COME AND LET US EXALT HIS NAME TOGETHER (Psalm 34:3).

Welcome to the month of November, the third ember month and the eleventh month of the year. Prominent in November is the celebration of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November in the United States of America. Thanksgiving Day is an annual national holiday in the United States and Canada celebrating the harvest and other blessings of the past year. Traditionally, this holiday celebrates the giving of thanks for the autumn harvest. The custom of giving thanks for the annual harvest is one of the world’s oldest celebrations and can be traced back to the dawn of civilization.  Thanksgiving has deep roots in religious tradition, but nowadays it is primarily celebrated as a secular holiday. Thanksgiving is a great time to be thankful and appreciate the God of creation, harvest and fruitfulness. It is a time for families to meet, socialize and enjoy each other’s company, sometimes the only opportunity in a year.

O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together

Psalm 34:3

According to Dr William Holland, “Thanksgiving is more than a holiday as we are grateful for all that God has done and aware that He has provided abundant blessings throughout the year.” It is not unusual that our concept of worship is built around the idea of Church music perhaps sang in Church settings but we have however observed that giving  thanks goes beyond singing songs, it is how we live each moment. Dr Holland added, “Our thanksgiving is more than a day holiday from work, a celebration of ritual or a Black Friday sales, it’s a state of mind where we appreciate our eternal salvation every day.”

In North America this major event and arguably the success of the American holiday has been a time not just only a celebration of the harvest but to give ‘thanks’ for the foundation of the nation. As we celebrate this year’s thanksgiving, Discipleship Digest shall reflect on the theme: Come and let us exalt His name together (Psalm 34:3). It has been documented that the Psalmist wrote this piece based on his experiences and deliverance from his enemies, his greatest was King Saul. 1 Samuel 21:10-15 contain how David came to compose this Psalm 34.

While David was running from King Saul who had attempted thrice on his life, he went to Gath, which was a Philistine city, an enemy territory. The King of Gath, Achish, and commonly called Abimelech was not a friend of David. Do not forget that David killed Goliath, the war lord of the Philistine and destroyed the whole of Philistine army. And Israel women sang, “Saul has slain his thousand and David his tens of thousands.” It was not surprising that king Achish’s servant was quick to identify him. So David was sore afraid and he pretended and faked insanity by disfiguring his countenance and changing his behavior. Abimelech was prompted to chase David away and did not kill him. According to the culture in those days, it was regarded a wrong doing, a bad omen to kill a mad person.

In 1 Samuel 22:1-3, when David left Gath, he quickly made his way to a cave in Adullam that was a few miles away. About 400 people including his relatives and tribe men went to camp with David at Adullam. They were running away from distresses and difficult life in Judah. In today’s world, we would call them refugees which some of us here are in foreign land. David, who escaped through this subtle device, did not ascribe the praise of his safety to the pretense of madness. He acknowledged that the cruelty of his enemy had been tamed by the secret influence and wisdom of God. God was behind his safety. David extols the greatness of God and invited other people in the cave to join him to praise God. He could not hold to himself God’s great help. It pleased David to think that God’s favor on him would gladden the heart of every other Israelite to rejoice and celebrate with him.

David then promised to continually keep in remembrance during his life time the uncommon goodness which God had bestowed upon him. Understand that was David deadliest, experience and exposure to all his enemies. He never thought he could escape from the rod of king Achish of Gath. God delivers his people daily that we may continually engage ourselves in praising Him. But shortly after deliverance, we seem to forget! Little wonder Psalm 103:2 says, “Praise the Lord, o my soul, and do not forget all His benefits.” By this singled act, God had thwarted the plans of the crafty so that their hands could not perform their enterprise (Job 5:12); also God had confused the wisdom of Ahithophel.

Though life may bring us trials, we are not alone. And through offering up thanksgiving in the midst of those trials may be a sacrifice yet it’s a rewarding experience. When we look back at those battered pieces of our lives that appear overwhelmingly difficult or disappointing, we can only thank God for whatever good He plans to bring out of them, while offering God a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. We live in a world that is thanksgiving – stealers/Praise deficit. But in Christ we know that we can “Rejoice always” because the trials and hard times are not a test but rather reason to trust God who is working all for our good and has already given us “all thing that pertain to life and goodness” (2Peter 1:3).

Definition: Literally, “Exalt” comes from Latin word ‘exalt-are’ which means “to lift up” In Psalm 99:5 the word exalt is translated from Hebrew imperative that means “lift up or extol, elevate in praise (glorify), ‘to raise high,’ enliven, esteem, ‘to raise to higher rank or a position of greater power. This may look like one of those worship words that worship leaders /directors speak though without knowing what it really means. In true application “We exalt God, first of all by recognizing that He is already higher than the highest (or anything else) in the universe in terms of greatness and glory”.

That’s why Psalm 99:1 starts with “The Lord is king! Let the nation tremble”   In verse 5: “Exalt the Lord our God and worship at His footstool” (meaning “Bow down at his feet” or prostate oneself before a sovereign God. We do this by lowering ourselves before Him in humble worship in fitting response to His greatness). “Worship is about exalting God above all else, singling Him out as the only true God of whom there is no greater.”

The significance of exalting God together

1. David knew that there was something magnetic about the true praise of God. When one genuinely praises God, he/she wants to draw others into the practice of praise. If it is good for one to exalt His name, then it is even better to do it together with other people.
2. David equates praising God with magnifying Him. Magnification does not actually make an object bigger and in no where can it make God bigger – We are simply in great and high thought of God. Mankind cannot make God greater or higher than He is but if we adore Him as infinitely great and higher than the highest, He is pleased to reckon this magnifying and exalting Him. This we must do together because God’s praises sound best in concert just like the angels do in heaven.

• Those who share in God’s favor and mercies as all the saints do should participate in His praises. When we have needs and challenges, we implore the saints of God to join in prayers. We should also desire their participation in thanks for mercies. We have reasons to join in thanksgiving to God. For example: when Peter was in prison, the Church in oneness prayed for him and they rejoiced together when an Angel led him out of it.

1. David was not content to praise God alone in private; he warmly invited his companions and friends to join him in exalting God’s name for His goodness. We give thanks publicly to God not only that men may be witnesses of our gratitude but also that they may follow our examples; strengthened in faith and overflowed with thankfulness (Col 2;7).
2. Social, congregated worship is the outgrowth of one of the natural instincts of the new life. In heaven it is enjoyed to the full and on earth is like heaven where it abounds.
3. It is not sufficient for Christians to magnify God but exhort others to do likewise and longs for that day to come, “When all nations and languages, shall lay aside their contentions and animosities, their prejudices and their misgivings, their unbelief, heresies and their schisms, shall make their sound to be heard as one in magnifying and exalting their great Redeemer’s name.”

• Christians should be exceedingly gratefully rejoicing and thankful to God for the greatest gift –Jesus Christ – the world’s Savior and Redeemer. He was born into this world to rescue mankind, to buy man back and to destroy the works of Satan. No matter the gift we receive here on earth, the gift of the Lord Jesus Christ is the most precious, most glorious and of eternal consequences. Many do not remember or think about it. We only cherish material things – cars, houses, money from our friends and relations but ignore this special gift from God.
• David invited the humble ones who he knew would rejoice at the goodness of God to him, to join with him in ascribing greatness to the Lord, which is meant by magnifying Him for He cannot be made great by man, only to declare how great we think He’s and that can only be done in an imperfect manner.

Way of Exalting His name together:

• By proclaiming Him to be the Most High
• By making mention of His glorious perfection and works
• By praising Him in our mouth as His witnesses. Yet it is the power of God that saves (Rom 1:16)
• There’s more pleasure as well as more glory brought to God by doing this in a social way, or by a number of saints joining together in such worship service.
• We unite in “lifting up” His name. We raise His name above every other object that all may see and adore
• We offer our compliance to do things God’s way (Isaiah 55:9). God has the final say and His word is final
• We offer our 3T’s – (Time, Talents, Treasures) including money and material goods –(He however owns them all)
• When we obey His commands and when we value His views as most important
• When we help other people in their struggles in so doing pointing them to God.
• When we offer our lives to him as reasonable service (Rom 12:1)
• Psalm 96:7-9; 1 Corinthians 4:7; Ephesians 1:3

Paul J. Bucknell wrote, “Even if we neglect giving God His glory, that would not deplete His glory. He still is fully exalted even if it be through our dull hearts and disobedient lives” (Psalm 113:4). We cannot diminish His glorious person, greatness and ways. God’s glory floats high above all the evil below.

It may surprise you to know:

1. God in no way “needs” our attention and glory. He only desire we share in His best by recognizing His glorious person. Now I will do something and be gladly praised (Isaiah 33:10)
2. You will in no long time discover that God will judge and convict the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds and harsh things spoken against Him, thereby, even glorified through the hardness of your hearts (Jude 14, 15)

• Because of Pharaoh’s stubbornness, hardness of heart and defeat, God was highly exalted. And Miriam joyfully sang, “Sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted: The horse and his rider He has hurled into the sea” (Exodus 15:1, 21).