What does it mean to "Praise God"? -Pondering Praise

1. Pondering Praise
Text: Ps 117
1 O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye
people.
Jew or Gentile no exception to this command.
Rom 15:9-11
9 And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his
mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to
thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name.
10 And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his
people.
11 And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud
him, all ye people.
2 For his merciful kindness is great toward us:
Not [when] “his merciful kindness is great toward
us”
It always is
and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the
LORD.

2. Gen 29:32-35 32 And Leah conceived, and bare a son,
and she called his name Reuben: for she said, Surely the
LORD hath looked upon my affliction; now therefore my
husband will love me.
33 And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said,
Because the LORD hath heard that I was hated, he hath
therefore given me this son also: and she called his name
Simeon.
34 And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said,
Now this time will my husband be joined unto me,
because I have born him three sons: therefore was his
name called Levi.
35 And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said,
Now will I praise the LORD: therefore she called his name
Judah; and left bearing.
Gen 49:8 Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall
praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy
father's children shall bow down before thee.
Exod 15:11 Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the
gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in
praises, doing wonders?
Ps 66:5 Come and see the works of God: he is terrible
in his doing toward the children of men.

3. Lev 19:23-25 23 And when ye shall come into the land,
and shall have planted all manner of trees for food, then
ye shall count the fruit thereof as uncircumcised: three
years shall it be as uncircumcised unto you: it shall not be
eaten of.
24 But in the fourth year all the fruit thereof shall be holy
to praise the LORD withal.
25 And in the fifth year shall ye eat of the fruit thereof,
that it may yield unto you the increase thereof: I am the
LORD your God.
Deut 10:20-22 20 Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; him
shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear
by his name.
21 He is thy praise, and he is thy God, that hath done for
thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have
seen.
22 Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and
ten persons; and now the LORD thy God hath made thee
as the stars of heaven for multitude.
Deut 26:16-19 16 This day the LORD thy God hath
commanded thee to do these statutes and judgments:

4. thou shalt therefore keep and do them with all thine heart,
and with all thy soul.
17 Thou hast avouched the LORD this day to be thy God,
and to walk in his ways, and to keep his statutes, and his
commandments, and his judgments, and to hearken unto
his voice:
18 And the LORD hath avouched thee this day to be his
peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou
shouldest keep all his commandments;
19 And to make thee high above all nations which he hath
made, in praise, and in name, and in honour; and that
thou mayest be an holy people unto the LORD thy God, as
he hath spoken.
Judg 5:2 Praise ye the LORD for the avenging of Israel,
when the people willingly offered themselves.
2Chr 17:16 And next him was Amasiah the son of
Zichri, who willingly offered himself unto the
LORD; and with him two hundred thousand mighty
men of valour.
Ps 110:3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of
thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb
of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.

5. Judg 16:23-24 23 Then the lords of the Philistines
gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto
Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, Our god
hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.
24 And when the people saw him, they praised their god:
for they said, Our god hath delivered into our hands our
enemy, and the destroyer of our country, which slew many
of us.
2Sam 14:25 But in all Israel there was none to be so much
praised as Absalom for his beauty: from the sole of his
foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish
in him.
2Sam 22:3-4 3 The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he
is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower,
and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.
4 I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so
shall I be saved from mine enemies.
2Sam 22:48-50 48 It is God that avengeth me, and that
bringeth down the people under me,
49 And that bringeth me forth from mine enemies: thou
also hast lifted me up on high above them that rose up
against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man.

6. 50 Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among
the heathen, and I will sing praises unto thy name.
1Chr 16:36 Blessed be the LORD God of Israel for ever
and ever. And all the people said, Amen, and praised the
LORD.
1Chr 23:5 Moreover four thousand were porters; and four
thousand praised the LORD with the instruments which I
made, said David, to praise therewith.
Ezra 3:11 And they sang together by course in praising
and giving thanks unto the LORD; because he is good, for
his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the
people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the
LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD
was laid.
Ps 22:3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the
praises of Israel.
Prov 28:4 They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but
such as keep the law contend with them.
Isa 42:8 I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will
I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.