Ragamuffin: Hallel

He lifts the poor from the dust
and the needy from the garbage dump.
He sets them among princes,
even the princes of his own people!
Psalm 113:7-8 (NLT)

“H

allel” basically means “praise”. The Psalms are full of praise. Psalm 113 was probably sung prior to the Passover meal. It is a psalm that rings out with joy. It is a song of praise by the people of God for their God. We used to sing a song: “Hallelu Hallelu Hallelu Hallelujah, Praise ye the Lord”. Maybe you remember it? With alternate singing and standing with the various words. A nice fun song for children (and some of us adults too).

Although I think of myself as an ex-hippie rocker at 51-years-old I do like some of the great hymns of the church. “O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing” is one of my favorites. Singing to a great God with a majestic hymn is inspiring to me. The larger the crowd the better it seems. The larger the group the more majestic it sounds.

Colossians 3:16 (NLT) states “Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.” Okay – some people shouldn’t sing too loud but still it is a great verse! Songs can give expression to praise when we can’t seem to find any other way to express it.

But (have you ever noticed all the big buts in the Bible? Like 2 Corinthians 7:6 “But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us”) right in the context of praise we find these closing verses that speak to God’s work in helping the lowly, the outcast, and those “down and out”.

The Message Bible states it this way: “He picks up the poor from out of the dirt, rescues the wretched who’ve been thrown out with the trash, Seats them among the honored guests, a place of honor among the brightest and best.”

In the midst of praise we find His mercy. In the midst of singing we find a reminder of grace. In the midst of lyrics we find God’s unfailing love. It is not just another song to sing. It is not just another tune to sound out. It becomes a statement of our faith in the character of the God we worship. It is a testimony of transforming power of God in us and through us.

Hallel and Selah!

Ragamuffin appears every Monday on theRubicon. Find past Ragamuffin posts and a bio of Capt. Jay Davis here.

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