Digging Deeper Days...are a pretty big deal at GT!
We search God's Word together, ask questions as we read, dig around to find the original intentions at the time of writing, and then make some applications to our everyday lives.
Along the way, we hope you'll pick up some new tools to study Scripture and you'll see truth in a new and accessible way!
Dig In!
The Passage
Looking for yesterday’s Journey Post? Check out Love Song!
Psalm 100 English Standard Version (ESV)
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
3 Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
5 For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
The Questions
1) What action does verse 1 mirror?
2) There are several call to actions in this psalm, what is the foundation for doing them?
3) What does the psalmist assume about the relationship between the worshiper and God?
4) What truths does this song proclaim?
The Findings for Intention
1) What action does verse 1 mirror?
Verse 1 calls on the earth’s inhabitants to make a joyful noise to the Lord, which mirrors the same action the Lord does over His people. In Zephaniah 3:17, we read of the Lord rejoicing over Israel with gladness and exulting over them with “loud singing”. The Hebrew for shouting in this context implies a victorious declaration of triumph. God is singing victory over His people, declaring triumph!
2) There are several “call to actions” in this psalm, what is the foundation for doing them?
Make. Serve. Come. Know. Enter. Give. These are the actions the audience is invited to partake of in worshipping the Lord, and most of the psalm is dedicated to fleshing out what those look like, however, there are some foundational truths that all of this worship stems from; an intimate, mutual relationship, which flows from His endless love and faithfulness. “It is He who has made us, we are His.” “His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations.”
3) What does the psalmist assume about the relationship between the worshiper and God?
The psalmist uses the inclusive language that “we are His people, the sheep of His pasture” to note that, for this type of full-life worship to be happening, there needs to be a relationship of intimacy in place. Worshipping the Almighty is meant for believers as a facet of our relationship with God.
4) What truths does this song proclaim?
When looking for what Scripture teaches us, it’s often just as important to note what is not stated as what is stated. The Psalmist says to come into God’s presence with singing, making it appear as a “given” that entering His presence is possible. For Old Testament worshippers, being in God’s presence was so sacred that only the High Priest could actually enter into the Holy of Holies where God’s presence abided; even he could only enter in once a year. God is an inviting God, desiring an intimate relationship with His children. Other truths include facets of God’s character like goodness, faithfulness, timeless, patience, and love.
The Everyday Application
1) What significance does the Lord singing over me have in my everyday?
For the believer who has surrendered everything over to Jesus, God has declared them His own. He has defeated death for you, Christian! He has fought for you and WON! His triumph will never end in your life. Because of His victory over sin in your life, you will never face eternal defeat! This is good news!
2) There are several “call to actions” in this psalm, what is the foundation for doing them?
Take a few minutes and think through how you worship. Do your actions mimic what are outlined in the psalm? Are you creating space to regularly “make a joyful noise” to Him? Are you serving Him by intentionally loving on others? What about coming into His presence and making room for quiet time to invest in your relationship with Him, so you can know Him deeper? Worship is much more than singing in church, rather it’s a rhythm of life!
3) What does the psalmist assume about the relationship between the worshiper and God?
If worship is meaningless or empty for you, perhaps you are trying to put the cart before the horse. Take time to fully consider whether or not your heart really belongs to Christ. Or perhaps, you are a devoted Christ-follower, but worship still feels dry. Be intentional about digging into Who He is and who we are because of Him. Worship is the natural response to seeing God’s glory and being changed by being in His presence.
4) What truths does this song proclaim?
Worship as a rhythm of life depends on the foundation of truth to which we hold. When we cling tightly to what we know to be true of God, and give ourselves to studying His character more in depth, worship overflows in our lives. We view life and circumstances and even people around us differently. Our values change, and we are more willing to live freely as the people God created us to be because of what we know to be true about our Creator. Pick another psalm or two this week and search out truths about God to build your life on!
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I Can Do That!
1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read through it (always more than a verse or two).
3) Write down your questions as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God in your everyday!
The Community!
Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Worship Week One!
Don’t miss out on the discussion – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
The Tools!
We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources. Just type in the verse you’re looking at and Boom! It’s right in front of you in English and Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), which are the original languages the Bible was written in.
Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!
Want to get more background on a word or phrasing or passage? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))
The Why!
Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.
In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!
Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.
Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus.
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Looking for other journeys from this theme?
See all past studies in Worship!