This week is a special holiday in Israel called Jerusalem Day which commemorates the reunification of the city of Jerusalem under Jewish sovereignty after the Six-day War in 1967. It was the first time in nearly two thousand years that the Jews had control over the whole city, including the Western Wall and Temple Mount. Young people will march and chant and wave flags through the streets of the Old City of Jerusalem as they remember the liberation that was wrought through this battle to reclaim their land.

This reminds me of another great commemoration that took place in Jerusalem thousands of years ago, also celebrated with great singing and dancing in the streets. When David brought up the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem and placed it in the tabernacle he had prepared for it, David,

“appointed some of the Levites to minister before the Ark of the LORD, to commemorate, to thank, and to praise the LORD God of Israel.” (1 Chronicles 16:4)

David showed three ways that worshippers should honor God when they come before His presence. The first way is to commemorate. This means to remember or show respect for something or someone. One way to worship God is to remind Him of all the good things He has done for you. Remember what He has brought you through. Respect Him for what He is doing in your life even now. Bring to mind the promises that you are looking forward to being fulfilled by Him. God loves to be reminded. It makes Him feel good to know that we appreciate His works and are believing for what He has promised. It strengthens our faith and love for Him to recall His goodness to us.

The second way we can worship is to thank God. Thank Him for all He has brought to your remembrance. Give Him the glory due His name. It is not enough to merely remember His favor toward us, but we should thank Him as well. Tell Him how much you appreciate all that He has done for you and say a word of thanks in advance for all the things you know He is working to accomplish in your life.

Finally, worshippers should praise the Lord. This means to speak all the good attributes about who God is and what He is like. God loves to hear His children blessing Him and paying Him compliments. It is easy for us to get distracted and turn our focus back on ourselves. But when we praise, our focus is on God Himself.

David wrote a special psalm for this very occasion found in 1 Chronicles 16:8-36, and he set the three-fold example for the Levites to follow in this psalm with commemorating, thanking and praising. I encourage you to read the whole psalm for the greatest impact, but here are a few lines of excerpts to give you a picture of David’s example at work.

“Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples! [commemorate] Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; talk of all His wondrous works! [praise]…Remember His marvelous works which He has done…Remember His covenant forever [commemorate]…Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day…For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised…Honor and majesty are before Him; strength and gladness are in His place [praise]…Give to the LORD the glory due His name…Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! [thanks]…Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting!”

May you be blessed today as you commemorate, thank and praise the Lord in your time of worship.

 

–dmrf