MAGNIFY THE LORD

Psa. 34:3

Morning Meditation 3/7/2013

Psalm 34:3 says, “O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.”

The word “magnify” is the Hebrew word “gadal” and means “to become great or important, to promote, to praise.” It is used in the Piel stem in the Hebrew and represents intensive or intentional action. It is in the imperative mood which means it is a command. David said this intensively. He wrote the psalm then came before those gathered to worship and was intensive in his presentation of it. He also commanded the people to magnify the LORD. As king he could do that. He was not asking for personal praise. He was asking that the LORD be praised.

Not only is it said intensively and commanded it is an invitation. He said “O magnify the LORD with me...” Now you can’t make God great. He is as great as he can be. You cannot add to perfection. You cannot exalt God. He is exalted.

Thomas Brooks said, “We are as well able to comprehend the sea in a cockle-shell as we are able to comprehend God. God is above all name, all notion and all comprehension . . . you shall as soon tell the stars of heaven, number the sand of the sea, stop the sun in its course, raise the dead and make a world as be able to comprehend the infiniteness of God’s essence: ‘His greatness is unsearchable’ (Psa. 145:3). The most perfect knowledge we can have of God is that we cannot perfectly know Him because we do know Him to be infinitely and incomprehensibly perfect: ‘Oh the depth both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out’ (Rom. 11:33) . . . There is infinitely more in God than the tongues of men or angels can express.”

Anselm of Canterbury said, “God is that, the greater than which cannot be conceived.”

John Fletcher said, “The Royal Academy of Paris offered a prize to the man who should write the best copy of verses upon the divine nature. Many wrote largely on the awful subject; but Professor Crousaz sent only two lines: ‘Cease to expect from man a proper description of the Supreme Being; none can speak properly of Him but himself.’ And the judicious Academicians agreed to crown this short performance, because it gave the most exalted idea of Him, whose dazzling glory calls for our silent adoration and forbids the curious disquisitions of our philosophical pride . . . As we cannot grasp the Universe with our hands, so we cannot comprehend the Maker of the Universe with our thoughts.”

So when David said, “O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together” he was not attempting to make God greater (according to the definition of the word) but to acknowledge his greatness.

This can be done by praising him for creation. Psalm 19 does this: verses 1-6 say, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.” We will never come up with a song that will come nearly as close to magnifying the LORD of creation that does this Psalm. This is the reason Paul says, “Speaking to yourselves in psalms ...” (Eph. 5:19). These are verbally inspired words that magnify the LORD in praise.

Can you imagine what an insult it is to God for a man he has created, refusing to acknowledge him as Creator but rather magnifying the falsehood of evolution? Men of so-called learning actually glorify themselves for having supposedly found the secret of man’s existence. And in doing it the Creator is totally excluded. Then some “creature” with a brain the size of a neutron comes along and says “We believe as Christians that God worked through the process of evolution.” This idea exalts man’s professed findings which has the effect of exalting man’s wisdom. It rejects God’s revelation which says, “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.” And again in verse 9, “For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.” (Psa. 33:6,9).

The word “magnify” is also used by Mary in Luke 1:46-47 “And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” I’ll have to let you turn and read that passage. When the Lord revealed to Mary, she was going to have the “Son of God” (Lk. 1:35) she did not say, “But Lord this is scientifically impossible. Now how will I account to the learned men of our day for this pregnancy?” A question that would not be stupid when addressed to man, becomes immediately stupid when addressed to God. “For with God nothing shall be impossible” (Lk. 1:37).

David said, “O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.” It is right for man to acknowledge the greatness of God out loud, publicly and bear the reproach of those who do are not willing to acknowledge his greatness.

There was a black man years ago who could not stay quiet when the preacher preached the gospel, exalted the Lord and talked about the second coming and heaven. He would shout and disturb the services. Now this was bothering the new preacher fresh out of seminary. So the deacons got together and said, “We’ve got to do something about this. It is disturbing our new preacher and we sure don’t want to lose him.” So, they decided to go and talk to this man. When they found him, he was down in the field plowing with a team of mules. Well, they went out to where he was and explained the problem he was creating for the young preacher. Well, the man said, “I do not want to cause a problem. Now men, I do not mean to disturb the services. I just have a time controlling myself when the preacher says something good about salvation, the coming of my Lord and about us being reunited with our loved one when he comes.” As he explained to them his feelings on the subject and described what caused him to overflow, he asked one of the deacons as he handed him the reins of the team of mules, “Would you please hold these mules while I shout?!”

So when I use this “would you please hold my mules” from now on, you will know what I am talking about. It is not wrong to magnify the Lord with a loud voice! Luke 1:42 “And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.”

May we all magnify the LORD in our hearts and with our mouths and bear the reproach it causes “Being fools for Christ’s sake.”

God bless each of you.

In Christ

Bro. White