Psalm 100 is a rich hymn sung by the children of Israel as they gathered at the Temple for a time of publicly declaring their worship, praise, and thanks to God. This psalm was later the source of a Reformation hymn called "Old Hundred." The hymn "Old Hundred" has its roots in the Protestant Reformation, originally sung as a hymn based on
Psalm 134 and later on
Psalm 100, written by Loys Bourgeois and included in the Genevan Psalter.
"The Genevan Psalter was compiled over a number of years in the Swiss city of Geneva, a center of Protestant activity during the Reformation, in response to the teaching of John Calvin that communal singing of psalms in the vernacular language is a foundational aspect of church life. This contrasted with the prevailing Catholic practice at the time in which sacred texts were chanted in Latin by the clergy only. Calvinist musicians including Loys Bourgeois supplied many new melodies and adapted others from sources both sacred and secular. The final version of the psalter was completed in 1562. Calvin intended the melodies to be sung in plainsong during church services, but harmonized versions were provided for singing at home." (
Source.)
We are better together in our worship of Almighty God. A soloist has one voice, but a choir or congregation has a much louder, more profound voice. How are we to worship God? Our psalm today tells us. Why are we to worship God? Again, our psalm tells us plainly why.
Verse 1 begins with a very practical answer to the question. All the inhabitants of earth are to make a joyful shout to the LORD. You may ask, "What is a joyful shout?" Others may chime in that you know what a shout is, because you do it all the time to your kids when they misbehave or when you are attending a ballgame!
A joyful shout is what you do when your favorite football team scores a touchdown, or when your favorite baseball team hits a home run at the last at-bat to seal the victory. Last October, I attended a playoff game between the Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles. Let me tell you, there was shouting at that game, especially since the Rangers won. I recall when Nellie Cruz, who played for the Texas Rangers at the time, hit a grand slam on October 10, 2011, to win the ALCS playoff game against the Detroit Tigers. The stadium was packed, and when he hit that homer, wow, the place went crazy! Hands in the air, shouting, whooping and hollering–I mean, it was electric. And then there was this crazy camaraderie among complete strangers. Everyone was smiling and giving high-fives to one another as we exited the ballpark.
Verse 2 says we are to serve; the Hebrew word
abad contains the idea to work manually to till the land, to exert energy and effort. Some do this, for sure, as they prepare for corporate worship.
Verse 2 also says we are to serve the LORD with gladness. (The Hebrew word is
simchah, which can be translated "pleasure.") We are to come (the Hebrew word is
bow and can also mean "enter in") before His presence with singing. So that is why we sing a lot? Yes! We sing not to be entertained but to worship God.
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