Bells and Whistles

Shout joyfully to God, all the earth;  Psalm 66:1  NASB

Shout joyfully – Did you know that this word (rūaʿ) is most typically used for a battle cry, an alarm in war?  Oh, it’s also about praise, the shofar, exultation, and making a lot of noise, but most of the time it’s about war cries.  Maybe we need to keep that in mind when we read this word in the context of everything praising God.  It’s not just raising voices in uplifting songs.  It’s also yelling with a sword in hand as we run to the fight.  Try praying like that sometime.

Now we need to notice another interesting element in the Psalmist’s arsenal.  This verse isn’t really about you and me hollering on our way to the fight.  It’s about “all the earth” raising a shout to God.  Like the eruption of a volcano, or the crash of lightning, or the vibration of an earthquake, or the rumble of thunder.  WHAM!  BAM!  Forty-two times rūaʿslams onto the page.  If you’re going to shout God’s glory, make it count!  Get loud!

We’ve been talking about discipline lately.  Maybe discipline includes a bit of noise now and then.  Maybe my feeling about the futility of existence, the constant interruptions of the trivial but unavoidable and my own failures of self-control need a shout-out.  Maybe my prayers are just too passive, too syrupy, too submissive.  Maybe I should join the quaking earth and ride the tidal wave, shouting as loud as I can that God is great, His power overwhelming, and I have nothing, that’s right, absolutely nothing to fear!  Maybe I should take the time right now to whoop and holler for God. (Or is it too embarrassing for you?)

I think we’ll continue with this psalm and see where all this noise takes us.  Okay?  But since you have so little to read now, maybe you’ll stand up and shout a few times—and listen for the echo from the earth.

Topical Index: shout, rūaʿ, noise, battle cry, Psalm 66:1