Today's Reading: 1 Chronicles 16

Ascribe Glory to the Lord

First Chronicles, Chapter 16, describes for us the awesome worship celebration which broke out after the Ark of the Covenant was finally returned to Israel and placed in Jerusalem. The Levites brought the Ark and then they thanked, praised, and made offerings to the Lord for His wonderful works. David even prepared a feast for the nation and “distributed to all Israel, both men and women, to each a loaf of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins." What an amazing and awesome day. It was a time for rejoicing in the goodness of God and declaring His glory.

In verse 29, as part of David’s song of thanks, he says “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name.” The word “ascribe” means “to give credit to; to attribute to; to assign.” Here, David is calling upon the people of Israel to give due credit to the Lord for His glory and wonderful works. He calls them to shout words of highest praise because the Lord is worthy. In awe of the glory and strength of the Lord, sing praise and shout “hooray” to Him. In view of all he had done for them, God’s people were urged to praise Him and to proclaim His mighty acts aloud to others.

David was deeply concerned about the passionate worship of Yahweh. He strongly believed that worship should not simply be a “casual sing-a-long” that we half-heartedly indulge in once a week, but it should and MUST be a time of complete abandonment of ourselves to declare the glory of the Lord. Our worship should be an expression of our deep, heartfelt love for our Creator. David played. David sang. David danced. All of his being was immersed in the worship of His Awesome Creator!

It is so easy to be distracted during times of worship and praise. Our minds begin to wander. Our thoughts turn to the activities going on in our home, our work, our hobbies, our life. When that happens, our lips may still move, but our heart is not engaged. This is when we should “check ourselves” and turn our attention fully back to the God who created us, who loves us, and who has brought us His awesome redemption through the blood of His Son. “Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable.” (Psalm 145:3)

Take a moment NOW and ascribe (give credit to) the Lord the glory due His name. Come before Him and worship Him in the splendor of holiness, “For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised” (V25). Do it with abandonment. Immerse yourself in worship.