I have spent much of my working life teaching in Bible colleges. It's been a wonderful privilege. Sadly though, some students testify that the years spent studying the Bible and the wonderful truths about God were spiritually dry. As their minds were filled with knowledge, their hearts grew colder towards Jesus. They found it hard to pray and to sing joyfully. Something is seriously wrong when growth in knowledge about God doesn't produce hearts that are filled with more joy and thanksgiving to God.

Psalm 100 is an enthusiastic psalm of praise. It's a psalm in two parts that both make the same point. The foundation of praise is knowledge, and true knowledge of God should lead to the right worship of God.

The psalm begins with a three-fold invitation to praise God: ″shout for joy″ (v. 1), ″worship the Lord″ (v. 2), and ″come before him with joyful songs″ (v. 2). Why does God deserve our praise? Verse 3 gives us three reasons. First, He is our Creator. We'd have no life apart from Him. Second, we are His people. He is our Redeemer. He made us His own by purchasing us with the blood of His Son (1 Peter 1:18-19). Third, He is our Shepherd, who feeds, protects, and guides us.

The second part of the psalm (Psalm 100:4-5) repeats this important truth that the true knowledge of God leads to true praise. Again, there is the repeated call to thanksgiving and praise (v. 4). Verse 5 begins with the important word, ″For″. Once again, we're given three reasons for praise. Our thanksgiving is based on our knowledge of the character of God. He is good. He is loving. He is faithful. All of these wonderful truths were perfectly made known to us when God became man in the Lord Jesus.

There are two important things to learn from this psalm. First, any worship of God that isn't based on a true knowledge of God is empty and shallow. Jesus said, ″God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in the Spirit and in truth″ (John 4:24, emphasis added). Any worship not based on true knowledge does not honour and glorify our great God and Saviour.

Second, the purpose of the knowledge of God is that it leads to true and joyful worship of God. There is no spiritual value in simply reading and studying more and more about God and the Bible if it doesn't transform our hearts and lives. If the only thing this short book on Psalms has done for you is to help you better understand the Psalms, then it has failed in its main purpose. Having journeyed through Psalms 51 to 100, I pray that we have developed a greater love for God and others.