We are continuing to look together at 2 Samuel 22 whilst keeping the page open at Psalm 18.

This song starts, as all worship should, with God. It’s interesting that today we get many worship songs that start with ‘me’, what I am going to do, what I want God to do.

Many years ago, whilst in my teens I travelled to London to listen to a Christian band. I think they were one or two songs in when a man leapt from the pew and tried to stop the band playing in the church. I was bewildered and confused, not sure what was going to happen next. Now, I feel like I have become that man when I see that some of our worship, and some of our preaching has become about make me feel good. Surely God is to be worshipped for who he is and not for what we get from Him.

In Psalm 18 it begins, I love you, O LORD, my strength. It’s all about you, it’s for you. Look at these verses and the descriptions of God.

He said, “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,  my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my saviour ; you save me from violence.  2 Samuel 22:2-3

It is true that there always is a personal context in worship but that personal context must always point back to God. David displays this constantly in his worship of God for example;

Rock: the unmovable unchanging one is my rock.
Fortress: the provider of perfect protection and security is my fortress.
Deliverer: the one who rescues is my deliverer.
God: Yahweh, Father, Jehovah, El Shaddai, Adoni, Elohim and many many more is my God
Shield: the protection in battle, the shade during the heat of day, the shelter to rest under at night is my shield.
Horn of my salvation: the supremacy of His strength in a great proclamation of the victory through his power is the horn of my salvation.
Stronghold: the strong and mighty one, the one who provides safety is my stronghold.

Why are all these descriptions in these early verses? Simply to impress upon us the wonder of who God is and that this God delights in doing good for an undeserving people. That he has opened heaven and blessed us is just beyond our fathoming. That the blessings we receive are disproportionate to what we deserve. That who God is determines what he does. It’s all at his initiative, all by his grace. Worship is simply being lost in him.

Sam Storms says this and then quotes Jonathan Edwards,

“The ultimate goal of theology is not knowledge, but worship. If our learning and knowledge of God do not lead to the joyful praise of God, we have failed. We learn only that we might laud. Another way of putting it is to say that theology without doxology is idolatry. The only theology worth studying is a theology that can be sung. Jonathan Edwards put it this way:
Now what is glorifying God, but a rejoicing at that glory he has displayed? An understanding of the perfections of God, merely, cannot be the end of the creation; for he had as good not understand it, as see it and not be at all moved with joy at the sight. Neither can the highest end of creation be the declaring God’s glory to others; for the declaring God’s glory is good for nothing otherwise than to raise joy in ourselves and others at what is declared”

What God has done for David in his past, what he is doing for him now and what he will do in the future moves him.

I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.  2 Samuel 22:4

“It is well to pray to God as to one who deserves to be praised, for then we plead in a happy and confident manner. If I feel that I can and do bless the Lord for all his past goodness, I am bold to ask great things of him.” (Spurgeon)

That’s it really.  God deserves to be praised.  He alone is worthy. Worthy is the lamb!

And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation  Revelation 5:9

“If you want to know a man’s character, it is well to inquire at his home. What do his children and servants think of him? What is the estimate formed by those who are always with him? George Whitefield was once asked his opinion of a person and his answer was very wise, for he replied, “I never lived with him.” Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, see what an estimate is formed of your Lord at Home up yonder, where they know Him best and see Him most constantly, and in the clearest light! They have discovered no faults in Him. The angels who have beheld Him ever since they were created, the redeemed who have been with Him, some of them for thousands of years, have found no spot in Him. Their unanimous verdict expressed freely in joyful song is, “You are worthy; You are worthy; You are worthy.” (Spurgeon)

How much is Jesus worth? Where does he come in your scale of importance? Jesus told a parable that describes how incredible it really is to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven and since he himself is the King of that kingdom and the one who makes it valuable, the parable applies to himself too. He said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field which a man found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” Notice, the man does not sell all that he has begrudgingly, he does it joyfully. The reason is because he sees how precious the treasure is. He knows that, whatever he pays for that field, it’s a steal. Jesus is worth so much more than anything else in all the world, that every loss endured to have more of him can be endured with joy. Paul gave us a living example of this parable. He said

“Whatever gain I had, I counted loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed I count everything as loss for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I might gain Christ.”  Philippians 3:7

The mark of the Christian, the child of God, is not that we have attained things or achieved things or are perfect, but that we long for Christ, we thirst and hunger for Him. We cannot live without Him. No Christian is satisfied with his present state. We are hungry, and the more we taste, the hungrier we get for Jesus. His value does not diminish with time, it increases and  the better we know him, the more we love him, and when we finally enter into his presence with rejoicing, our endless song will be, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honour and glory and blessing.” Your mouth is always full of praise for what you value most, the one of whom you perceive has the most worth.