Psalm 100
Theme
A Song of Praise for the LORD’s Faithfulness to His People
Outline
1-5, An exhortation to praise God cheerfully.
Key Verse
(100:1) Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!
Notes
Psalm 100 is superscripted “for thanksgiving,” and 100:4 urges entering Yahweh’s gates with thanksgiving. This short psalm, then, stands as a string of imperatives with an accent on the gratitude that will motivate obedience to what the psalm commands. The seven responses to Yahweh commanded in Ps 100 are “shout” to him (100:1), “serve” him (100:2a), “come before him” (100:2b), “know” that “he is God” (100:2c), “come into his gates” (100:4), “praise him” (100:4c), and “bless his name” (100:4d), and all these commands are grounded by the statement of God’s goodness, defined as his lovingkindness and faithfulness, in 100:5. This psalm consists of seven commands in its first four verses with one ultimate reason to obey them in its final verse.