Thanksgiving and Worship in the Beauty of Holiness

1 Chronicles 16:7-36

    7 On that day David first delivered this psalm into the hand of Asaph and his brethren, to thank the LORD:

8 Oh, give thanks to the LORD!
Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples!

9 Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;
Talk of all His wondrous works!

10 Glory in His holy name;
Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD!

11 Seek the LORD and His strength;
Seek His face evermore!

12 Remember His marvelous works which He has done,
His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,

13 O seed of Israel His servant,
You children of Jacob, His chosen ones!

14 He is the LORD our God;
His judgments are in all the earth.

15 Remember His covenant forever,
The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations,

16 The covenant which He made with Abraham,
And His oath to Isaac,

17 And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute,
To Israel for an everlasting covenant,

18 Saying, "To you I will give the land of Canaan
As the allotment of your inheritance,"

19 When you were few in number,
Indeed very few, and strangers in it.

20 When they went from one nation to another,
And from one kingdom to another people,

21 He permitted no man to do them wrong;
Yes, He rebuked kings for their sakes,

22 Saying, "Do not touch My anointed ones,
And do My prophets no harm."

23 Sing to the LORD, all the earth;
Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.

24 Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonders among all peoples.

25 For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised;
He is also to be feared above all gods.

26 For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
But the LORD made the heavens.

27 Honor and majesty are before Him;
Strength and gladness are in His place.

28 Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples,
Give to the LORD glory and strength.

29 Give to the LORD the glory due His name;
Bring an offering, and come before Him.
Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness!

30 Tremble before Him, all the earth.
The world also is firmly established,
It shall not be moved.

31 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
And let them say among the nations, "The LORD reigns."

32 Let the sea roar, and all its fullness;
Let the field rejoice, and all that is in it.

33 Then the trees of the woods shall rejoice before the LORD,
For He is coming to judge the earth.

34 Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.

35 And say, "Save us, O God of our salvation;
Gather us together, and deliver us from the Gentiles,
To give thanks to Your holy name,
To triumph in Your praise."

36 Blessed be the LORD God of Israel
From everlasting to everlasting!

And all the people said, "Amen!" and praised the LORD.

This song of extreme thanksgiving is seen also in Psalms 96:1–13; 105:1–15; 106:1, 47, 48, and was written by David to be handed over to Asaph and the singers to praise God with in commemoration and worship.  This worship and praise commemorated the return of the Ark of God’s covenant of works by His good grace and mercy out of loving commitment to the people He called for and to Himself.  There is much to meditate on here.  It begins with a command to thank God, calling on Him for guidance and help, and to tell others all around what He has done for His people.  This is through singing psalms (Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16) to worship Him and encourage each other together by discussing all He has done for us, an essential part of our fellowship.  We are also to imitate David by this word by glorifying our Lord and finding real joy in our hearts in this praise of worship.  We are to pursue knowing Him and finding His strength in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:10, Joel 3:10).  We are to commemorate His works, wonders, and judgments as well.  As His chosen whom He calls out to Himself, we remember His covenant with Abraham for all He calls, which promise is fulfilled for us in Christ as the new covenant in His blood (Matthew 26:28, 1 Corinthians 11:25, Hebrews 9:15, 12:24).  Israel,was given a promised land on the earth, while we and the remnant of Israel inherit an eternal land in the new heavens and earth in the Messiah Jesus.  As Israel was small in the beginning of their call, so is the body of Christ which grows over the years until His return.  We are to do as is here in verses 23 and 24, praising the good news of the deliverance from His wrath and judgment on our sin from Adam in us all, and telling this to all who will hear as we go every day (Matthew 28:19-20).  This means we do as the song here by telling of His greatness that others may fear Him above their false gods which are mere lifeless idols of their own making.  This brings praise and honor to His majesty as we glorify and lift up His name.  As His people, we must worship in the beauty of holiness, conforming to the Lord as shown us in Christ, which is our obedient faith in action.  Our message should put righteous fear and awe in others that they may see His creation and sovereignty over it and us all.  The whole world is in turmoil until He judges all in the end (Romans 8:22), but the message is also of His eternal mercy and goodness to atone and reconcile us to Himself in Christ, delivering from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 1:10) as verses 33 and 34 tell us here.  We pray like David to be saved out of the world that we may be thankful in triumph over it (2 Corinthians 2:14) in Christ, causing us to thank and praise Him forever.  We then likewise say Amen.