BLESSED be the Shem of Yahweh FOREVER – 10

Subject: David's Prayer Before the Ark

The Bible records a special prayer made by David when he brought the ark to set it inside the tent. 

Space does not allow me to expound on this passage, but you can read the entire prayer in 1 Chronicles 16:8-36. With David leading in prayer, he brings Asaph, the priests, the Levites and the brethren to worship Yahweh God in prayer.


1 Chronicles 16:8-36

8 Oh give thanks to the Yahweh; call upon his name;
    make known his deeds among the peoples!
9 Sing to him, sing praises to him;
    tell of all his wondrous works!
10 Glory in his holy name;
    let the hearts of those who seek Yahweh rejoice!

11 Seek Yahweh and his strength;

    seek his presence continually!
12 Remember the wondrous works that he has done,
    his miracles and the judgments he uttered,
13 O offspring of Israel his servant,
    children of Jacob, his chosen ones!

14 He is Yahweh our God;

    his judgments are in all the earth.
15 Remember his covenant forever,
    the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,
16 the covenant that he made with Abraham,
    his sworn promise to Isaac,
17 which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute,
    to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
18 saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan,
    as your portion for an inheritance.”

19 When you were few in number,
    of little account, and sojourners in it,
20 wandering from nation to nation,
    from one kingdom to another people,
21 he allowed no one to oppress them;
    he rebuked kings on their account,
22 saying, “Touch not my anointed ones,
    do my prophets no harm!”

23 Sing to Yahweh, all the earth!

    Tell of his salvation from day to day.
24 Declare his glory among the nations,
    his marvelous works among all the peoples!
25 For great is Yahweh, and greatly to be praised,

    and he is to be feared above all gods.
26 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
    but Yahweh made the heavens.

27 Splendor and majesty are before him;
    strength and joy are in his place.

28 Ascribe to Yahweh, O families of the peoples,

    ascribe to Yahweh glory and strength!

29 Ascribe to Yahweh the glory due his name;

    bring an offering and come before him!
Worship Yahweh in the splendor of holiness;[a]
30     tremble before him, all the earth;
    yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
31 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice,
    and let them say among the nations, “Yahweh reigns!”

32 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
    let the field exult, and everything in it!
33 Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy
    before Yahweh, for he comes to judge the earth.

34 Oh give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good;

    for his steadfast love endures forever!

35 Say also:

“Save us, O God of our salvation,
    and gather and deliver us from among the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
    and glory in your praise.
36 Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel,

    from everlasting to everlasting!”

Then all the people said, “Amen!” and praised Yahweh.

David starts the prayer to call on Yahweh’s Name. David’s prayer is concerned about the Shem of Yahweh from beginning to end. You see the words "Name" and "Yahweh" frequently coming up in this short prayer.

Name: 4X

1. Call on His Name
2. Glory in His Holy Name
3. The glory due His Name
4. Give thanks to your Holy Name


Yahweh: 16X

1. Give thanks to Yahweh
2. Seek Yahweh
3. Seek Yahweh and his strength 
4. He is Yahweh our God
5. Sing to Yahweh
6. Great is Yahweh and greatly to be praised
7. Yahweh made the heavens
8. Ascribe to Yahweh, O families of the peoples
9. Ascribe to Yahweh glory and strength!
10. Ascribe to Yahweh the glory due his name
11. Worship Yahweh in the splendor of holiness
12. Yahweh reigns!
13. At the presence of Yahweh
14. Oh give thanks to Yahweh, for He is good;
15. Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting!
16. Praise Yahweh


One of the ways to worship God in prayer is through music and musical instruments. 

• Here, David specifically appointed Levites to play psalteries and harps to exalt, thank, and praise God before the ark of His covenant. 
• Asaph sang with cymbals while the priests played the trumpets. 
• Together they made music to praise God and prayed. 
• They called on God's Name together and gave Yahweh the glory due to His Name (1Ch 16:29).

We need to all the more praise God in our prayers. 

• I find that I am only familiar with the kind of prayers that come to God with an agenda. Isn't this what we do when we have prayer meetings? We commit this matter into prayer and that matter into prayer. 

• But when it comes to praising God and His Name, I find myself on unfamiliar grounds. 

• This only shows how shallow I know Yahweh God. 

There is so much for us to learn in this series in the coming days. Let's learn these precious lessons together.


Can you guess how the prayer ends? 

“Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel forever and ever.” (1Chronicles 16:36)

BLESSED be the Shem of Yahweh FOREVER – 9

Subject: David's Prayer in weakness

Psalm 41:13
Blessed be to Yahweh, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen. 

Psalm 41 is one of David’s many prayers. 

• Here we find the secret of David's strength in weaknesses. 
• Yahweh delivers the weak in times of trouble. 
• Yahweh protects and preserves the weak. 
• Yahweh sustains the weak on their sick bed. 
• Yahweh restores the weak from their bed of illness. 

Call on the Name of Yahweh to have mercy on us to raise us up. (Psalm 41:4, 10)

• Do not get discouraged when you are weak. 
• Lately, I've been feeling very weak. 
• Give thanks to God because I am now able to see myself clearly. 
• It is when we perceive clearly our weaknesses that we passionately call out to God with a yearning heart. 
• Our prayers are no longer apathetic. 
• When God's deliverance comes, we become strong in His strength. 

David ends his prayer with these words, "Blessed be to Yahweh, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen" (Psalm 41:13).

In the previous articles, we have clearly seen that Psalm 72:19, 89:52, and 106:48 also end with this same special expression of blessing the Name of Yahweh at the close of their prayers.

Now, can you see how important the Name of God is to the Psalmists? 

Even to the end of their prayers, even when they are feeling weak in themselves, their concern is on the Name of Yahweh and to bless His Name!

How do you end your prayers to God?

BLESSED be the Shem of Yahweh FOREVER – 8

Subject: Ethan's Prayer

Psalm 89:52 

Blessed be Yahweh forever! Amen and Amen.

The Bible has a lot to say about praising and blessing the Shem of Yahweh that we are going to use another week to learn this important lesson.

This is the prayer of Ethan, the Ezrahite. He was one of the wise men from the time of Solomon. (1 Kings 4:31).

Like all men of God, he too is concerned for God’s Shem when he prays and he calls out to the Name of Yahweh throughout his prayer. 
Psalm 89

 

I will sing of the steadfast love of Yahweh, forever;
    with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.
2 For I said, “Steadfast love will be built up forever;
    in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness.”
3 You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one;
    I have sworn to David my servant:
4 ‘I will establish your offspring forever,
    and build your throne for all generations.’” Selah

5 Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Yahweh,
    your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!
6 For who in the skies can be compared to Yahweh?
    Who among the heavenly beings is like Yahweh,
7 a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones,
    and awesome above all who are around him?
8 O Yahweh God of hosts,
    who is mighty as you are, O Yahweh,
    with your faithfulness all around you?
9 You rule the raging of the sea;
    when its waves rise, you still them.
10 You crushed Rahab like a carcass;
    you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.
11 The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours;
    the world and all that is in it, you have founded them.
12 The north and the south, you have created them;
    Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your name.
13 You have a mighty arm;
    strong is your hand, high your right hand.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
    steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
15 Blessed are the people who know the festal shout,
    who walk, O Yahweh, in the light of your face,
16 who exult in your name all the day
    and in your righteousness are exalted.
17 For you are the glory of their strength;
    by your favor our horn is exalted.
18 For our shield belongs to Yahweh,
    our king to the Holy One of Israel.

19 Of old you spoke in a vision to your godly one, and said:
    “I have granted help to one who is mighty;
    I have exalted one chosen from the people.
20 I have found David, my servant;
    with my holy oil I have anointed him,
21 so that my hand shall be established with him;
    my arm also shall strengthen him.
22 The enemy shall not outwit him;
    the wicked shall not humble him.
23 I will crush his foes before him
    and strike down those who hate him.
24 My faithfulness and my steadfast love shall be with him,
    and in my name shall his horn be exalted.
25 I will set his hand on the sea
    and his right hand on the rivers.
26 He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father,
    my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’
27 And I will make him the firstborn,
    the highest of the kings of the earth.
28 My steadfast love I will keep for him forever,
    and my covenant will stand firm for him.
29 I will establish his offspring forever
    and his throne as the days of the heavens.
30 If his children forsake my law
    and do not walk according to my rules,
31 if they violate my statutes
    and do not keep my commandments,
32 then I will punish their transgression with the rod
    and their iniquity with stripes,
33 but I will not remove from him my steadfast love
    or be false to my faithfulness.
34 I will not violate my covenant
    or alter the word that went forth from my lips.
35 Once for all I have sworn by my holiness;
    I will not lie to David.
36 His offspring shall endure forever,
    his throne as long as the sun before me.
37 Like the moon it shall be established forever,
    a faithful witness in the skies.” Selah

38 But now you have cast off and rejected;
    you are full of wrath against your anointed.
39 You have renounced the covenant with your servant;
    you have defiled his crown in the dust.
40 You have breached all his walls;
    you have laid his strongholds in ruins.
41 All who pass by plunder him;
    he has become the scorn of his neighbors.
42 You have exalted the right hand of his foes;
    you have made all his enemies rejoice.
43 You have also turned back the edge of his sword,
    and you have not made him stand in battle.
44 You have made his splendor to cease
    and cast his throne to the ground.
45 You have cut short the days of his youth;
    you have covered him with shame. Selah

46 How long, O Yahweh? Will you hide yourself forever?
    How long will your wrath burn like fire?
47 Remember how short my time is!
    For what vanity you have created all the children of man!
48 What man can live and never see death?
    Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah

49 Lord, where is your steadfast love of old,
    which by your faithfulness you swore to David?
50 Remember, O Lord, how your servants are mocked,
    and how I bear in my heart the insults of all the many nations,
51 with which your enemies mock, O Yahweh,
    with which they mock the footsteps of your anointed.

52 Blessed be the Yahweh forever!
Amen and Amen.

Name – 3X

1. Rejoice in Your Name
2. In Your Name they rejoice all day long
3. In My Name, his horn shall be exalted

Yahweh – 11X

1. Sing of the steadfast love of Yahweh forever
2. Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Yahweh
3. For who in the skies can be compared to Yahweh?
4. Who among the heavenly beings is like Yahweh, a God
5. O Yahweh God of hosts,
6. Who is mighty as you are, O Yahweh
7. Who walk, O Yahweh, in the light of your face
8. For our shield belongs to Yahweh
9. How long, O Yahweh?
10. O Yahweh
11. Blessed be Yahweh forever! Amen and Amen.

When the psalmists pray, they often call on Yahweh's Name and pray that God's great love and faithfulness be declared throughout all generations. (Psalm 89:1). So in their prayers, you find them always rejoicing in God's Shem all day long to declare the steadfast love of Yahweh and His wondrous acts down through the ages. Let us also pray in this manner.

Who is like Yahweh our God of Hosts? 
Who is mighty as you are, O Yahweh?

In prayer, we must learn to truly worship God and not always bring out a list of prayer requests. 

We need to put our full attention on Yahweh God whose love stands firm forever (v.2). Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne & love and faithfulness go before Him (v14). God had acted faithfully in the past since the time of creation, and Yahweh will continue to act faithfully in this generation. Blessed be the Name of Yahweh forever.

Like David, Solomon and the other psalmists, please take note that Ethan also ends his prayer "blessing Yahweh forever!" Amen and Amen.

Blessed be the Yahweh forever!

Amen and Amen.