“Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance.” (Ps 89:15 AV)
The joyful sound is a reference to corporate worship sung at the Tabernacle or Temple. The suggestion is a sound of worship and praise that was loud and consisted of many voices. The Hebrew definition of the phrase ‘joyful sound’ is, “alarm, signal, sound of tempest, shout, shout or blast of war or alarm or joy”. This joyful sound was not a mere single ‘Amen’ in the back of the building. This joyful sound was the entire congregation praising God with one voice, in unison, with response or psalm. With trumpets, harps, and other musical instruments accompanying surrendered congregants, the sheer volume was overwhelming. For the cursory attender, this would have been life-changing. The suggestion goes even further. If the cursory attender were to come faithfully and allow the tumultuous worship of the gratefully saved affect him or her, he or she would then more faithfully walk in the presence of the LORD’s countenance.
It is of the LORD that as I contemplate this passage and write this entry, I sit here with Handel’s Messiah playing on my TV. For those unfamiliar, Handel’s Messiah is a masterpiece composed more than two hundred years ago. George Frideric Handel sought a friend who would lay out the scriptures that would clearly tell the story of man’s fallen condition and the redemption that can be found in Jesus Christ alone. According to historians, Handel composed this work in twenty-four days. It is so well known that many have heard the most famous of this work – the Hallelujah Chorus. It is so well known, that the chorus occurs in movies, television, and commercial ads. As I sit here, I am listening in particular to the portion that recounts the crucifixion of Christ. In particular, the choral entry based on Isaiah fifty-three and verse six. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isa 53:6 AV) As the choir ends this entry, I find tears of humble gratitude welling in my eyes. The masterpiece has a way of boring the sculptures deep in the heart. As another historian mentioned, a king congratulated Handel on his work and called it royal entertainment. To which Handel responded that he did not intend to entertain, but change the life of the listener. I think he succeeded. At least with this listener.
The thing is, as wonderful as Handel’s Messiah is, it pales in comparison to what we will experience in heaven. That being said, we rob ourselves of the presence of God when we do not experience His presence in a way that can only be experienced in public worship. We can be very intimate with God in the solace of our prayer closet. God and the saint alone in the privacy of an inner chamber cannot be equaled. But God did not create us to be solitary. He created us to share our experience with God in a congregational setting as well. There is something to be said of the presence of God when a multitude gathers to worship Him with clean hearts and humble spirits. There is nothing else like it. Once we participate in such an assembly, we will never see God the same way again! This is the psalmist’s point. To be exposed to a multitude who love God and desire to praise Him and only Him is life-changing.
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