Rejoice Hallelujah!!
Im looking at the Hebrew word Samah שָׂמַח
Which is also translated in KJV as “cheer up”
Jdg 9:12
Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us.
And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?
{I can see why so many people in times of oppression become alcoholics or drug users. Legal or illegal doesn’t matter. But the Joy of Gods wine is much better since it leaves no hang over. It edifies your body not destroy it. It keeps you on the right path, not bring you into fooling decisions. Yet in moderation God never condemned wine. But He has compared his Joy to it. Why? HE knew that He had to break through our understanding with something that we could understand I suppose.
This was a parable of Jotham saying that they chose a king that was not a good king. And he compared the king to brambles. This king in Shechem was an idolatrous evil murderer. Abimelech. But Israel had trouble chosing the best for themselves. They even rejected the King Jesus who was the vine.
In the parable of Joram He was compared to brambles but the trees asked for a king. The three trees or plants used are used in reference to Israel; The Olive with it rich oil, the Fig with its sweetness and the Vine of grapes providing wine and cheer. Jesus was the Vine from which the Holy spirit Joy was poured out…….a holy wine!
Notice that God compares often the feeling of the celebration caused in men by wine with the better and more permament joy that flows from the VINE who is Jesus and His spirit. He provided the new wine of the Spirit. His wine came only after HE was crushed. Only after He drank the dregs of sin for us and was crushed on the cross. Only after this process could the Joy of the Holy spirit be poured out.
It was finally poured into the disciples on Pentecost and they must have seemed drunk or a least happy because they were accused of being drunk with “new wine”
In truth they were filled with the wine of the holy spirit that was alluded to here:
Mar 2:22 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the skins will be destroyed. Instead new wine is poured into new wineskins.”
Psa 9:2
I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.
Here glad is “samah” and rejoice here is “alats” Samah means to be glad, happy and rejoice. Alats means to exult, which means to feel or show triumphant happiness or elation.
And this comes from praising God.
[[To the chief Musician upon Muthlabben, A Psalm of David.]] I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.
“I will praise thee” It is a willful decision to “praise” and it is an active verb. The word praise is Yada in Hebrew ידה and it means to lift up praise, like when you lift your hands up to sing to God. It comes from the word for hand “yad” and one derivative of praise “yada” is Yehuda or Judea which meant praise. Those who praise God are the real Jews or Judea. Many times the Judeans did not.
Actually, this Psalm of David starts with “confession:” HE confessed God is great! HE had to confess or be in agreement with God to receive the Joy. “I will confess thee (the word in Greek Septuagint is homologeo the same used here:
Rom 10:9
That if thou shalt confess (homologeo) with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Meaning saying you agree with God. God is great!
All salvation in time of trouble begins with humility and a cry. But you have to give it up and call!
“Lord save me I’m sinking” Love will never fail!!
Rom 10:13
For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Notice that David had to believe and therefore decide to “praise” or “confess God”, Be glad, rejoice “I will praise” I will shew forth, I will be glad, I will rejoice and finally “I will sing praises”
There are all acts of the will, and to overcome the enemy of depression of sad things that our enemies are doing to us we must praise God even if we do not feel like it.
David was in physical battles but we are in spirit battles.
It is walking not by sight but by faith that can move the mountains away. I will play music and sing my blues away! When I sing about your great and marvellous works. This is a key to Joy and gladness when there is nothing to be seen that is very happy. Or so it seems to us. But it works only if we do it!
Then we can experience Gods presence and that is where the fullness of Joy exists.
When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence.
The demons of depression and oppression will be weakened and destroyed in praise
The word used by David here “I will sing praises in your name” is a very musical term. It is in the Greek “Psallo” coming from vibrate or pluck as in playing a stringed instrument and singing. Like a rock and roll star, only directed at the correct God.
What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing (psallo) with the spirit, and I will sing (psallo) with the understanding also.
We today in the new covenant can sing with the holy spirit by singing in tongues and also by singing with our own language.
It is part of our worship and enables us to fight and stand on His promises. Having done all stand and stand fully equipt for any attack from the enemy.
Eph 5:19
Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody (Psallo) in your heart to the Lord;
And then we can have the power to see the rosey side of every thing that comes our way. There is always something to be thankful for. There is always a positive side because we have now Eternal life and and everlasting hope!
Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
Granted that it takes Faith. But it is a gift and you have it in the spirit HE gave you.
Granted it goes against our nature but it is Gods nature. We can see our cup half full or half empty. It is a decision to walk by faith or by sight. If we walk by sight in our flesh it is always empty and never full. But in faith we are being filled constantly with joy.
But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
This sounds to someone who only sees with his eyes as pure masochism! But no it is not. Our faith is a gift we have from God
Eph 2:8
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
But you will say I am not feeling it! I don’t experience faith or joy so I don’t have it. No that is not how it works. You received all Christ’s faith and all Christ’s joy when you called on Him and were saved by the entrance of the gift of the holy spirit. You have the faith to act, but you must do it. When you feel like it or when you don’t. It works in you and it is not you doing it….that is grace. Also it is a joy because you can come out of every test weaker or stronger in your faith. You have the faith of Christ and need no more but we must grow up in Christ and get some muscle, spirit muscle and that is the goal…..perserverence or patience.
Jas 1:3KJV
Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
Jas 1:3 NET
Jas 1:3
because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
There is two kinds of knowing. One is to see it and to know it and the other way it to experience it and really know it. This Greek word for “knowing” is the second. When we start to grow up in Christ God is not causing the trials (the devil likes to do that) but God is showing us “greater is He, that is Christ in you than he that is in the world. That being your old man, the dead part of you called flesh. When you can come through a trial with joy and strength you have a new experience. You have laughed at the devils failed attempt and move on with a little more perserverence and muscle. That adds to you experience so you can say next time the devil throws a trial your way….”bring it on loser!” and even have joy, the feeling of Joy instead of defeat and depression.
But it take a little effort to praise God and acknowledge Him and even thank Him that this will all work out for the best! And if we fall you are not losing your Eternal life or Christ in you. Father will always pick you up in His arms of mercy and you have another day in Eternity to learn and grow.
Jas 1:4 NET
And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything
This is our goal to grow in Christ. And continue praising God especially when the heat is on!
Sing to God, sing praises to His name;
Extol Him who rides on the clouds,[fn]
By His name YAH,
And rejoice before Him.
Psa 68:2
As smoke is driven away,
So drive them away;
As wax melts before the fire,
So let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them.
But I will declare for ever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
When we sing and praise God we have the fruit of His spirit poured out to us. And those same events that are trying the world even today can be either bitter dregs or a good cup of wine. It depends on our view, SO we complain or praise God that we are stronger.
If we want to over come depression and enemies like that here is a great way David encouraged himself. Sing, play music praise be thankful for ever blessing and count them!
Hallelujah!
Psa 149
Hallelujah!
Sing to the LORD a new song,
his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel celebrate its Maker;
let the children of Zion rejoice in their King
Let them praise his name with dancing
and make music (Psallo) to him with tambourine and lyre.
{Play the electric guitar and synthesizers for God too}
For the LORD takes pleasure in his people;
he adorns the humble with salvation.
{See that is how God will heal you and save you with Joy}
Let the faithful celebrate in triumphal glory;
let them shout for joy on their beds.
{as the man Jesus healed and told to pick up his bed John 5:8}
Let the exaltation of God be in their mouths
and a double-edged sword in their hands,
{Our most powerful weapon is the Sword of the Spirit the word of God.!}
inflicting vengeance on the nations
and punishment on the peoples,
{ Our enemies are no longer any man, but spirits and principalities in high places. Spirits hovering around us oppressing and depressing us. They must go when we sing Hallelujah! And lift up our shield of believing}
binding their kings with chains
and their dignitaries with iron shackles,
{Jesus has given us the power over death! What demon can we not bind by singing Gods praises?}
carrying out the judgment decreed against them.
This honor is for all his faithful people.
Hallelujah!
This is our weapon the word of God and singing it Hallelujah! He is our source and He has poured out His spirit.
Truth Prospector 