Psalm 148:1–2

Commentary

The Hallelujah psalms

At rock concerts, football matches and other big sporting events, we see extraordinary scenes of exuberant enthusiasm. Yet all these should pale into insignificance compared to our exuberant worship of God.

The opening words of this psalm are, ‘Hallelujah! Praise God from heaven’ (v.1, MSG). The last five psalms (Psalm 146–150) each begin and end with ‘Hallelujah’. The Psalms, as with the New Testament and the whole Bible, end with exuberant praise, blessing and delight.

‘Hallelujah! Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise him in the heights. Praise him, all his angels’ (vv.1b–2a, HCSB).

Even the angels praise God. As we will see in the New Testament passage for today, John, when he saw one of the angels, fell at his feet to worship him (the angel). But the angel said to him, ‘Do not do it! I am a fellow-servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God!’ (Revelation 19:10).

As with all the psalms, it can naturally turn into our own prayer and praise:

Prayer

Revelation 18:21–24,19:1–9

Commentary

The Hallelujah party

My father was a German Jew. Many of his family suffered and died in concentration camps under the evil empire of the Third Reich. That empire came to an end. Not long after, another evil empire arose. In Stalin’s Soviet Russia at least 20 million people were murdered. The people of God were imprisoned, tortured and killed. Today there is Isis, North Korea, and other evil regimes around the world.

The New Testament passage for today starts with the complete destruction of the great city of ‘Babylon’. We have seen that this is a way of describing, not only the destruction of the Roman Empire, which the writer has in mind, but also the destruction of every ‘Babylon’ that has flourished throughout history.

‘Babylon’ stands for the Roman Empire, the Third Reich, Stalin’s Russia, Isis and all the other evil regimes, totalitarian and philosophical systems. Whole nations were led astray (18:23) and the people of God persecuted: ‘In her was found the blood of prophets and of the saints’ (v.24a).

This is why there is such relief when their power is brought to an end. The mass choirs in heaven sing ‘Hallelujah’:

‘After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: “Hallelujah!”’ (19:1). They praise God that justice has been done. God’s judgments are true and just: ‘O Heaven, celebrate!... God has judged her; every wrong you suffered from her has been judged’ (18:20, MSG).

‘Hallelujah!’ is repeated (19:3). The whole church and all creation falls down and worships God who is seated on the throne (v.4). And they cry for a third time, ‘Amen, Hallelujah!’ (v.4).

Finally, a fourth time: ‘Then I heard the sound of massed choirs, the sound of a mighty cataract, the sound of strong thunder: Hallelujah!’ (v.6, MSG).

Then the party begins:

‘Let us celebrate, let us rejoice,
let us give him the glory!
The Marriage of the Lamb has come;
his Wife has made herself ready.
She was given a bridal gown
of bright and shining linen.
The linen is the righteousness of the saints (vv.7–8, MSG).

A human wedding is a whisper of the gospel. Earthly marriages point to something even more amazing and eternal – your relationship with Christ Jesus.

The wedding of the Lamb is the marriage of Christ and his church (see Ephesians 5:32; Revelation 21:2). In contrast to the gaudy clothes of the adulterous and promiscuous Babylon (18:16), the church is dressed simply in ‘fine linen, bright and clean’ (19:8). You are clothed in the righteousness of Christ and every righteous act (v.8b) is remembered, valued and celebrated.

This is the great and eternal party of the ‘wedding supper of the Lamb’ (v.9). To be ‘invited’ (v.9) is the greatest blessing of all. The rest of the New Testament tells us that you are invited, but you have to choose to accept the invitation.

It is not surprising that John wants to fall at the feet of the angel and worship him. But you are not to worship the messenger, only the one whom the message is about: ‘Worship God!’ (v.10). And you are to go and tell others: ‘For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy’ (v.10).

Prayer

Nehemiah 8:3–6

Commentary

The Hallelujah people

As we have seen, just as God called Nehemiah and his people to the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem, he calls us to build and rebuild the church. One of the ways God guides you is that he puts ideas into your heart. Nehemiah said, ‘God put it in my heart to gather the nobles, the officials, and the people in general to be registered’ (7:5, MSG). Nehemiah listed the exiles who had returned (vv.6–73).

When the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem was completed, the people gathered to hear the Scriptures being expounded by Ezra. ‘And all the people listened – they were all ears – to the Book of The Revelation’ (8:3, MSG). ‘As he opened the book everyone stood’ (8:5, MSG). They stood out of respect for the word of God.

‘Then Ezra praised God, the great God and all the people responded “Oh Yes! Yes!” with hands raised high. And then they fell to their knees in worship of God, their faces to the ground’ (v.6, MSG).

Our bodies express our hearts. That is why, when I’m on my own, I like to kneel as I read the Bible as a mark of reverence and respect for God. I have come to listen to him and worship him.

To raise hands in worship was the common practice of both the Jewish people and the early Christians (‘hands raised high’, v.6). ‘The oldest gesture of prayer in Christendom is prayer with arms extended’ writes Pope Benedict. This gesture is ‘the radical form of worship’. It expresses opening ourselves to God and at the same time opening ourselves in love to others.

All of our gatherings to praise and worship God are an anticipation of, and participation in, the great worship of heaven – the eternal Hallelujah chorus. In this passage in Nehemiah we see an example of this. It echoes and anticipates the great worship of Revelation 19.

Nehemiah the Governor, Ezra the priest and scribe and the Levites instructed the people. They wept as they listened to the words of the Law (v.9).

But Nehemiah told them that it was a time for joy and celebration: ‘Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks… Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength’ (v.10). There was a time of celebration and great joy (v.12).

As Joyce Meyer writes, ‘Each day that God gives us is holy and a precious gift from him. We should enjoy it fully. Joy is powerful. Nothing releases supernatural joy in our lives more than being a blessing to other people.’

Prayer