A Study on the Ministry of 1Praise and Worship

As a leader of worship and a psalmist, I give presentations on the subject of

praise and worship. It is my view that most churches have always done praise
and worship while not calling it by that name. We have been blessed with many
hymns that inspire us to adore, revere, bless and worship the Lord; “When
Morning Gilds the Skies, my heart awakening cries, may Jesus Christ be praised”
is one of many that describe praise in worship and worship in praise. To this end
we begin by examining each word to ascertain what each means and then apply
it to practical use:

When you or I “praise” we:

Acclaim
Adore
Applaud by shouting
Adulate
Boast
Brag
Celebrate
Esteem
Hail
Honour
Revere
Worship

When you or I “worship” we:

Admire
Bless
Cherish
Honour
Love
Praise
Revere
Venerate

From the list it is easy to see that one can “praise God in worship; and worship
God in praise”. It is therefore helpful to have an understanding and share what
our forefathers of the Bible knew about praise and worship; applying the practice
to everyday life, in other words, living a lifestyle of “praise and worship”.

The scriptures of the Old & New Testament and psalms are excellent
expressions of praise and worship and can be divided into two groups: [a]
descriptive or [b] declarative. “Declarative praise” places the emphasis on what
GOD has done, they speak about His glory and majesty, and they are full of
thanksgiving. Examples of this type of praise are found in Psalm 24: 7, 9-10 and
1 Chronicles 29:11-13. “Descriptive praise” focuses on the person, attributes,
and essence of a GOD and, who HE is. Examples of this would be Psalm 50
[psalm of Asaph], Psalm 145 and Exodus 3:14.

A lifestyle of praise and/or worship should glorify GOD with vocal expressions;
such as the sharing of a testimony, the sharing of the events of the day, when
you felt God move and act on your behalf. The whole exercise is three tiered or
a tripod:

[i] Thanksgiving - the whisper of prayer to God in thanks

[ii] Praise - the telling about God’s goodness to others; and

[iii] Worship - to bow down, reverence, an attitude of the body, mind and spirit

The Hebrews have seven words each one depicting a different form of praise
and worship. [Some writers on the subject refer to these seven words as levels or
stages]. Each one is distinctive and yet complimentary of each other.

Level One or the First Word is HALEL which in transliteration becomes

“Hallelujah”, it means in simple terms ‘praise the Lord”. It can be and is often
spelt “alleluia”. It is defined as being boastful and excited [the way one does at a
rally or sports event], lifting of the hands and shouts of joy and bliss.

Level two Barak simply means, " to bless". Throughout the Old Testament this
word is continually used. Thoughts on the word 'bless' bring to mind all that God
through his son Jesus Christ has done for us; past and present. However, have
we stopped to wonder how we may bless god? David in psalm 103: 1-2 tells us
how, when he says: 'bless the Lord, o my soul; and all that is within me, bless his
holy name....”. [Some bible translations use the word praise.] David continues
on, by recalling and distinguishing everything that god has done. Barak praise
can be used as a pattern or mode of prayer, as the word suggests kneeling and
blessing god in worship or devotion. The song "father, we love you, we praise
you, we adore you” is an expression of Barak praise. Other psalms that express
Barak praise are ps.113 and Ps. 104. The Anglican Church leans towards this
kind of praise and worship. Think about the Eucharist service and evening
prayer.

So far, the levels or words for praise are those used mainly in an oratory fashion.
The third level or word however, deals with 'music'. In the Hebrew language
there are several musical verbs, but the one that is predominant throughout the
book of psalms is called Zamar. It demonstrates music in praise to god and
advocates that praise and music can be interchangeable. In the Old Testament
music has been the main expression of praise used by the Hebrews. The
popular praise & worship chorus: "let everything that has breath praise the lord"
is psalm 150 set to music. Other psalms are 92:1-3 and 81:1-2. A combination
of Barak and Zamar praise can be found in psalms 98, 95 134 and 145.

The fourth level or word is Shabach and is illustrated in psalm 117:1; O praise
the Lord, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people.' The word used here, means to
speak highly of, to address in a loud tone, to command triumph, and glory. This
category of praise is also pictured in psalm 63:4.

Number five is Yadah and it means to publicly acknowledge God. Psalm 138:1
best describes this word. Again as with Halel, the hands are raised in worship,
our Mass lends itself to this expression. 2 Chronicles 20:19-21 also
demonstrates this.

Number six related to Yadah is Towdah and translated also means

“thanksgiving” and involves the raising of hands in adoration. However, it
suggests an attitude of sacrificial praise. In other words, we give thanks and
praise before we receive from the lord, or are delivered out of a situation. We
rejoice and thank god for his promises. Read psalm 50, 2 Chronicles 7:1-6 and
psalm 107:22 are examples.

Finally, Tehillah is the seventh and final level and relates to singing; actually it
means singing our halals. Tehillah is portrayed in psalm 22:3 which tells us that
god dwells in the praises of his people. It is also depicted in 2 chronicles 20:22,
but refers to a special kind of singing that is unrehearsed, unprepared and which
today is referred to as "being led by the spirit". This exhibition of praise brings
unity into the congregation and allows god to move in miraculous ways. Tehillah
praise can be found in psalms 34:1, 40:3, and 66:2.

Thanksgiving, praise and worship are comparable to the three corners of the
tabernacle of Moses:-

[i] Outer portion represents thanksgiving; psalm 100:4 “ Enter His gates with
Thanksgiving....”

[ii] Again quoting psalm 100 the next line states, “enter His courts with praise”
and therefore represents praise. In the outer court we unlock the door to the
throne room of heaven; at this juncture we are recounting what God has done for
us; it involves, clapping of hands and a joyful expression of our thanks and
adoration.

[iii] Next we move to the ‘holy place’ and get even closer to the throne room and
worship in the ‘holy of holies’. All of this is an act of the will, it cannot be taught!
You must have a personal love relationship with Christ.
The benefits of praise and worship are as follows:

Increases faith;

Brings about healing of the body, mind and spirit;

Brings understanding and clarity to things of the Holy Spirit;

Brings God to us [Psalm 22:3 “But thou art Holy, O thou that inhabitest the praise
of Israel [KJV]; yet thou art Holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel; [New Oxford
Annotated]; yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the praise of Israel
[NIV].

Enhances the Eucharist or Evening service.

As Christians our lifestyle should be one of praise and worship at all levels. This
is the best form of witness and testimony when encouraging others to come to
Christ.

I conclude with some resources, which you can study for yourself and be lifted in
praise and worship unto the Lord:

Resources Books:
By Terry Law
Praise releases Faith
The Power of Praise & Worship
How to Enter the Presence of God

Let Us Praise by Judson Cornwall

Praise Devotional by Ruth Myers

List of Scriptures on Praise in the Old & New Testaments for individuals:

Genesis 14:20 - the praise of Melchizedek

Exodus 15:1-19 - the song of Moses
Leviticus 19:24 - “the fruit...... shall be holy to praise the Lord .....
Deuteronomy 10:21
Joshua 6:20 - Jericho’s walls
Judges 5:2-3 - the praise of Deborah and Barak
Ruth 4:14
1st Samuel 2:1-2 - Hannah
2nd Samuel 22:4 - David when delivered out of Saul’s hand
1st Kings 8:15 - Solomon’s praise at the dedication of the temple
2nd Kings 3:15-16 - the minstrel
Matthew 26:30 - at the time of Jesus passion
Mark 11:8-10 - Palm Sunday
Luke 1: 46-55 - Magnificat
Act 16:25 - Paul & Silas
Romans 15:11
1 Corinthians 14:15
Ephesians. 1:12
Philippians 4:20
1 Thessalonians 5:16
11 Thessalonians 1:3
Philemon 1:4
James 5:13
Jude 24:25
Revelation 19:5

List of Scriptures on Praise in the Old & New Testaments for the
congregation:

Psalm 22:22; 25
Psalm 111:1
Psalm 149:1
1st Chronicles 29:20
2nd Chronicles 29:28
1st Peter 2:9

Those involved in Worship Ministry should take time to reflect and meditate on
the scriptures before practice sessions.

Mrs. R. Cecilia Askew, Chaplain

Nassau, The Bahamas
Copyright@2002 - Revised 2009