The Big Scoop on Magnifying God

There is an old Jewish legend on the idea of magnifying God which says that, after God had created the world, He called the angels to Him and asked them what they thought of it; and one of them said, “One thing is lacking: the sound of praise to the Creator.” So God created music, and it was heard in the whisper of the wind, and in the song of the birds. To man also was given the gift of song. And all down the ages this gift of song has indeed proved a blessing to multitudes of souls.¹ In this week’s Light on Life we are focusing some on the subject of music, and with that we will carry over and begin to look at some signs the Spirit of God put in the Bible that act as pointers in this area of magnifying God.

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Conscience and the Inward Witness: A Look at the Spirit Led Life

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Accept the Challenge

Each week’s podcast contains a call to action. The Word of God will not produce in your life unless you put into operation.
This week’s call is:

Are you a regular worshipper of God. Can the Lord say of you, that in your house dwells one who will always be found magnifying God?

Join the Conversation

Each week’s podcast also contains a question designed to encourage testimony. Testimony is vital to a believer’s life. We overcome by it (Rev. 12:11).
This week’s question is:

Question: How do you show the Lord that your commitment is to put Him first in your praise life? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Episode Resources:

You can find additional information on the subject of the Gospel of John in the resources listed below.

About Emery

Emery committed his life to the Lord Jesus Christ over 40 years ago and has served as both a full-time pastor and an itinerant minister. Both he and his wife Sharon of 35 years emphasize personal growth and development through the Word of God. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is both the focus and the hallmark of their mission. Read more about them here.

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If you enjoyed the podcast, please rate it on Stitcher Radio and leave a review. If you have a suggestion for a Bible topic, you would like to see taught, or if you have a question, please e-mail me at emery@emeryhorvath.com

Podcast Notes

Definitions for Worshiping God: ‘Todah’ and ‘Zamir’

On the subject of magnifying God, D. L. Moody said the following:

If we have a praise church we will have people converted. I don’t care where it is, what part of the world it’s in, if we have a praise church we’ll have successful Christianity.²

One area of successful Christianity is depicted in the ninety-fifth Psalm.

Psalm 95:2 (ESV) — 2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

If you remember from a previous podcast, we got into Psalm 95 for a bit and began to define some of the terms we saw in there.
We talked about the word thanksgiving, which is the Hebrew word ‘todah’ which means to offer thanks for God’s past or present deeds in the life of an individual or community.
We saw that the word ‘todah’ in Psalm 100 is part of our approach when we come before the Lord.

Psalm 100:4 (CSB) — 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name.

We saw that the psalmist declared that you enter God’s gates with ‘todah.’
It’s good to thank God for what He has personally performed in your life.
Salvation, healing, deliverance, answered prayer, and favor from God’s hand all need to be met with thanksgiving.
Tell the story and recount the glory as you are passing through the gates.

‘Zamir’

Then we looked at the next word, the word ‘zamir.’
‘Zamir’ is songs or a piece of music that is either played on instruments, sung, or both.
And finally, we took a look at the phrase, ‘Make a joyful noise with songs.’
We saw that ‘joyful noise’ did not mean being all out of tune.
That’s what we say to encourage people to sing whether they are given to music or not.
We say that God doesn’t care if you have any talent in the singing arena; sing unto the Lord from your heart, in tune, out of tune it makes no difference.
And this is right and true.
But, that’s not what joyful noise means in Hebrew.
The phrase is all one word, and it means to shout or to utter a sudden loud cry.
In other words, the Spirit of God is saying through the Psalmists, open up your big mouth and just let it out.
Sing, shout out your song unto the Lord.
Come through the gates of the Lord, singing loud.
But, now the question we need to answer and the one we left off with from last week’s podcast is what kind of songs you should sing to magnify God?

Magnifying God: What Kind of Songs Should You Sing?

Psalm 119:54 (ESV) — 54 Your statutes have been my songs in the house of my sojourning.

David said, ‘your statutes,’ that is your Word has been my song.
Glory to God!
If you are going to sing something, sing His statutes.
Sing the Word.
Put scriptures to music.
Take the Word of God upon your lips and sing it out.
It’s just another way to get the Word of God in your heart.

Worshiping God in the New Testament

The New Testament counterpart to singing scripture songs is found in two places: Ephesians five and Colossians three.

Ephesians 5:19 (ESV) — 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,

Colossians 3:16 (ESV) — 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, that’s the New Testament kind of worship Jesus referred to when He said to the Samaritan women at the well that God is a spirit and those that worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.
Spirit and truth, did you hear that?
What do spirit and truth mean?
Spirit means that the song you sing, the hymn you give out, the spiritual song that rises from your lips is energized and inspired by the Holy Spirit of God.
It’s not a song that you think about singing from your head.
But, a song that rises out of your heart.
It’s not necessarily the catchy song you hear on satellite radio or the internet.
No, it is a song that comes by the Holy Spirit via the human spirit.
You see, magnifying God is not done from the natural.
It comes just like Jesus said, by spirit and truth.
Magnifying God has both elements; don’t miss it.
It’s not all Spirit; it’s Spirit and truth.
The words you sing should meet the criteria of truth, that is, it must contain the Word.
Jesus said these words to His Father as He was praying in John seventeen.

John 17:17 (ESV) — 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

That’s the same as what the psalmist David said, ‘Your statutes, your word which is truth, have been my songs.’
And, God’s statutes should be your songs.
Quit listening to all that worldly junk and take up the songs of heaven upon your lips.
When you do, that’s magnifying God in the Spirit like Jesus said.
If the woman at the well was encouraged to worship God this way, then you can and ought to worship this way.

Magnifying God with Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs

What is a psalm, what is a hymn, what is a spiritual song?
First, psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs come via the inspiration of the Spirit of God.
Saying this another way, psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs come by inspiration, not perspiration.
They come or are given at the spur of the moment.
A psalm is a spiritual poem: it can be sung but, mostly, it’s just given out without music.
Hymns and spiritual songs are choruses that are sung to music, that is both the content of the song or hymn, and the words are given by the Spirit.
It is like the prophetic words that you may hear during a church service.
You know the ‘thus saith the Lord’ kind of prophecy that you hear either by the spirit of prophecy or by tongues and interpretation of tongues.

Rachel, Leah, Jacob and Praising God

The bottom line is that there is nothing that pleases the Lord so much as magnifying God.
Per Augustine, it is man’s chief work.
Look with me now in the book of Genesis chapter twenty-nine.
You can learn something about faith and magnifying God if you look at how Leah named her children.
If you read the story of Leah and Rachel, you will see that they were sisters.

Genesis 29:16 (ESV) — 16 Now Laban had two daughters. The name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.

These sisters ended up married to the same man, Jacob.
Leah was not a Miss America type of women.
The scripture describes her as weak-eyed.

Genesis 29:17 (ESV) — 17 Leah’s eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance.

The tender eyes of Leah, as so translated in the KJV, were eyes that were visually weak or lacked luster—dull and unimpressive eyes. Tender eyes were considered to be a significant defect among those who admired sparkling eyes that were lively and flashing.³
Some commentators describe her eyes as soft.
The description of Rachel, on the other hand, is vastly different.
She was the Miss America type, beautiful in form and appearance.
So, the story of these two girls is the story of Leah’s weak, unattractive eyes against Rachel’s beautiful form.
From Jacob’s perspective, there was no comparison.
Rachel had the stuff, Leah?
Well, not so much.
Leah was pretty plain while Rachel was just plain pretty.
Two women from the same womb, married to the same man per the custom of the day: one loved, one tolerated.
So, rejected Leah went looking for love.
She searched out acceptance from her husband, and she tried to do it the only way she knew how in that culture, via the bearing of children.

Leah’s Children and Magnifying God

Reuben

Reuben was Leah’s firstborn.
You know wives bringing boys into the earth was a big deal in that culture.
Leah thought that bearing her husband a son would turn his head and his heart towards her.

Genesis 29:32 (ESV) — 32 And Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben, for she said, “Because the LORD has looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me.”

Leah named her son per the way she felt inside.
She felt rejection because of her lack of beauty.
Because Leah was not in the ‘in crowd,’ she was miserable.
The name ‘Reuben’ means ‘the LORD has seen my misery.’
Leah bet the house that a male child would conceal her deficiency.
She was wrong.
You know it’s no different today.
How many a parent is there who try to live their life’s through the eyes of their children.
Trying to cover, compensate, or camouflage the hole they have at their very core.
No, only God in the heart fills the hole in the heart.
No one, not even precious children, can take God’s place inside of you.
Leah found that out the hard way.
You can learn this truth the easy way, listen to what the Bible says about this.
Leah had a son, but she was unable to get the love she was looking for.
So, the next child, another boy, came along and she named him Simeon.
Simeon was son number two, which Leah gave to Jacob.

Simeon

Genesis 29:33 (ESV) — 33 She conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Because the LORD has heard that I am hated, he has given me this son also.” And she called his name Simeon.

Leah’s perpetual disappointment grew from miserable to hated.
Imagine if that were you?
Here you are Leah, you have two beautiful boys, and yet you are not happy with that fact.
You feel distressed and downtrodden.
You are more aware of the cracks in the floor because your head is down than the beauty of the sky because your head is up.
The sunshine of a new day doesn’t add that twinkle in your eye that it should.
Leah felt hated, and that ‘s why she named her second-born Simeon, which means ‘the LORD heard that Leah was not loved.’

Levi

Now, comes son number three.

Genesis 29:34 (ESV) — 34 Again she conceived and bore a son, and said, “Now this time my husband will be attached to me because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore his name was called Levi.

So, son number three is on the scene, and Leah names him Levi.
Levi’s name came out of the hope that her husband would finally attach himself to her.
The Hebrew word ‘attached’ means to have a loving relationship.
It means to be or become attached to another person socially, implying a very close friendship, relationship, or affection.
So again, you can see that the cry of Leah’s heart was not to be.
Three beautiful, healthy sons were not enough to brighten her weak eyes in the eyes of her husband.
Three sons and three strikes, so finally, Leah decides on a different path.

Judah

The fourth son comes along.

Genesis 29:35 (ESV) — 35 And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “This time I will praise the LORD.” Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she ceased bearing.

And this time, instead of allowing the state of her physical eyes to dictate her attitude, Leah lifts her eyes to the Lord God of heaven.
She says, “this time, I will praise the LORD.”
“This time, I’m not going to allow myself to get down into the gutter of my emotions.”
“I refuse to be depressed, cast down, and distraught because my husband won’t value me the way he should.”
“No, this time, I’m going to set my heart to magnifying the God of heaven: the God who blessed my womb and allowed me the privilege of motherhood.”
And, that’s what she did, and that’s why she titled her fourth son, Judah which mean praise.

Magnifying God Is a Commandment from Heaven

Revelation 19:5 (NLT) — 5 And from the throne came a voice that said, “Praise our God, all his servants, from the least to the greatest, all who fear him.”

And so, the commandment of God is to praise Him.
You should be and ought to be magnifying God.
God has commanded us to praise Him.
It is not an optional exercise.

1 Peter 2:9 (NKJV) — 9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

Praising God Is Not A Time Filler

In a church service, we call the part before we hear the sermon, ‘Praise and Worship.’
So the music team sings three songs.
We sing with them, and we think that we met our praising God quota for the week.
We use these songs like it’s some warm-up exercise for the congregation
That’s not what praise is.
Praise is preparation for receiving God’s Word.
Magnifying, God is fellowshipping God.
It is a vehicle which makes God’s Presence real to us.

God Pointers: Sign Posts in the Earth

God’s desire has always been that men know Him.
So at creation, God placed into the earth certain signposts to direct men to Him.
One of these signposts is the atmospheric heaven.

Psalm 19:1 (ESV) — 1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

God created the heavens to declare God’s glory.
The Hebrew word ‘declare’ means to make something known.
The heavens are making known the fact that God is a God of glory and splendor.
His power radiates throughout the universe.
The heavens are full of ‘talking stars’ who have a message about the Creator for humankind.
This world has an atmosphere that talks to Jesus, that can be heard.
That’s what the next two verses in Psalm nineteen declare.

Psalm 19:2–3 (ESV) — 2 Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.

One day leads into the next, one 24 hour segment, ‘day to day’ as the scripture states this goes on.
The sun rises, the sun sets, and what happens?
Well, the stars come out preaching.
And, they preach ALL night long.
The declaration of God’s glory is a continual cycle of testimony.

Psalm 19:4–6 (ESV) – 4 Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, 5 which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. 6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

In Romans chapter one, Paul chimes in on creations testimonial cry.

Romans 1:18–20 (ESV) — 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

You see the signposts that God put into the earth lead to Him everywhere.
He didn’t put these pointers only in creation; He also put them in places you wouldn’t expect.

How to Overcome Emotional Pain

References:

—Maritime Baptist, Paul Lee Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc., 1996), 479. ↩
D. L. Moody, Anecdotes and Illustrations of D. L. Moody Related by Him in His Revival Work, ed. J. B. McClure (Chicago: Rhodes & McClure, 1878), 165. ↩
James M. Freeman and Harold J. Chadwick, Manners & Customs of the Bible (North Brunswick, NJ: Bridge-Logos Publishers, 1998), 55. ↩

emeryhorvath.com

Equipping people to pursue God's glory

The Big Scoop on Magnifying God

Podcast: Light on Life Season 6 Episode 21

by Emery Horvath

Listen to the Audio

Click Play to Listen | Right Click to Download | Subscribe in Stitcher Radio

Read the Notes

Accept the Challenge

Join the Conversation

Question: How do you show the Lord that your commitment is to put Him first in your praise life? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Episode Resources:

About Emery

Subscribe to the Podcast

Share the Love

Podcast Notes

Definitions for Worshiping God: ‘Todah’ and ‘Zamir’

‘Zamir’

Magnifying God: What Kind of Songs Should You Sing?

Worshiping God in the New Testament

Magnifying God with Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs

Rachel, Leah, Jacob and Praising God

Leah’s Children and Magnifying God

Reuben

Simeon

Levi

Judah

Magnifying God Is a Commandment from Heaven

Praising God Is Not A Time Filler

God Pointers: Sign Posts in the Earth

Listen to the Audio

Click Play to Listen | Right Click to Download | Subscribe in Stitcher Radio

Read the Notes

Accept the Challenge

Join the Conversation

Question: How do you show the Lord that your commitment is to put Him first in your praise life? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Episode Resources:

About Emery

Subscribe to the Podcast

Share the Love

Podcast Notes

Definitions for Worshiping God: ‘Todah’ and ‘Zamir’

‘Zamir’

Magnifying God: What Kind of Songs Should You Sing?

Worshiping God in the New Testament

Magnifying God with Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs

Rachel, Leah, Jacob and Praising God

Leah’s Children and Magnifying God

Reuben

Simeon

Levi

Judah

Magnifying God Is a Commandment from Heaven

Praising God Is Not A Time Filler

God Pointers: Sign Posts in the Earth

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