Psalm 117:1, “Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples.”

Bravo to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!  Well done my God, your deeds are worthy of celebration!  In the above psalm the first kind of praise mentioned is “halel,” which means to “celebrate,” and the second is shabach (extol), which means to “congratulate with joy and excitement.”  Therefore, the psalmist is teaching us to celebrate God by shouting “Hallelujah” and to “shabach” (extol) Him by congratulating Him on all He has done in our lives and upon the earth!

The minor difference between “halal” (praise) and “shabach” (extol) is halal is simply being happy and celebrating God’s goodness, whereas to shabach means to applaud and give God honor for specific things He has accomplished.

We are made in the image of God thus we love to be complimented and affirmed when we do something right.  God, on the other hand, doesn’t need our compliments or affirmations but He does desire them for us to show Him our appreciation and express our love. By doing so we avoid the sins of greed, selfishness, pride, and self-pity and thus display our total satisfaction and awe we have of the goodness of God.

As a result, congratulating and applauding God with shouts of joy is a duty we should willing do because God is absolutely deserving of all the compliments and applause.  Just imagine if you were in a major city when the troops came back home victorious after WWII, wouldn’t you be so excited to celebrate the victory our forces had over the Axis of Evil rooted in Hitler’s wicked Nazi Army?  Also, imagine the excitement people had in Chicago when Michael Jordon won the NBA championship for the 6th time in his career- if you were a Chicagoan into basketball, wouldn’t you be thrilled?

Now consider these great victories in comparison to Jesus defeating death, hell, and the grave to purchase your eternal salvation!  Can you even imagine anything more important or glorious?  Of course not!  Therefore, next time you are in church or have the chance- stand to your feet and offer the best applause and shout of joy you can give your conquering King for all He has done!  Give God your best shabach!

Reflection

Do you believe Jesus deserves your highest praise and exaltation?

Action

  1. Repent if you have been more excited about the victories in this world than you have been about Jesus conquering your sin.
  2. Celebrate and extol Jesus for all He has done.
  3. Never stop praising God- live with an attitude of gratitude!