WHEN GOD SPEAKS
Often at the beginning of worship God’s people join together in the singing of Psalm 122. In doing this we join our voices with ancient Israel in praising the Lord.
Three times a year, the people of God would make their way to Jerusalem to participate in the three great Temple Festivals. On their way, they would sing songs—songs that God gave them to sing, songs of praise, songs of worship, songs that would set their hearts and minds in the framework for worship and praises. We find these fifteen songs as Psalms 120–134 in the Bible. They are called Psalms of Ascents. They were called this because they were sung as Israel was ascending to the Temple.
Now, these Psalms or Ascents are arranged in a pattern. There is no accident in their arrangement. They are arranged so that there is progress in worship. There is, in order, awareness of our need in worship, confession that Jehovah is our Keeper, trust and thanksgiving. There is the necessity of family spirituality, repentance, unity among brethren. And then there is that 134th! It is a prayer for blessing. “Behold, bless ye Jehovah, all ye servants of Jehovah . . . Jehovah bless thee out of Zion. . . .” The singers are praying that they may know the blessing of Jehovah, even as they have worshiped His Holy Name. Psalm 122, at which we look especially right now, expresses the gladness of the people of God who worship in Jerusalem.
Indeed, for the child of God of any age, worship is a glad time. It’s a glad time because, as we have gathered together, we learn of the Covenant friendship of Jehovah. God speaks and our hearts are made glad.
Oh, we realize that stand before a God who is holy. With Isaiah of old, we say, “Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am undone: because I am a man of unclean tips” (Isaiah 6:5). Yet we realize that we know Him and His Covenant fellowship through our Lord Jesus Christ. There is blessing in that hour of worship, and as children of God, we look forward to that time when we can he in the presence of God in it special way once again. All during the week we look forward to the Lord’s Day. All week long we have needs. We are tempted—some more than others. We have doubts. We are tired. Our faith is little. We have needs. With gladness we look forward to the Lord’s Day when once again the Lord will speak to us something we need to know.
“My heart was glad,” we sing, “to hear the welcome sound.” “I was glad,” we read, “when they said unto me, Let us go up into the House of Jehovah.” Why are we glad? Why is there gladness in our souls? Because as we worship, we know that God is speaking, and we need to hear the voice of the living God.
All through the worship service, of course, God speaks to tis. But there are several times in the worship service when God speaks to us in a very special way. They remain the same in every service. There is a reason for that. Those three times are first, the Votum; second, the Salutation; third, the Benediction.
In each of these statements which we so often hardly hear, God is speaking to us. God speaks, and the very message that we receive from these three statements is enough to make our hearts burst with praise and gladness. Hearing them we know we are in the presence of our Holy God. They are Covenantal expressions. Through them He is speaking to His own. He is expressing His Covenant blessing. We hear:
- The Votum – which is a Covenantal declaration.
- The Salutation – which is a Covenantal testimony.
- The Benediction – which is a Covenantal promise.
Just these three parts of the worship service and for our consideration now. Perhaps we have missed the blessing of these words from God in worship. If we realize what God is saying, there will he in our worship the joy and gladness of Psalm 122. We will come into the presence of God saying: “I was glad when they said unto me, ‘Let us go into the House of Jehovah’.”
1. Worship – corporate worship—begins with a Covenantal declaration. God has something to say to us. Before He does that. however, we participate in the Silent Prayer—either in an organized way or as we take our places in the pews but this is not an official part of the worship service. It is your act as individuals in preparation for worship. Worship begins as God says something to us.
This “something” is expressed in the Votum. Now, the Votum, as such, has been around the church for a long time—centuries, in fact. Perhaps it’s not the best word to explain what takes place at that point in the worship service. The word “votum” literally means “thing dedicated.”
In the Votum is emphasized, if we take the word literally, what the people do. For that reason in some of our churches, the people say the Votum. The minister begins by asking, “Where is our help?” The congregation responds, “Our help is in the name of Jehovah, who made heaven and earth.” However, when we view worship as a Covenantal experience, humility reminds us that we do not come into God’s presence and offer the first word. God speaks to us first. God has the first word.
Why, then, do we continue to use the word “votum”? We use the word, perhaps, because it has been around for so long a time. Before the Reformation the Votum was a word which indicated that the priest was to begin his work leading up to the Mass. After the Reformation, it took on a new meaning. It was a word that meant something for the congregation. It didn’t necessarily mean that the congregation had to say it. It was, rather, something that God was saying to the congregation.
The Votum has been used in the Reformation Churches, then, as an announcement that worship is about to begin for the Body of Christ gathered together. Up to that time, during the Prelude and the Silent Prayer, they have been acting as individuals waiting for worship to begin. Someone has said that the Votum is, as it were, God opening the door into His presence. And so every time you hear, “Our help is in the name of Jehovah, who made heaven and earth,” God, through these words is opening the door into His presence so that as the Body of Christ, we can worship Him.
The Votum, whatever words it may include, is not, then, a call to worship. It is, instead, an announcement that you and I are in the presence of Jehovah, our Covenant God. If the announcement is not made in the familiar words of Psalm 124, perhaps we hear, “O come, let us worship and how down; I,et us kneel before Jehovah our Maker: For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, the sheep of his hand” (Psalm 95:6, 7). Whichever it is, the words are always from Scripture because they are from God. The Votum cannot be simply a word from man! Who of us would presume that our word is better than God’s!
Underlying this declaration as worship begins is the truth that the Covenant of Grace is the ground and foundation for our worship. Consider the most familiar Votum: “Our help is in the Name of Jehovah, who made heaven and earth”—words from Psalm 124:8. Psalm 124 speaks of the need of the people of God. It speaks of being battered by temptation and trial. In the midst of this the people of God are weak. Yet, they confess that it was with Jehovah’s help that they could stand “when men rose up against” them. Finally, there comes; that declaration, “Our help is in the name of Jehovah.”
As we begin worship this declaration comes from God telling us that we are in the presence of God and that He alone is our Help. We know our need; we know our weaknesses. We confess that we are proud and that we have nothing in ourselves. We need the Lord. And God says, “Our help is in the name of Jehovah.” He is our Covenant God.
Or, consider those other words, “O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before Jehovah our Maker: For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, the sheep of his hand.” These words speak to us again of God’s Covenantal redemptive love and faithfulness. Think of it! As we are conscious of our sins and shortcomings, He tells us that He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, the sheep of His hand. God opens the door to His presence and says, “Come, I am thy God. I have a message for you.”
Really then, what is God saying as we hear that Votum? He is speaking in a few words the real meaning of all that follows. It’s not just a convenient way to begin the service. Nor is it something that we do in order to begin the service with some order and dignity, even though that’s all that some people think it is. Instead, that Votum has meaning. Because it has meaning you and I can say, “I was glad when they said unto me, ‘Let us go into the House of Jehovah.’”
The Votum comes to us with a message something like that brought by a herald in the New Testament days. You remember, the herald was an announcer of official tidings, of official truth. John the Baptist was the herald of Jesus Christ. He was the one who came as the Forerunner, saying, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord. Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.” He was a herald; he was a declarer of official truth. A minister in the Bible is also considered a herald because he speaks not his words, but God’s Word. His is an official task. He brings official tidings. The Votum also is an announcer of official tidings. God says in it, “Now, you are in my presence. You are in the presence of the Living God!”
As we come to worship these words tell us that our worship is not isolated from the stream of life that runs from Monday through Saturday. They remind us that the Lord’s Day and its activity fit right into that stream. It’s a day when we have an audience with our God. In it He says that the help we need is in His Covenant name. We do not worship, the Votum tells us, in order to fulfill duties or to satisfy pious feelings. Rather, we worship because He is our helper; and that He declares to us. We need Him as we walk down the road of life day by day.
How precious, then, the Votum should he to the child of God. Hearing it he thinks about the week that’s past and what that week has held. Has it been illness? Has it been severe disappointment? Has there been a loved one over whom there has been agony because of illness, pain or unfaithfulness? No doubt, there have been struggles during the week. We have them every day, don’t we? Then we come to worship, and as we are about to be ushered into the presence of the Holy God, He says, “Our help is in the name of Jehovah.” Praise the Lord! But we have needs. Oh, we have needs! Listen, He tells us that He’s our helper. God comes to us by His Word and Spirit declaring to us that He is the Covenantal God, that He loves His people and that He cares for them.
2. As soon as the Covenantal declaration is given, a Covenantal testimony comes. That testimony—that word from God we call the Salutation.
The use of the Salutation has its roots in Scripture. All through the New Testament, we find salutations. Turn to almost any New Testament epistle and you find one—long or short. You read, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”; and you read “Grace to you and peace.” Sometimes “mercy” is included. Once the single word “Greeting” is used. The salutation was a formal way of greeting. And perhaps because of this it became a part of worship very early in the history of the Church.
Of course, there’s a slight difference between the salutation that we find in the Bible and the Salutation that you hear in worship. The salutation in Scripture is one that opens an authoritative epistle, whereas the one that you hear at the beginning of worship is one in which God is speaking a word of peace to His people.
With hands uplifted, the minister communicates God’s testimony to His people. It is God’s welcome. Whereas the Votum is declaring where our help is, the Salutation is God saying, “Here is your help. Grace, mercy, peace from God, our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.” After the door is opened into God’s presence, the call is given to come.
In the Salutation God is expressing His delight in His people. He tells us that our presence is sweet to Him. He rejoices when we are together in His presence. He tells us that we are dear to Him in spite of what we are by nature. Isn’t that a word that we need to hear when we come to worship? We stand with Isaiah of old and we say, “Woe is me, for I am undone.” But God says, “Grace he unto you and peace.” How beautiful!
Beautiful, indeed, is the word that God gives us. Grace and peace—how precious are those words. God says, “Mine to you is spontaneous, unmerited favor. I love you, and I want you to know that you are reconciled to me through Jesus Christ.” Grace and peace—that is precious, indeed. We come in to worship knowing God’s holiness. Are we timid, perhaps even fearful? Here in the Salutation, all fear is sent away. We are told in these words of God’s Covenant love for us. No matter how “messed up” our lives have been—no matter how great has been our need of forgiveness—there is grace. What a relief! Oh, what joy and we can say again, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go into the house of Jehovah.’”
Through the Salutation God is saying something to us. By no means is it just a wish. Nor is it a prayer. It is an authoritative declaration that grace is ours and that peace is our experience through Jesus Christ. It is a statement of fact. When it is time for the Salutation in worship, listen, God speaks. But when you hear that Salutation, is the message clear to you? If you really hear the Salutation it will be a word of comfort.
3. We need a testimony of God’s mercy as we come and we need a Covenantal promise as we leave. Therefore, after we’ve completed the hour of worship, having heard the message of God, there is still another word that God has for us. That word is the last thing on our order of worship, and it is called the Benediction.
The word “benediction” literally means “the act of blessing.” As the minister again lifts his hands, this time to give the Benediction, he’s declaring God’s blessing on His own. We needed the word of blessing as we came because of our weakness, sin, trials because of all that we are. Then, at the conclusion of the service, the Benediction comes. God speaks a word of promise. God spoke first as we began. God speaks the last word, too.
The practice of receiving the Benediction is not a new one for God’s people. The Old Testament priest, when he had finished all his work in the sanctuary, came out and with raised hands blessed the people. The people were told by this that that which had taken place within the sanctuary was a blessing for them.
Because the Benediction was so blessed and meaningful for God’s people, it is not strange that God saw fit to include it at the close of most of the New Testament Epistles. Nor is it strange that it was included in the early church’s worship, as well.
As we worship, it is still used. We need to know the blessing of God as we go out. We must hear that all that God has done for us in Jesus Christ is still ours.
How comforting is this Benediction for the people of God! In the beginning, we are welcomed by God into His presence. At the end, He dismisses us. Sometimes as we leave worship together, we are perplexed as we face new challenges and a new week. “What will tomorrow bring? It’s been blessed to he with the people of God here It’s been blessed to he reassures that God loves His own. Hut what will tomorrow bring? I know what the road behind me has been—its rough spots and smooth. There has been temptation. There has been trial. Often I have had little faith. I have struggled with doubt and fear. What will tomorrow bring and how am 1 going to be able to go out into the workaday world carrying that assurance and blessing that has been mine as I have been with the people of God? Will I be able to face with confidence the many new experiences?”
Listen, God is speaking a word of blessing: “Jehovah bless thee and keep thee. Jehovah make His face to shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee. Jehovah lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace” (Num. 6:24–27). God says in these words that His presence will be with His people. His presence will shine upon them not only as they are gathered together as a Body of Christ in worship, but as they go out to the daily duties of their earthly pilgrimage. God says, “I am with thee. Be not dismayed. I am thy God. What I said is not false, the word is true. You can go out where you will meet fears, temptations and doubts, where you will have needs, and you need not fear as you walk through the valley. I am with you.”
We hear “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (II Cor. 13:14). God says, “What I said in the beginning still holds true, I said, ‘Grace be unto you and peace.’ Go, and go in confidence because the very grace and peace that I spoke to you as you came into my presence to worship will go with you as you go forth. I am with you.”
Is it any wonder that God‘s people are taught to sing, “I was glad when they said unto me, ‘Let us go into the house of Jehovah?’” Is it any wonder that God’s people learn to rejoice when God speaks the very words that seem ever so routine. They are such precious words They are words of confidence and assurance.
Ah, but some don’t hear those words, do they? Why? Maybe it is because they do not know what they mean. Maybe it is because worship is just a routine pattern that they follow. If you really hear these words, worship becomes a precious and a blessed experience, Every Word of God that comes from Him is filled with blessing for His people. If you hear them you can rejoice because they arc filled with comfort from God. God has a word for you because of where you’ve been last week and because of where you will he next week and because of where you arc right now. He has a word for you. What a joy!
If you have learned to listen to these words, then as you come to the end of worship you will pray in your heart,
Savior again to Thy dear name we raise With one accord our parting hymn of praise; We stand to bless Thee, ere our worship cease, And now, departing wait Thy word of peace.