HAVING A KNOWLEDGE OF GOD IS ONLY PART OF THE STORY. What is the Rest of the Story?

Knowing about God is good, but it’s not the whole story. It’s like knowing about water but never drinking it. The health benefits of water come from drinking the water, not just knowing about it. It’s the same with God. How can we move beyond Knowing about God to truly knowing God?

We are journeying through the Book of Psalms. This week, we are looking at:  Psalm 15: Psalm 33, Psalm 40; Psalm 50, Psalm 51; Psalm 96, Psalm 98; Psalm 101, Psalm 134, Psalm 144, and Psalm 149

The psalms are prayers, poetry, and songs written in the style of prayers. They are designed to show us how to worship, trust, and depend on God.

This lesson addresses how we respond when we know and have had experiences with God. But, before we begin, as always, Let’s Pray.

Father, we want to not just know of you; we want to know you. Give us the experiences we need to have an intimate relationship with you. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Psalms (Lesson 12)

Worship that Never Ends

Day 1

Our knowledge about God increases as we experience his continued grace and mercy.

In our experiences with Him, We, like the psalmist in Palm 116:12, are prompt to ask: “What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits toward me?” (Ps. 116:12, NKJV).  

The reply is that we fully devote ourselves lives to being faithful to God, just as he is always faithful to us and always keeps his promises.

In the Psalms, Israel is depicted as being more than a nation. In fact, in Psalm 22:22, 25, and Psalm 35:18, Israel is portrayed as a great assembly, that is, a great crowd who meets together to worship God.

Why is this assembly significant? It is because Israel’s assembling shows us that God desires His people to come together to praise and worship Him. God also wants the rest of the people on earth to not just know of God, but know and experience Him and join Israel in worshipping Him.

In other words, the Lord wants his people to tell other people about his goodness so that they can get to know him and experience his love and mercy.

Though it should not replace our private prayers and praise, Psalm 22:22, 25 helps us to see that praising God in the congregation or assembly should be a part of our worship.

22 I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You.

25 My praise shall be of You in the great assembly; I will pay My vows before those who fear Him. (Psalm 22: 25).

Now, neither private or public worship superior to the other, both are design to strengthen our faith and our relationship with God.

Our individual worship inspires our praise and worship in the congregation or assembly, and in turn, praise and worship in the congregation inspires our private worship. 

Who are these people assembled to praise God? Psalm 111:1 calls them the “assembly of the upright.”

Why? Psalm 36:10 tells us that they don’t just know of God; they know God.

10 Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You, And Your righteousness to the upright in heart. (Psalms 36:10)

and we find in Psalm 37:18 that God knows them.

Psalms 37:18

18 The Lord knows the days of the upright, And their inheritance shall be forever. (Psalm 36:10).

In fact, their experiences with God fill every part of their life and existence. As they review their experience with him, they cannot help but respond in praise.

Thus, in The Desire of Ages, it says: As we review His dealings with us in our pilgrimage, let us, out of hearts melted with gratitude, declare, “What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits toward me? I will take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all His people.” Psalm 116:12-14.—The Desire of Ages, p. 348.

What happens when the people worship God in the great assembly?

Pause and read Psalm 134 Notice how they worship God in the assembly and observe the outcome of their worship.

Then view the next segment of this video: Day 2: Lift Up Your Hands in the Sanctuary.

Psalms (Lesson 12)

Worship that Never Ends

Day 2: Lift Up Your Hands in the Sanctuary

Aaron was the brother of Moses. He assisted Moses in going before Pharoah to free the Israelites from Egyptian slavery, and He assisted Moses in leading the Israelites in the wilderness. Aaron was also a Levite who served as a priest. Thus, Numbers 6:24-26 gives an account of Aaron pronouncing a blessing on the Israelites, saying:

24 “The Lord bless you and keep you;

25 The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you;

26 The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” ’ (Numbers 6:24-26)

Therefore, Psalm 134 is a reminder of the blessing Aaron gave to the Israelites. This same pronouncement is also made in Psalm 67:1.

You see, blessing is an important part of the relationship between God and His people. So, the people standing in the house of the Lord blesses him and in turn, God blesses His people, from Zion.

This blessing is not limited to the people of Israel; His blessings extend to all life because the Lord is the Creator of heaven and earth.

In mentioning Zion as the place from which God’s special blessing come, shows that blessings were a part of the covenant agreement between God and His people.

Under the mercies of God, as a part of this promise, the people of Israel, in exercising their privilege to bless the Lord, were therefore blessed by Him. 

The Psalms often depicted the worshipers as servants of the Lord.  This we see in Psalm 134:1 when the psalmist says:  

1 Behold, bless the Lord, All you servants of the Lord, Who by night stand in the house of the Lord! (Psalm 134:1).

In this psalm, it is assumed that the psalmist was talking about the night watchers, the Levites that guarded the temple at night.

See: 1 Chronicles 9:23-27 and 1 Chronicles 9:33 which points out that the Levites were servants of the Lord who guarded the temple day and night.

Now, the temple was designed to help Israel to know and understand the invisible God, the God they couldn’t see.

Different from the other nations that worshipped idol gods, images and statues made by man’s hands, God commanded His people not to make a representation of him in the form of statues or images, nor bow down to any graven image.

Notice what the Book Patriarch and Prophets say about God’s right to claim our worship:

God’s claim to reverence and worship above the gods of the heathen is based upon the fact that He is the Creator and that to Him all other beings owe their existence. (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 336)

Thus, the temple reflected the Lord’s glory, and it provided a safe and secure place for sinners to come to God, their Holy King.

How they met with him and how they worshipped him in His temple was clearly outlined by the Lord Himself. By statues and decrees, He regulated how they were to meet with Him.

Similarly, in the New Testament, Peter, a disciple of Christ, in 1 Peter 2:4, 5 expresses the same concept about worshipping God in his temple that we read in the Book of Psalms.

4 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious,

5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (I Peter 2:4-5)

The point Peter is making is that because of Christ, God’s people, those who accept Jesus as their savior, as living stones, are a holy priesthood.

Thus, we no longer have to go to God through a human to offer sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving. Jesus, the one who created us, is our Savior. He is our redeemer, he is our sacrifice, and as members of the priesthood of Christ, we go through Him to offer our thanksgiving and praise to God for all the great things He has done for us.

Hence, knowing of God is one thing, but knowing God and worshipping Him is another. (Split)

Another part of the story deals with us as New Testament believers. It is our role to share the story. We have been called to go tell the story of Jesus redeeming power to the whole world.

But that is still only part of the story. The psalmists talk about singing a new song. What is this “new song,” and why is it significant?

Pause and Read Psalm 33:3, 40:3, 96:1, 98:1, 144:9, and 149:1. What do these verses have in common? What do they ask the people to do?

Then View the next segment of this video, Day 3: Sing to the Lord a New Song

Psalms (Lesson 12)

Worship That Never Ends

Day 3: Sing to the Lord a New Song

Psalm 33:3, as with many of the other psalms, calls for the people to sing a “new song.”

3 Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully with a shout of joy. (Psalms 33:3)

Why are these psalms asking the people to sing a new song? What is this new song?

This new song is to show that the people recognize the majesty and sovereignty of God.  The new song is a way of them acknowledging that God is the King and ruler of all the earth.

This new song expresses the people’s gratitude and thankfulness to the Lord for His loving care and salvation as Creator and Judge of all the earth.

There is also a personal reason for singing this new song. The people are thankful to God for God saving them from their enemies and sparing their lives.

 They are grateful for the special favors that God has shown toward them. 

But is this not any different from other songs that the people have sung? What makes this song different?

Although the other songs and psalms in the Book of Psalms praise God for His love, kindness, and mighty wonders, the new song is different.

It is a special song expressing a revived joy and a promise of renewed devotion to God.

In other words, their new experiences with God’s deliverance, inspire the people to again acknowledge God as their creator and King.

In fact, they make a new commitment to God. This new song is a new promise of the people to give their lives to God again.

Their new experiences of faith in God cause them to proclaim God as their King and the One who created them.

In short, this new song speaks of a renewed trust in God, praising Him for His wonderful works, His deliverance from affliction, and His caring for all their needs.

Isaiah 42:10-12; Revelation 5:9; and Revelation 14:3 shows that this new song is not limited to the Israelites, we too have the right to sing a new song.

 Isaiah 42:10-12 expresses that this new song should go to the ends of the earth.

Revelation 5:9 and Revelation 14:3 show that when we reach eternity, we will sing a new song.

Psalm 148:14 shows how affectionate God feels about Israel, saying that they are “a people near to Him [God]” (NKJV). 

This is an affectionate term showing that above all creation, Israel holds a special experience with God.

This experience with God gives them a very special position. Therefore, they are most obliged to sing a new song and to praise God.

But God does not stop at Israel. All people of every generation are encouraged to sing the new song of praise to their Lord, Savior, and Redeemer.

Our new song is a song of praise that no one can sing but us. It is a song about our experiences in which God has shown his love, mercy, and saving grace toward us. 

It is our unique song about the salvation we have found in the blood of the Lamb.

In fact, we can sing a new song that expresses hope in which the newness of the song is related to the anticipation of a unique experience of God’s wondrous works for us in the future, such as hope for His healing mercies from an illness we may have.

A new song is about worship. You see, true worship goes beyond offering sacrifices or gifts.

True worship, real worship is about loving God and accepting His love.

A new song is a new way to share our love and thankfulness to God for everything He has done and will do for us.

I like the point that the lesson study makes: It injects that in a sense, we could say that the “new song” is a “new expression” each new day we show “our love and appreciation for what God has done for us.”

Notice how singing a new song relates to offering praise. The Book Christ Object Lesson says. The Lord desires us to make mention of His goodness and tell of His power. He is honored by the expression of praise and thanksgiving. He says, “Whoso offereth praise glorifieth Me.” Psalm 50:23. (Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 298)

So, our experiences with God are designed to bring us into a close and intimate relationship with Him, thereby inspiring us to sing a new song. We, therefore, no longer know just of Him, but from our experiences with Him, we know Him. Thus,

Psalm 104:33 is fitting when it says: “I will sing to the Lord for the rest of my life. I will sing praises to my God as long as I live” (Psalm 104:33, ERV).

Thinking about your own personal experiences with God, if you were to sing a new song, what would it be?

 What is your relationship with God? Do you feel worthy of worshipping in his presence in his Holy Tabernacle?

Pause and Read Psalm 15, Then continue to Day 4:  Lord, Who May Abide in Your Tabernacle?

Day 4: Lord, Who May Abide in Your Tabernacle?

Who is worthy of worshiping and standing before the living God in His temple?

In short, the answer to Psalm 15:1 says only those with hearts, minds, and wills to do what is right in God’s sight.

Psalm 15 summarizes the requirements already given in God’s law and the prophets. Deuteronomy 6:5 and Micah 6:6-8 do the same. Jesus, in Matthew 23:37-40, sums it up.

Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’

38 This is the first and great commandment.

39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 23:37-40)

Thus, those who may abide in God’s tabernacle are those who love God and have God’s love in their hearts, which they use to love others.

Because the earthly Tabernacle was a holy place, everything in it, including the priest entering it, had to be consecrated. (Split)

This consecration was done by sprinkling blood, which represented the blood of Jesus.

It is only by the blood of Jesus that we are made perfectly righteous through the power of the Holy Spirit working in our hearts.

By the Holy Spirit, our hearts are transformed. Thus, we are given the heart, mind, and will to obey God.

So, the temple of God was a holy place. And everything in the temple, was set apart as sacred, including the priest and worthy to be used by God. Thus, everyone who entered the temple needed to be consecrated and made holy.

The point is holiness is not optional; it is a mandatory requirement for entering into God’s presence. Holiness for the people of Israel was comprehensive in that they were expected to unite their worship with the moral law of God and incorporate it into every aspect of their lives.

Psalm 24:3-6 and Psalm 101:1-3 provide qualities of those who were fit to stand in the presence of God.

They were to have a “perfect heart.” The problem is that humans do not have the power to make ourselves perfect.

God is the one who cleanses our hearts. He, according to Psalm 51:2, washes us thoroughly from our iniquity and cleanses us from our sin so that we are worthy to stand before him.

In other words, God gives us perfect hearts. The word “perfect” comes from a Hebrew word meaning “whole” or “complete.”

Examples of perfect are:

 the animals offered to God as gifts were to be “perfect,” according to Leviticus 22:21-24. These animals could not be sick, blind, crippled, or have any broken bones; they were to be without blemish.

Speech: “Perfect” speech is filled with truth. (Job 36:4).

Perfect heart: a “perfect” heart is a pure heart (Psalm 24:4) or a heart of integrity (Psalm 15:2). 

A person with a perfect heart: A person with a “perfect” heart seeks God (Psalm 24:6)

That person is made clean and restored by God’s forgiveness (Psalm 51:2-10).

You see, it is God’s grace and mercy that cleanse us, restore us, inspire us, and help us live perfect lives.

It is his grace that helps us live in the fear of the Lord, which means that we live in continual fellowship with Him and in submission to His Word and His divine will. Thus Hebrews 4:16 says:

16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

Our lives are perfected when we humbly come before God, repent (that is, turn from a life of sin), and confess our sins. We are then cleansed from all unrighteousness.

For God is faithful, and he always keeps his promises. We are promised in 1 John 1:9

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

Thus, our lives are made perfect. When we live perfect lives, we praise God and not ourselves. For it is not by our power that we are made righteous; it is by the blood of Jesus.

Therefore, we see that the terms in Psalm 15:3-5 are negative, indicating that not doing these things does not give us favor with God. Not doing them instead helps us understand that these are the things we should avoid doing, for they keep us from standing in God’s presence.

Therefore, we must choose to stay away from those things that separate us from God.  

What might you be doing that could separate you from God? How can we stop doing them?

Here is a suggestion from the Book Lift Him Up for those with hasty tempers and impatient:

What is it to be a Christian? It is to be Christlike; it is to do the works of Christ. Some fail on one point, some on another. Some are naturally impatient. Satan understands their weakness, and manages to overcome them again and again. But let none be discouraged by this. Whenever little annoyances and trials arise, ask God in silent prayer to give you strength and grace to bear them patiently. There is a power in silence; do not speak a word until you have sent up your petition to the God of heaven. If you will always do this, you will soon overcome your hasty temper, and you will have a little heaven here to go to heaven in. (Lift Him Up, p. 341)

Through prayer and total surrender to God, we can overcome every shortcoming. Because we have made the decision not just to know God but to know the God who can make us perfect truly, we might feel that we now have the complete story, but there is more.

Pause and Read: Read Psalm 96. What does God want from us? Then View the next segment of this video: Day 5: Declaring His Glory Among the Nations

Psalms (Lesson 12)

Worship that Never Ends

Day 5: Declaring His Glory Among the Nations

God desires our worship. Worship includes the following:

• Singing to the Lord (Psalm 96:1, 2)
• Praising His name (Psalm 96:2)
• Proclaiming his goodness and greatness (Psalm 96:3, 4)
• And bringing gifts to him when we come to his courts for worship (Psalm 96:8).

Although not commonly recognized, like singing, praising, and bringing offerings to God, as expressed in Psalm 96:2, 3, 10, another aspect of worshipping God involves proclaiming the Lord’s kingdom to others.

Psalms 96:2-3

2 Sing to the Lord, bless His name; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. 3 Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples. (Psalms 96:2-3)

10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns; The world also is firmly established, It shall not be moved; He shall judge the peoples righteously.” (Psalms 96:10)

Singing, praising, bringing gifts, and announcing the Good News about Jesus are not separate from each other. They are varied aspects of worship.

In other words, when we share the good news, we give a basis to our praise and content to our worship. The point is that when we share the gospel, we are simultaneously praising and worshiping God.

Our reasons for worship are the same as our reasons for sharing good news with others.

We worship God because.

(1) “The Lord is great” (Psalm 96:4).

(2) “All the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens” (Psalm 96:5).

(3) “the Lord reigns’ ” The whole earth is under His control (Psalm 96:10).

(4) “He is coming to judge the earth.” He is coming soon to judge everyone on the earth (Psalm 96:13).

Thus, the aim for sharing the good news with others, according to Psalm 96:11-13, is to unite those who do not know about God’s saving grace with those who do so that all who desire can join together in worshiping God.

You see, Worship is prompt from not knowing of God but knowing God. It comes from knowing who the Lord is. It comes, as expressed in Psalm 96:5, 10, 13, from knowing that the Lord is the One who made us. He is also our King and our Judge.

So, when we worship God, we are also remembering what he has done for us in the past. We are celebrating His wonderous work for us in the present. And we are filled with hope in anticipating His work in the future when He will judge the earth and make new heavens and a new earth for His people. 

You might ask, what is God’s work as Judge all about?

Lesson Study expresses it well, “Judgment in the Psalms means restoration of the divine order of peace, justice, and well-being in a world presently burdened by injustice and suffering.”

In other words, God will bring peace to an earth that is now filled with suffering and pain. He will make things right in a life that is not fair.

This is why the whole earth, as expressed in Psalm 96:10-13 and Psalm 98:4-9, will be filled with joy.

It is in anticipation of God’s judgment. God’s work as Judge is not like human judges.  God is a fair, equitable, and righteous Judge.

Recognizing that God is a fair Judge, Psalm 96:9 prompts us to want to worship Him in all His holy beauty.

Thus, worship is about:

Having joy, faith, trust, and confidence (Psalm 96:1, 2, 11-13).

It is about having respect or holy fear for God (Psalm 96:4, 9).

Thus, Psalm 96 is a universal call for everyone to worship God, our Creator and Judge.

This same call is made in what is called the Three Angels’ Messages in Revelation 14:6-12. In fact, in many ways, Psalm 96 seems to announce this same end-time message emphasizing that the God who made us is our Savior and our Judge.

But this is not the whole story. It does not stop here.

Pause and read Psalm 40, 50, and 51. Find out how God sees our sacrifices. What sacrifices does he delight in? What does God really want from His people?

Then continue to the next segment of this video: Day 6: When God Does Not Delight in Sacrifices.

Psalms (Lesson 12)

Worship that Never Ends

Day 6: When God Does Not Delight in Sacrifices

The psalmist in Psalms 40, 50, and 51 goes against the grain of what God prescribed in Exodus 20:24.

It is not that God dislikes their worship of Him through sacrifices and festivals. According to Exodus 20:24, this is what He instructed them to do.

The issue the psalmist addresses is not sacrifices and festivals. The psalmist wants Israel, the people of God, to understand why God is displeased with their worship.

Their worship has become ritualist; it has become a round of ceremonies with no meaning.  The people’s sins separated them from God. Their ceremonies were fake.

In other words, God is not displeased with His people’s offerings or sacrifices. He is upset with their wickedness and acts of injustice, unhappy with their evil practices and sins. The people are judging unjustly and living sinful lives.

Psalm 50:17-21 outlines the wicked things the people are doing:

17 Seeing you hate instruction And cast My words behind you?

18 When you saw a thief, you consented with him, And have been a partaker with adulterers.

19 You give your mouth to evil, And your tongue frames deceit.

20 You sit and speak against your brother; You slander your own mother’s son.

21 These things you have done, and I kept silent; You thought that I was altogether like you; But I will rebuke you, And set them in order before your eyes. (Psalms 50:17-21)

So, no, the psalmist isn’t denouncing offerings and worship, but the people’s sinful acts and injustice practices.

The psalmist is addressing their worthless offerings and their fake worship.   They are worthless and fake because their lives are filled with unrighteousness.

The lesson study beautifully points out what happens when our outward expression of worship does not match our inner motivation.

When the unity between the outward expression of worship and the correct inner motivation for worship falls apart, rituals usually become more important than the actual experience of drawing close to God.

That is, When our behavior does not match our worship, we tend to worship God for all the wrong reasons.

What we do in worshipping God becomes more important than our relationship with God. We care more about our offerings than having God in our heart.

Thus, our gifts and offerings are designed to impress God and bring him closer to us. But if our hearts are far away from God, our gifts and offerings have no meaning.

Notice how what Jesus says in John 4:23, 24 aligns with what the psalmist says about vain worship.

23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.

24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23-24)

The point is that offerings and gifts are not enough. This is the same as knowing of God but not knowing God. What value is there in giving gifts if our heart is not in it?  

A person’s life that is not filled with repentance, faith, and sorrow is not worshipping God in spirit and truth; it is merely going through the motions.

As expressed in Psalm 51:19 and Psalm 50:14, it is only when our offerings and gifts are accompanied by true repentance and sincere thanksgiving that God sees them as “sacrifices of righteousness.”

Quoting Isaiah, Jesus makes the same point in Matthew 15:8, saying, “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me” (Matthew 15:8).

So, the issues that the psalmist saw were the same ones that Jesus had with some people, especially the leaders, during His time on earth.

Knowing of God can involve having light and knowledge yet falling into the trap of not drinking the water. If we do not drink the water, it cannot be of benefit.

 Thus, merely knowing the truth and going through the ceremonies of worshipping God is not enough. Knowing God involves a transformed heart. It involves worshipping God both in spirit and in truth. They both go hand in hand. Worship void of either is a mere going through the motions.

This comes from not knowing of God but truly knowing and loving God. Let it be your aim to know God. The first step in getting to know God is to have open communication with him.

Talk to him daily through prayer and the study of his word. Thank Him and praise Him for the great things he has done for you. And to deepen your relationship, tell others about your newfound love.

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