Psalm 95:1-7a - "Let Us Worship and Bow Down"

Psalm 95:1-7a 1 Oh come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with Psalms. 3 For the LORD is the great God, And the great King above all gods. 4 In His hand are the deep places of the earth; The heights of the hills are His also. 5 The sea is His, for He made it; And His hands formed the dry land. 6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. 7 For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand.   Hebrews 4:7 quotes from this wonderful psalm and tells us that David is the one the Spirit spoke through to give it us. Hebrews 4:7, “Again He designates a certain day, saying in David, "Today," after such a long time, as it has been said: "Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts." Psalm 95 gives us an invitation to “come” and worship (1-7a) but ends giving us a warning (7b-11). Psalms 93 and 95-100 are a group of psalms that are called theocratic psalms. They are about the kingship of God over His people Israel and His sovereign rule over all the earth.   As you read through this psalm you can’t help but notice the words, “let us” are repeated many times. “Let us sing…”, “let us shout…” (v. 1), “let us come…”, “let us shout…” (v. 2), “let us worship and bow down…”, “let us kneel…” (v. 6). God loves for His people to come together in assembly to worship Him. Heaven will be a place of corporate worship. The book of Revelation speaks often of the multitudes around the throne of God from every nation, every tribe, every language, and every kindred that are worshipping the LAMB. Along with the “heavenly host” of angels that are forever praising the LORD with shouts of Holy, Holy, Holy!   There is nothing that can substitute for coming together with God’s people on a regular basis, in a specific place, to worship the LORD in Spirit and in Truth. Jesus told the woman at the well in John 4:23-24, “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."   We are not only invited to “come and worship the LORD with singing, praise, and thanksgiving (vv. 1-2), we are admonished to “bow down and worship Him” (vv. 6-7a). Praise means looking up, but worship means bowing down. It is interesting how some people who enjoy lifting their hands and shouting do not enjoy bowing their knees and submitting in obedience to His Lordship over their lives. True worship is much deeper than communal praise, for worship involves realizing the awesomeness of God and experiencing the fear of the Lord and a deeper love for Him. Too often Christian "praise" is nothing but religious entertainment and it never moves into spiritual enrichment in the presence of the Lord. Our singing must give way to silence as we bow before the Lord. God alone is Jehovah, the Lord, the covenant-making and covenant-keeping God. He is our Maker and our Shepherd. (Psalm 23 and John 10.) Jubilation has its place only if it becomes adoration and we are prostrate before the Lord in total submission, "lost in wonder, love, and praise." What a remarkable miracle of grace that we sinners should be called "His people." He made us, He saved us, and He cares for us! Why should we hesitate to fall before Him in total surrender? God bless!