:
 
So, first of all, what is the purpose of a fortress? A fortress is used to primarily keep people out. Then this word came to describe a “prison.” So, what is a prison designed to do? A prison is used to primarily keep people in. This sounds like that opening verse of Joshua chapter 6, describing the city of Jericho, doesn’t it?
 
So some examples of a stronghold being a “fortress” could be—if you grew up with your parents never telling you that they loved you and with them making you feel good for nothing, if you have always been rejected by your classmates throughout school, or if you have been physically abused by a loved one. If you have had any experiences like that and now have a hard time trusting people and/or being yourself, this would be considered a “fortress” (or a stronghold) in your mind that “defends” you from being hurt. In other words, a stronghold fortress is a belief system or heart attitude that keeps people from getting close to you.
 
Now some examples of a stronghold being a “prison” could be—if you battle with depression or oppression, if you have this image of yourself as overweight, stupid, or worthless, this would be considered having a “prison” (or a stronghold) in your mind that keeps you bound where you don’t feel like you can get free.  
 
You see, strongholds are more than just drug addictions, pornographic habits, and mental sicknesses. Strongholds come in many different shapes and sizes. There are strongholds like these more apparent ones, but there are also strongholds that are less apparent, like insecurities, self-centeredness, and beliefs that are contrary to God’s Word. Most of us have some sort of stronghold in our minds whether big or small.
 
Choosing To Follow the Instructions
 
Now it needs to be said here that as we saw, in these verses, Paul describing the weapons of our warfare as “pulling down” strongholds, the words “pulling down” give us an indication as how they are pulled down.
 
You see, this action verb of “pulling down” comes from Greek word which literally means “to choose down.” That’s right! When you take the words apart, you find that they come from the Greek words which mean “down” and “to choose.” So, the way we “cast down” imaginations and other proud thoughts is by simply choosing not to think like that anymore. Yes, we “pull down” strongholds by first deciding to not let that stronghold have a place in our lives ever again!
 
You see, saints, this is the first step to “letting this mind be in us which was also in Christ Jesus” and “not letting our hearts be troubled;” it is a choice—a decision to change the way we think and to adopt a new mentality.  Amen!
 
And guess what this does? By choosing a different attitude and a new frame of mind, it will cause us to experience the life of God. As Deuteronomy 30:19 says, “…I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore, choose life!”
 
We can clearly see here today that the way we choose life is by choosing a certain way of thinking. We choose the kind of life we live by choosing the kind of thoughts we think! Selah and amen!  
 
So now, let’s move on to the good part—how we can pull these strongholds down and progress in possessing our Promised Land in Christ Jesus… 
 
Now I want you to notice the specific instructions that God gave Joshua in this story. Let’s now read verses 3-5: You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days. And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him.”
 
Now these are some specific instructions, aren’t they? What this teaches me is that I need to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit and hear the specific battle plan that He has for me. Now, in my opinion, the most important thing to take away from these specific instructions, is how we, too, need to hear God’s specific instructions and obey them. 
 
You see, following this specific set of instructions that the Lord gave to Israel back then will not necessarily work for us today (unless, of course, He gives us this story and tells us to do it) just as it would not have worked for Israel if they would have tried it again at the next city in Canaan. But no, God had a different battle plan for every city that they were to possess.
 
No, God has a specific battle plan for every battle and doing what we did last time or what someone else did will not cut it. We have to inquire of the Lord, hear from Him, and then do what He tells us to do, come hell or high water! This is how we get results in the kingdom of God—whatever He says for us to do, just do it! (see John 2:5).
 
Nevertheless, I believe there are some good general lessons in this account of the Bible that will work every time for all of us!
 
Notice what Joshua chapter 6 goes on to say in verse 6-14: Then Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord.” And he said to the people, “Proceed, and march around the city, and let him who is armed advance before the ark of the Lord.” So it was, when Joshua had spoken to the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the Lord advanced and blew the trumpets, and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them. The armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard came after the ark, while the priests continued blowing the trumpets. Now Joshua had commanded the people, saying, “You shall not shout or make any noise with your voice, nor shall a word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I say to you, ‘Shout!’ Then you shall shout.” So he had the ark of the Lord circle the city, going around it once. Then they came into the camp and lodged in the camp. And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. Then seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord went on continually and blew with the trumpets. And the armed men went before them. But the rear guard came after the ark of the Lord, while the priests continued blowing the trumpets. And the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. So they did six days.
 
So, what we see here is that for 6 days, they were told to take the ark of the covenant and lead it around the walls of Jericho for 6 days, making only one pass a day for those 6 days. And the trumpets leading the ark were to be blown, but no one was supposed to say a word or make any other noise with their mouths for those 6 days.
 
Now can you imagine how difficult that must have been? I can only assume that the people of Jericho might have been on the top of the walls harassing them, perhaps throwing rotten fruit & veggies on them. So, it must have taken great faith to not say anything, right? Likewise, it takes great faith for us many times to not open our mouth.
 
You see, it is so easy to get in the flesh and try to win our own battles, but by telling the children of Israel things like don’t use your own words, but just let my praise be in your mouth, it shows that God wants our faith to be in Him.
 
And why is this so important? It is because we, in ourselves, cannot make the walls come down. No, they are not going to fall because of our own power or might. It’s not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord! Therefore, we need the power of the Holy Spirit—God’s manifest presence here on the earth—to pull these strongholds down! (Compare with Zechariah 4:6-7)      
 
So, the fact that they marched around the city for those 6 days without the people even saying a word and the ark went before them with the trumpets teaches us that biblical principle to be still and know that He is God. When we wait on the Lord, we exchange our weaknesses for His strength. And why? Because God inhabits the praises of His people (See Psalm 22:3)
 
And now let’s look at what happened on the seventh day: Verses 15-16 go on to say, “But it came to pass on the seventh day that they rose early, about the dawning of the day, and marched around the city seven times in the same manner. On that day only they marched around the city seven times. And the seventh time it happened, when the priests blew the trumpets, that Joshua said to the people: “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city!”
 
But then came this seventh day—the day that the Lord rested from all His works! So, as it is said about the Sabbath rest, we must labor to enter into that rest. Now it is time for us to do something to trigger the manifestation of His victory. And interestingly enough, on the seventh day, they were told to march around the city seven times. Sevens are wild, amen! And as we see in verse 16, “And the seventh time it happened…”
 
So on the seventh day—the day which the Lord has made—when they obeyed in marching around the city seven times, then it happened! So, it all starts with God completing His part (seven being the number of completion) and then us laboring to enter into that rest. When we mix together God doing His complete part with us doing our complete part, then it happens! So, you might be wondering— “When is it going to happen?” When we mix faith together with God’s part!
 
Shout It Out!
 
Now notice that when the priests blew the trumpets, that Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city!”
 
Now came the part where their silence was to turn to shouting—from one extreme to the other. And notice why the Lord told them to shout. It wasn’t just to shout for nothing, but to shout for (or, because) the Lord has given you the city! In other words, the Lord was telling them to act like they would when the Lord gave them the city. But the fact is, it is already a fact—the Lord had already given them the city! Again, it might not have looked like it in the natural. The walls might still have been up. The people might still inhabit the city within those walls, but from God’s perspective, it was as good as done! Therefore, He was telling them to act on what was already a reality in the spirit.
 
For example, if you were unable to walk right now, and then you were able to not only walk but leap, dance, and run, what would you do (i.e. how would you act)? Well, I am certain that some of you shyer people who might say, “Well, it’s just not my temperament, pastor,” would start shouting and praising God! Well, that is how the Lord wants us to act before we see it. But it is not us doing this to try and get God to do something. No, it is us acting in faith because we know that we know that we know that God has already done something. Amen? In other words, we are responding this way because we believe what we have “seen.”
 
So, we can clearly see that we are not “shouting” as one who buffets the wind; no, we are “shouting” because something is real, true, and a fact—God has already given His promises to us!
 
Skipping down to verse 20 and on, notice what happened: “So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword.”
 
You see, this story is in the Bible to show you and I how we can take our Promised Land – because it’s important to understand that just because we have a promise from God, that doesn’t automatically mean it’s going to be possessed by us. No, we have to possess God’s promises, and one of the ways we do so is by following His instructions.
 
And in this case, the instructions were to know when to have our mouths shut and to know when to shout! So when it comes to strongholds in our lives, where we feel “shut up,” we can see that breaking out and shouting is the key to seeing those walls come down! Amen?  
 
As that company’s commercial used to say, some stains you got to shout out! Amen!