Befitting Praise
This
Psalm has no title in the Hebrew and it was probably written on
no particular occasion, but was intended as a hymn of praise in order to
celebrate the power, wisdom, and mercy of God. The main point of
this Psalm is that it is appropriate for the righteous to be praising God
for His creative acts and providence.
Verse
1 has been translated in various ways:
- “Praise befits the upright.” (ESV)
- “It is fitting for the upright to praise him” (NIV)
- “Praise from the upright is beautiful.” (NKJV)
- “It is fitting for the pure to praise him.” (NLT)
- “Right-living people sound best when praising.” (MSG)
All
of these translations give us the sense that praise from the upright is a beautiful
and appropriate thing. Praise is becoming. We sometimes hear the word “becoming”
used to describe another person’s appearance. “That jacket is very becoming
on you.” “She's had her hair cut in a becoming new style.” It is a word we use to describe something
that fits right and looks remarkably attractive. The
Psalmist here is exhorting us to praise God because it is becoming and right
and remarkably attractive in the life of the upright.
Praise befits the upright. The Lord is worthy of
people’s praise because of his faithfulness, seen in all his righteous works;
because of his power, seen in creation and in his powerful word; and because of
his sovereign control, seen in the history of world events. Above all, God is
worthy of people’s praise because of the salvation he gives to those who fear
him. He gives them life, protection and provision. For all these
reasons, and thousands more, the upright person’s life should be dressed in
praise.
It
makes us cringe when we see someone dressed in inappropriate attire. Perhaps it
is someone at a formal wedding wearing cargo shorts and a t-shirt. Or someone
in the workplace wearing revealing clothing. Or a soldier with his/her uniform wrinkled
and messy. We recognize these situations as remarkably inappropriate. They are
not befitting. They don’t fit the circumstance. In the same way, when a
follower of Christ lives with a sour attitude, with complaining, or with a
judgmental attitude, we take note of it as remarkably inappropriate. It is
completely out of place when a Christian’s life is clothed with anything but
praise. When the Christ-follower enters the room, others should sense a life of
praise that is befitting someone whose life has been delivered from darkness
and brought into God’s glorious light. Praise befits the upright. Praise from
the upright is beautiful and remarkably becoming.
Is
it time for you to change your “clothes?” Take off the garments of sadness,
complaining, judgment, and dissatisfaction and get dressed in praise. After
all, Jesus came to give us “a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.” (Isaiah 61:3)
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