The Person of Praise, Part 2

We are right in the middle of a series called The Pathway to

Praise, and there's no better time to praise the Lord than

during the Christmas season when our hearts are fixed on the

arrival of the Messiah. But for the believer, praise is

not something that's that's seasonal.

Praise is something that's that's continual.

For the believer, praise is not something that's optional.

Praise is that which is essential.

Why? Because praise is habitual to

our our nature. Praise is critical to us as

believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Praise is to be that which is perpetual.

Praise is that which is essential to our nature.

For the Bible says in Isaiah 4321 that the people that I have

formed for myself, they will declare my praise.

So praise is not something that happens just once a year or

during a certain period of the year.

It happens all throughout our lives because that's who we are.

And as we journey along the pathway of of praise, we realize

that that it's the person that we praise is what enriches our

praise. It's that person that encourages

us to praise all the more. It's that person that enhances

our praise, that enables our praise because of who he is and

what he's done. And so our focus on the pathway

of praise this week and last week is the person of praise.

To get to know the person of Christ is is essential and

everything that involves Him is, is absolutely critical to us as

believers. So let's begin today by looking

at Psalm 34. If you got your Bible, turn

there with me if you would please.

Psalm verse number or chapter 34 verse #1 it reads this way.

I will bless the Lord at all times.

His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

You see, the psalmist knew that praise wasn't optional.

He knew the praise wasn't seasonal.

He knew it was continual. It was perpetual.

It was something that had to happen all the time.

His praise will be continually in my mouth.

And then he says this. My soul will make its boast in

the Lord. The humble will hear it and

rejoice. But my soul is about boasting in

the Lord, not myself. My my soul is about bragging

about the Lord, not bragging about myself.

The psalmist knew that and that enabled him to praise his God

even all the more. And then when you come to verse

#3 he says, Oh, magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt his

name together. He cries out for for others to,

to magnify the name of the Lord. And when you magnify something,

you enlarge it. You make it bigger than life.

It's not that you you make God any bigger than he is.

You can't do that. He's all-encompassing, but, but

the magnifying is that he becomes larger in your life and

mine. He becomes a larger influence in

our life. He becomes a, a bigger part of

our lives. So Psalmist is saying, I want

you to magnify the Lord with me. I, I want the Lord to be big and

huge in your life. That we might lift his name

together, that we might exalt his name, that we, we may raise

the name of the Lord forever. And of course the name is his

character. It's His attributes, it's who He

is. In fact, the psalmist said in in

Psalm 69 verse #30 these words I will praise the name of God with

song. I will praise the character of

God, the attributes of God with song and magnify Him with

Thanksgiving. My life will be enlarged as I

give thanks and praise to God for who He is.

This is so important but read on what the psalmist says in verse

#4. He says I sought the Lord and he

answered me and he delivered me from all my fears.

If you take good notes just just circle the word deliver.

He delivered me from all my fears because he knew that the

God he extolled was a a deliverer.

He knew that the God that was to be magnified in his life was his

deliverer. And then know what it says in

verse #5 they look to Him and were radiant.

But literally it says those who look to Him are radiant.

In other words, when you boast in the Lord, and when you

magnify His name, when you exalt Him, there's something about

your external being that radiates the glory of the Lord.

It's like when you walk into a room.

I hope that when you walk into a room, you light up the room.

I don't want you to walk into a room and make it dark.

I don't want you to walk into a room and make it gloomy.

I don't want you to walk into a room and everybody says, oh,

look who's here. I want you to walk into a room

and just light it up. Why?

Because your, your face is radiant with the beauty of the

Lord. That's what the psalmist meant

when he said these words in Psalm 147.

Praise the Lord, for it is good to sing praises to our God, for

it is pleasant and praise is beautiful.

Praise is fitting. Praise is becoming.

Praise changes the whole scenery for those whose lives are

radiant with His glory. And so the psalmist knows that

once you exalt his name, once you magnify the Lord with him,

you'll call upon him. He will deliver you and those

who look to him. Everything about their external

being will radiate the beauty and the comeliness of our God.

And then it says this in verse #6 this poor man cried, and the

Lord heard him and saved him. Out of all his troubles.

He heard him and he saved him. If you got your pen still, just

look with the word saved because he knew his God was a deliverer.

He knew his God was a savior. And then you read on.

It says the Angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear

him and rescues them. So again, just take your your

pen or pencil and circle the word rescue.

So the psalmist knew that the Lord was a rescuer, a deliverer,

and the Savior. Remember, he said, I want you to

magnify Yahweh with me and extol that name, the name of Yahweh,

elevate that name with me. Why?

Because this God is a Savior, A deliverer, a rescuer of man.

This is so important, this is so crucial to understand.

Notice he says, the Angel of the Lord encamps around those who

fear him. The Angel of the Lord is a, is a

phrase that describes A Christophany, an appearance of

Christ in the Old Testament before the incarnation.

Very important to understand. Last week I told you where when

things are mentioned first in the Bible.

You should take note of that because there's a reason for

that. And the very first time the

phrase the Angel of the Lord appears in the Bible, the very

first time the pre Incarnate Christ appears in the Bible,

listen carefully, is not to a Jew, it's to an Egyptian

handmaid named Hagar in Genesis chapter 16.

Genesis 16 · chapter mention

That's the first time the phrase the Angel of the Lord appears.

And remember, if you will, that Hagar was booted out of her

house by by Sarah. Remember, Sarah wanted a child

and she was barren. And Abraham was promised that

his seed would, would, would bless the the nations of the

world. But she had no seed.

She had no son. So she offered Hagar, the

Egyptian handmaid to her husband Abraham, because you could do

that legally in those days and the, the the air would continue

on the line of the of the name of the man would continue on.

And so she offered up Hagar. Well, Hagar, I got pregnant.

Sarah's not happy about that. Sarah's like, whoa, man, you got

to go. So she goes to Abraham, say

Abraham, what should I do? Abraham, being the non leader

that he was said, I don't know. You do with what you want with

her. Instead of stepping in and

leading his wife, he let his wife take the lead.

Not a good choice. So she booted Hagar out of the

house. So Hagar goes on this journey.

She comes to a, A, a, a a a little spring in the wilderness.

And there the Angel of the Lord appears and speaks to her and

says you're going to have a son. His name is Ishmael, which means

God hears or the God. Yeah, yeah, God hears.

And so she, she names him Ishmael.

But at that place she names that place Elroy, which means the God

who sees me. And then she named that spring

beer Hala Roy, which means the well of the living God who has

seen me. Very important to realize this

because the Angel of the Lord sees everything.

And so now the the psalmist picks up in that phrase and says

the Angel Lord encamps around those who fear him and what does

he do? He rescues them like he rescued

Hagar, sent Hagar back to Abraham and Sarah.

And that's how Abraham knew that she really had an encounter with

the living God because God had told her to go back to them.

Very important to realize this. So the psalmist says, I want you

to make God so big in your life that others see Him and not you.

So you brag about him and boast about Him, not yourself.

And so when they see God in you, they realize that He actually is

a deliverer, A savior, and a rescuer.

Now why is that important? Because that is the meaning of

His name. Go back to me with Exodus

Exodus 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3. Exodus chapter 3 and it says

Exodus 3 · chapter mention

this. This is the third time the

phrase the Angel of the Lord is mentioned in the scriptures.

OK Exodus chapter 3. Now Moses was pressuring the

Exodus 3 · chapter mention

flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of

Midian, and he led the flock to the West side of the wilderness

and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.

The Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from

the midst of a Bush, and he looked, and behold, the Bush was

burning with fire. Yet the Bush was not consumed.

And God speaks to Moses from the burning Bush.

In fact, it says that it says God called to him from the midst

of the Bush. So whoever the Angel of the Lord

is, is God. God speaks to him from the

burning Bush, and then it begins to describe to to Moses what it

is he's going to do based on what he has heard and what he

has seen. Very important.

So in verse #7 he says. Then the Lord said, I have

surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and

I've given heed to their cry because of their taskmasters.

For I am aware of the sufferings.

For I have come down to deliver them from the power of the

Egyptians, and to bring them up from the land to a good and

spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey.

That describes to us the name of God.

He says I'm coming down to deliver.

My people. Remember, God comes down for one

of three reasons. He comes down to destroy.

He comes down to discipline, or he comes down to deliver.

Those are the only three times God comes down.

When he came down the first time, he came down to deliver.

When he comes, when he comes again, he comes to destroy.

But here he says, I'm coming down to deliver my people

because I've seen their affliction, I've heard their

cry. Remember, this is the God who

sees me, Elroy. This is the God who hears.

Ishmael, This is the God who sees and hears.

And so he says, look, I I'm coming down and what I'm going

to do is I'm going to demonstrate my power.

I'm going to display my provision and I'm going to

deliver my people, and in so doing I'm going to declare my

preeminence. That's what the name Yave means.

So he goes on, because Moses asked him.

He says, what, what? What?

Who should I say? Send me, He says, tell them I am

sent you. And the phrase I am are those

four Hebrew consonants that make up the name of God, yave.

And so he says these words to Moses.

He says, verse #20 I will stretch out my hand and strike

Egypt with all my miracles, which I shall do in the midst of

it. After that, he will let you go.

I'm going to demonstrate my power.

And in demonstrating my power, I'm going to deliver my people

and I'm going to display my provision.

Look what he says. He says I will grant this people

favor in the sight of the Egyptians and it should be that

when you go, you will not go empty handed, but every woman

shall ask of her neighbor and the woman who lives in her

house, articles of silver, articles of gold and clothing,

and you will put them on your sons and daughters.

Thus you will plunder the Egyptians.

God says this is who I am, this is what I do.

I am a deliverer, I'm a rescuer, I'm a Savior, I'm a Redeemer.

So in Psalm 34, the psalmist says I will, I will call upon

the Lord. I will call upon him because he

saves me, because he delivers me, because he rescues me.

That's why he says, O magnify the Lord Yahweh with me and let

us exalt that name of God, which is his memorial name, because

that's what he says in Exodus 315.

This is my memorial name that's to be remembered from generation

to generation. So the psalmist of Psalm 34 says

this, this is memorial name. He's a savior, a rescue, a

deliverer. That's who he is.

That's what he does. That's the person of praise.

And that's what the psalmist is trying to help us understand.

This is the name that needs to be large in our lives, seen more

so than ourselves, because we boast in his name.

We extol his name. And so he begins to describe

himself all throughout the Old Testament.

That's why the person of praise is critical as you journey along

the pathway of praise. Because we saw last week where

he was Yave Hassinu, the Lord my Maker.

The Lord my Maker is the one who forms me.

He fashions me. Psalm 95 verse #6 And then we

saw Yave Sabeoth, the Lord of armies.

So important. Why?

Because not only is he the one who forms me and fashions me,

he's the one who fights for me. And that's why the Book of

Malachi concludes with 25 different references to Yave

Sabayov. And then everything goes silent

for 400 years until that Lord of armies, that Lord is birthed in

a Manger in Bethlehem, and his armies make the announcement,

the glory of the Lord shown all around them.

And the host of his of his armies declared glory to God in

the highest, because he's still Yabeh Sabeoth.

So the Lord who forms me and fashions me is the Lord of

fights for me. And the Lord who fights for me

is Yave Rohi, the Lord my shepherd.

The one who fashions me and forms me is the one who fights

for me, and the one who fights for me is the one who feeds me.

Because Rohi, the Lord, my shepherd, is best defined as one

who feeds or one who leads to a pasture.

Again, when is it mentioned? 1st Psalm 23.

You know the Psalm very well. The Lord is my shepherd.

I shall not want. Why?

Because the Lord, who is a shepherd is the one who feeds

me. So when I'm hungry, I'm fed.

When I'm thirsty, I'm giving something to drink.

I'm satisfied, David says as he looks back over his life.

Of all the sin and sorrow that David faced, of all the hearts

should be faced. When Saul would, would, would,

would search after him, David would write Psalm 23.

He'd reflect back on his life and realize that the Lord was a

shepherd. The Lord was guiding him,

leading him, feeding him, protecting him, so that when he

walked to the valley of the shadow of death, he would fear

no evil, for that shepherd was with him, to guide him, to

protect him, to feed him. So this is David's testimony as

to how his life went under the direction of the great Shepherd

of Israel. And of course, David was a

shepherd. And David knew about

shepherding, and yet he realized that the Lord was his shepherd.

That's probably the most endearing term to describe our

God. It's warm, it's tender, it

explains to us the nurturing responsibility that our Lord has

to feed His people. Not not just feed them food

physically, but to feed them spiritually and lead them in the

way that honors the name of God. The Bible says these words in

Isaiah 41st #10 Behold, the Lord.

God will come with might. With his arm ruling for him,

behold, his reward is with him and his recompense before him.

Like a shepherd, he will tend his flock in his arm.

He will gather the lambs and carry them in his bosom.

He will gently lead the nursing ewes.

What a testimony as to what's going to happen when our Lord

comes again. But if you read the the book of

Jeremiah, as Jeremiah prophesied right before Israel goes into

Babylonian captivity, remember Isaiah prophesied some 100 years

before that. Jeremiah prophesied right on the

cusp of them going into captivity.

He condemns Israel's shepherds, Israel's leaders.

They were called shepherds because they were to tend to the

flock of God, but he condemns them.

And then when you come to the book of Ezekiel, Ezekiel is

written during their captivity, during the Babylonian captivity,

and Ezekiel has this indictment to say to the nation.

Thus says the Lord God. Ezekiel 34 verse #2 woe

shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves, should

not the shepherds feed the flock?

That's why, that's where why the word rohi means to feed because

that's how it's used most in the scriptures.

And yet he indicts the the religious establishment because

they were feeding themselves, they weren't feeding the flock.

Verse 4 Those who are sickly, you have not strengthened the

disease, you have not healed the broken, you have not bound up

the scattered. You have not brought back, nor

have you sought for the loss, but with force and with severity

you have dominated them. They were scattered for lack of

a shepherd. They became food for every beast

of the field and were scattered. My flock wondered, my flock was

scattered. And he goes on and talks about

my flock and my flock this and my flock that.

You did not care for my flock. And then in verse 11.

For thus says the Lord God, behold, I myself will search for

my sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd cares for the herd

in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care

for my sheep, and will deliver them from all the places to

which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day.

And then he says in verse #13 I will feed them.

Verse #14 I will feed them. Verse #15 I will feed my flock.

I will lead them to rest. Verse 16.

I will seek the loss. Verse 16, at the end I will feed

them. Verse 23.

Then I will set over them one shepherd, my servant David, and

he will feed them. He will feed them himself and be

their shepherd. And I the Lord will be their

God, and my servant David will be Prince among them.

I, the Lord have spoken. God says I'm going to send my

servant David. He's not talking about King

David. King David died some 400 plus

years before, after before this. Excuse me.

So who's he talking about? He's talking about the Messiah

who's called my servant. Read the book of Isaiah.

They are called the servant songs, especially Isaiah 53

which talks about the servant of the Lord.

The shepherd is my servant David.

He's the son of David. He says I will send my shepherd,

and my shepherd will feed them. My shepherd will lead them.

So what does Jesus say? And in John 10, he says, I am

the Good Shepherd. I'm the Good Shepherd.

I know my sheep and they know me.

The shepherd speaks, they listen and they follow.

Christ said I am the Good Shepherd.

And so Christ declared himself as the shepherd, the servant of

David, the shepherd of Israel. He was the one who will will

feed us and lead us and guide us.

This is so important. Remember when the Magi came

right into Jerusalem in Matthew chapter 2, they came looking for

Matthew 2 · chapter mention

who the king of the Jews where? Where was he who was born king

of the Jews? And Herod and Idiomian believed

that he was the proper king of the Jews, although he wasn't.

He declared himself as the king of the Jews.

He didn't want any rivalry come into his life, and so he wanted

to know where this king was to be born.

So he gathers the scribes together, and the scribes tell

him where this king will be born.

And what do they do? They quote Micah chapter 5,

Micah 5 · chapter mention

verse #2 which says, And you Bethlehem Ephrathah.

For out of you shall come forth a ruler who will shepherd my

people. From you.

Bethlehem Ephrathah will come. A ruler will come, a king, and

he will be the shepherd of my people.

Now why is that important? Why is that statement important?

It's a prophecy, right? Micah 5 verse #2 But why is it

called Bethlehem Ephrathah? That's a good question.

And that's because the ancient name for Bethlehem was

Ephrathah. And Ephrathah means to be

fruitful. Bethlehem is the House of bread.

And Jesus says I am the bread of life.

And so the bread of life was born in the House of bread.

But the House of bread is that which fulfills us to such an

extent that we then can be fruitful.

That's why it's called Bethlehem Ephrathah.

But it goes even further beyond that, because before Micah 5

verse #2 is Micah of chapter 4 verse #8, Micah 4 verse #8 and

the Micah 4 verse #8's a prophecy, A prophecy about the

tower of the flock. In Hebrew it's called Migdal

Adair. He says to you, Tower of the

flock, it will come. You are the daughter of Zion,

you will have one come who will have dominion and rule.

Now why is that important? Why does it say that on the

South side of Bethlehem it's called Migdal, a dare.

Well, you for that you got to go all the way back to the book of

Genesis, the 35th chapter, when Rachel's about to give birth to

her second son and she's going to die.

And she, she's so afraid that, that, that she's going to die

and not live that she wants to call her son Ben Oni, which

means son of my sorrow. But Jacob intercedes and says,

no, he will not be called Ben Oni, but he would call Ben

Hamin, which means son of my right hand or son of my

strength. Why is that important?

Because Benjamin became a type of Christ.

Why? Because Rachel was buried at

Migdal Adair Ephrathah, which is Bethlehem.

Her grave is still there today. Why is that important?

Because the tower of the flock was a two-story tower, and on

the top of the story would stand the shepherd as he would

overlook the shepherd's fields and watch over his flock and

make sure they were taken care of.

But underneath on the 1st floor was the birthing place for all

the lambs that would be prepared for Passover in Jerusalem.

So Bethlehem Ephrathah became the place of birth for all the

sacrificial lambs that would be slaughtered at Passover.

Why is that important? Because in the the birthing

experience when the the lamb came out it had to be quickly

wrapped in swaddling clothes. Why?

Because the lamb would kick and flail and maybe cut himself or

run up against something and injure himself.

They then would be an they would be a blemish lamb, not an

unblemished lamb. And so they would wrap the

little lamb in, in cloth to protect it from becoming

blemished. So it would be an unblemished

lamb that would qualify for sacrifice at Passover.

Why is that important? Well, look what it says in the

book of Zechariah in Zechariah chapter 13 verse #7 it says

Zechariah 13 · chapter mention

awake, O sword against my shepherd.

Who's that? That's that's the Messiah.

That's a servant of David and against the man my associate,

and the word associate means equal, equal in nature, equal in

character. And this man is not a normal

man. He is gay bear, a supernatural

man. So awake, O sword, against the

man, not just a normal man, but an extraordinary man who is my

equal, meaning that the shepherd is equal in nature to God

himself. He says, declares the Lord of

hosts, strike the shepherd, that the sheep may be scattered, The

shepherd's going to be slain, the shepherd's going to die.

That was all prophesied. And so Christ says in John 10, I

am the Good Shepherd, and I lay down my life for the sheep.

He told them that He came to die.

He came to fulfill Zechariah chapter 13, verses 7 and eight.

Zechariah 13:7

He came to die. Why?

Because you see, He was the lamb that was slain from the

foundation of the world. Where was he born?

Bethlehem, Ephrathah. He was born in the place where

all the sacrificial lambs were prepared.

And when he was born, what did Mary do?

She wrapped him in what? Swaddling clothes.

And she lied him in a Manger, a feeding through.

Why? Because everything about the

birth of the Messiah foreshadowed all that was going

to take place at Passover when the shepherd, the Lamb, would be

slain. So listen to what it says in the

Book of Revelation in the 5th chapter.

I'm sorry the 7th chapter of Revelation with these words.

For the Lamb is in the center of the throne, and the Lamb in the

center of the throne will be their shepherd and will guide

them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe every

tear from their eyes. John sees a vision of the

glorified Son of God, sees him as a Lamb in the center of the

throne. And that Lamb is the shepherd

that will continue to guide God's people throughout all

eternity. And that shepherd is the God who

wipes away every tear from people's eyes.

That's why Yave Rohi is so important to understand that we

can actually say the Lord is my shepherd.

I shall not once. Why?

Because he's the one who feeds. He's the one who leads to

greener pastures. He's the one who causes my soul

to lie down by quiet waters. He's the one that is with me

when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.

I don't have to fear any evil. I've got my shepherd.

He's with me. The one who feeds me.

The one who feeds me. He's the one who fights for me.

He's Jabe Sabea. The one who fights for me is the

one who formed me and fashioned me.

He's Jabe Haseenu. Ah, but know this, The Lord that

is the one who formed me and fashioned me.

The Lord who fights for me, the Lord who feeds me, is the Lord

who foresees everything. Because he's called Yawei Yuri,

the Lord who foresees everything.

And because he foresees it, he knows how to fashion me.

Because he foresees it, he knows how to feed me.

Because he foresees it. He knows how to feed me.

It's all been foreseen. He is yave Yure, but to

understand that you're going to have to come back next week that

we might explain it to you. Let's pray together.

Father God, we thank you for today.

We thank you for all that you've done for truly you are a great

God. Your name is scripture is is

critical to us. Understanding our praise of you

and our prayer today, Lord, is that you would cause us to see

you all the more for who you are, that our praise would not

just be seasonal, but continual. Praise for us would not be

optional but essential because praise truly is habitual to our

nature. It's to be perpetual in our

lives because it's critical to how we live.

For the glory and honor of our King, we thank you in Jesus

name, Amen.