Jesus, Our Role Model for Worship – Part 2
David W Palmer
2. Praise in the Life of Jesus
Surprisingly, we do not have many instances that record Jesus praising, but thankfully we do have some:
a. Jesus sings in the assembly
(Hebrews 2:12 NKJV) saying: “I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.”
This New Testament passage that speaks of Jesus’s ongoing role of singing “praise” in “the assembly” is the fulfillment of an Old Testament prophecy:
(Psalm 22:22 NKJV) “I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You.”
Interestingly, the New Testament puts it as “sing praise,” whereas the Old Testament has it simply as “praise.” In this instance, the word translated, “praise,” comes from the Hebrew word, “halal”—meaning to shine, to boast, to rave, to be clamorously foolish, etc. This implies that Jesus joyfully sings with us when we praise God together. What’s more, he sings with unashamed and unrestrained passion, declaration, and display. We should cooperate with him by joining in wholehearted praise in church meetings, etc. This will reflect God’s own gusto and excitement as described in this passage:
(Zephaniah 3:17 NKJV) “The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”
Words here translated “rejoice” and “singing” reveal that God “spins around under the influence of strong emotion” while making “a shrill sound”—a shout or cry of gladness, joy, proclamation, rejoicing, shouting, and singing (Strongs H1523, H7442). Jesus praises and celebrates in this way like his Father, and he is our role model.
b. Jesus jumped for joy
(Luke 10:21 NKJV) “In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.”
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When this passage says that Jesus “rejoiced in spirit,” the original Greek word means that he was jumping for joy in the Holy Spirit (Strongs G21). The Amplified Bible says that he “rejoiced and glorified God in the spirit.” Another version says, “He thrilled for joy in the Holy Spirit” (Moffatt). And yet another says, “He rejoiced exceedingly, this rejoicing being energized by the Holy Spirit” (Wuest). If this is what Jesus, our role model, did when giving thanks for a great kingdom outcome, we simply should imitate him.
3. Jesus the Singer
Again, not many Scripture passages reveal Jesus as a singer, but we do have some:
a. Jesus sang at the last supper
(Matthew 26:30 NKJV) “And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.”
This was the last [unified] thing that Jesus did with his loyal disciples before the cross. It was an act of unity. Facing imminent death, our role model demonstrated praise in the midst of terrible circumstances. This shows the importance of singing praises—Jesus literally “blessed the Lord at all times, his praise was continually in” Jesus’s “mouth” (See: Psalm 34, 1 Thes. 5:16, etc.).
b. Singing in the book of Hebrews
(Hebrews 2:12 NKJV) saying: “I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.”
As we have already seen, Jesus sings praise with us in church as we praise God together.
What have we learned, and what can we apply today from Jesus’s lifestyle of praise? Remember to thank God for miracles—even before they are manifested in the natural realm.
Sing praise, and declare the name of the Lord in the midst of the brethren. That is, join in the corporate singing of praise in meetings with other believers. In truth, we are never alone; Jesus is always with us, and we have the Holy Spirit inside us. So let’s too live this Psalm:
(Psalm 34:1 NKJV) “I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
Do this especially when facing difficulties. Imitate Jesus’s lifestyle of praise—through exuberant, demonstrative, passionate, rejoicing singing, and proclaiming while at church, and at all other times, especially today … “continually.”