O WORSHIP THE KING

Robert Grant, 1779–1838

Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth; sing to Him a psalm of praise. (Psalm 47:6, 7)

The word worship is a contraction of an old expression in the English language, woerth-scipe, denoting the giving of reverent praise to an object of superlative worth. True worship, then, is an act by a redeemed man, the creature, toward God, his Creator, whereby his will, intellect, and emotions gratefully respond to the revelation of God’s person expressed in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, as the Holy Spirit illuminates the written word to his heart.

The author of this text, Robert Grant, described himself and all of us as “frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,” even though he was a member of a distinguished British political family, a member of the Parliament of Scotland, and governor of Bombay, India, for a time. Throughout his entire life, Grant was a devoutly evangelical Christian who strongly supported the missionary outreach of his church and endeared himself to the people of India by establishing a medical college in Bombay.

Although this is the only hymn by Sir Robert Grant in common usage today, it is considered to be a model for worship. Its descriptive names used in exalting the Almighty are significant: Shield, Defender, Ancient of Days, Maker, Defender, Redeemer and Friend. Also the vivid imagery—“pavilioned in splendor,” “girded with praise,” “whose robe is the light,” “whose canopy space,” “chariots of wrath,” “wings of the storm”—aids us in the worthy praise and adoration of our heavenly King.

O worship the King, all-glorious above, and gratefully sing His pow’r and His love; our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days, pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise.

O tell of His might, O sing of His grace, whose robe is the light, whose canopy space; His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form, and dark is His path on the wings of the storm.

Thy bountiful care what tongue can recite? It breathes in the air; it shines in the light. It streams from the hills, it descends to the plain, and sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.

Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail, in thee do we trust, nor find thee to fail; Thy mercies how tender, how firm to the end! Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer and Friend.

For Today: Psalm 104; 22:28–31; 145:1–13; 1 Timothy 6:15, 16

Identify activities in a church service that are often substituted for the worship of God. Reflect again on the message of this hymn—

Osbeck, K. W.

• My soul, praise thou the Lord: O Lord my God, thou art exceeding great, thou art clothed with glory and honor. Which covereth himself with light, as with a garment, and spreadeth the heavens like a curtain. Which layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters, and maketh the clouds his chariot, and walketh upon the wings of the wind. Which maketh the spirits his messengers;and a flaming fire his ministers. He set the earth upon her foundations, so that it shall never move. Thou coverest it with the deep as with a garment: the waters would stand above the mountains. But at thy rebuke they flee: at the voice of thy thunder they haste away. And the mountains ascend, and the valleys descend to the place which thou hast established for them. But thou hast set them a bound which they shall not pass: they shall not return to cover the earth. He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run between the mountains. They shall give drink to all the beasts of the field, and the wild asses shall quench their thirst. By these springs shall the fowls of the heaven dwell, and sing among the branches. He watereth the mountains from his chambers, and the earth is filled with the fruit of thy works. He causeth grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the use of man, that he may bring forth bread out of the earth, And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread that strengtheneth man’s heart. The high trees are satisfied, even the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted, That the birds may make their nests there: the rocks are a refuge for the conies. He appointed the moon for certain seasons: the sun knoweth his going down. Thou makest darkness, and it is night, wherein all the beasts of the forest creep forth. The lions roar after their preey, and seek their meat at God. When the sun riseth, they retire, and couch in their dens. Then goeth man forth to his work, and to his labor until the evening. O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. So is the sea great and wide: for therein are things creeping innumerable, both small beasts and great. There go the ships, yea that Leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein. All these wait upon thee, that thou mayest give them food in due season. Thou givest it to them, and they gather it, thou openest thy hand, and they are filled with good things. But if thou hide thy face, they are troubled: if thou take away their breath, they die and return to their dust: Again if thou send forth thy spirit, they are created, and thou renewest the face of the earth. Glory be to the Lord forever: let the Lord rejoice in his works. He looketh on the earth and it trembleth: he toucheth the mountains, and they smoke. I will sing unto the Lord all my life: I will praise my God, while I live. Let my words be acceptable unto him: I will rejoice in the Lord. Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and the wicked till there be no more: O my soul, praise thou the Lord. Praise ye the Lord. Psalm 104
• For the kingdom is the Lord’s, and he ruleth among the nations. All they that be fat in the earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down into the dust, shall bow before him, even he that cannot quicken his own soul. Their seed shall serve him: it shall be counted unto the Lord for a generation. They shall come and shall declare their righteousness unto a people that shall be born, because he hath done it. Psalm 22:28-31
• O my God and King, I will extol thee, and will bless thy Name forever and ever. I will bless thee daily, and praise thy Name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and most worthy to be praised, and his greatness is incomprehensible. Generation shall praise thy works unto generation, and declare thy power. I will meditate of the beauty of thy glorious maesty, and thy wonderful works. And they shall speak of the power of thy dreadful acts, and I will declare thy greatness. They shall break out into the mention of thy great goodness, and shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. The Lord is gracious, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great mercy. The Lord is good to all, and his mercies are over all his works. All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord, and thy Saints bless thee. They show the glory of thy kingdom, and speak of thy power, To cause his power to be known to the sons of men, and the glorious renown of his kingdom. Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all ages. Psalm 145:1-13
• Which in due time he shall show, that is blessed and Prince only, the King of kings and Lord of lord. Who only hath immortality, and dwelleth in the light that none can attain unto, whom never man saw, neither can see, unto whom be honor and power, everlasting.1 Timothy 6:15-16