“Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!” (Psalm 100:4)
Many of the Psalms deal with the concept of praising God. Some of them share specific circumstances within the psalmist’s life, using that as a reason to rejoice in God. But others praise the Lord simply because of Who He is. The psalmist needs no reason beyond that. God is awesome, and He deserves every ounce of praise we can give Him. Psalm 100 is one such psalm.
Psalm 100 is short, a mere five verses. But every verse is packed with exultations of God’s character, calling all who hear the psalm to join the writer in praise. “Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!” the psalm begins. “Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!” (vv. 1-2). It’s impossible to miss the air of excitement that surrounds this psalm. The writer is full of joy and is exuberant in his praise. He loves his LORD and wants to rejoice in Him, bringing as many people as possible along with him.
The psalmist next provides a more detailed example of how amazing God is. “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” (v. 3). This awesome God Who is worthy of praise just for being God chooses to call us His own sheep. We are His people, by His own choosing. Upon hearing that, how could we not join with exultation in this song of praise?
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving,” the psalm exhorts, “and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!” (v. 4). Again and again, we are called to simply praise. We give thanks to God for Who He is; we bless His name because He is worthy of it. “For the LORD is good,” the psalm concludes; “his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations” (v. 5). The psalm never lists any specific great thing God has done. It doesn’t recount how God has delivered the author from innumerable difficulties. It simply states that God is deserving of all our praise, and it encourages us to give it to Him. He is an awesome God, and we are His people. Let us praise Him together!