December 8 -- "Befitting Praise"

 Today’s Reading: Psalm 29 & 33

"Befitting Praise"

This Psalm 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 righteous people 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)