PSALM 100: WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT GOD?
The series through the Psalms (songs, melody poetry about the Creator God) continues today in my Breadcrumbs as all people everywhere are called to acknowledge and praise their Maker. [v1] When our son Michael was 16-17 years old, he had a vision of his future that would see him involved in large scale worship – leading music in churches or large-scale gospel music (worship) events. So, while the clock ticked on unnoticed in the days leading up to August 1st 2009, my bible readings for these two days covered two of the greatest of King David’s ‘praise psalms’. Because the music has been lost in time and only the lyrics handed down to us after close on three millennia, gospel musicians and song writers across the globe have been able to adapt King David’s Praise into tens of thousands of songs in hundreds of languages – some of which had certainly inspired our boy, and found their way into the gospel music collection that he left behind.
But what was I reading on the last two days of my son’s life?
Whatever lay ahead of us in the following days back in 2009 – and whatever is out there ahead of us from now on – for the sake of the Lord God Almighty, who knitted Mike together in my womb, and in memory of an unknown boy who set his sights firmly on worshipping HIM – the Lord’s Name will remain my joyful song. [v4] But here’s the thing: even in saying those words, our English translations have lost a lot of information – deep and powerful information that, if uncovered and believed, would unite the three world religions who believe in the Creator God, and this for the first time in history.
With five short verses, this will be your shortest Breadcrumb this year, so we have time to go deeper. To start with, today’s Breadcrumb is 
a song written by a king of Israel who was also recognized as a prophet. In other words, to dig deep into King David’s writings, is to get information about our Maker. If the prophet Isaiah was right, that the Lord our God will give us “treasures of darkness and hidden wealth of secret places, So that you may know that it is I, The Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name”[a], then we need to dig deeper than face-value at surface level.
If true, and we go back to the original Hebrew, v1 in this prophetic song calls every nation to “Make a joyful shout to Hashem…” So, what does that Hebrew word mean? Because, in a world awash with gods and demi-gods and everyone saying that their god is the one to follow, a Good God at the very outset would not confuse us. He would make Himself clearly known to us – particularly when He has made us in His own image to live and operate in His likeness.[b] He would not play tricks on us using words from the world’s least used language, and this before we even get off the starting blocks! Now, human translators have tried to ‘help’ us with the Hebrew; and, to make it ‘easy’ for us, they’ve used the English word LORD (capitalizing all 4 letters). But in their ‘help’, they’ve lost a vital clue as to who this LORD is that we’re allowed to praise! The direct/literal translation for the capitalized word Hashem is Ha (The) Shem (Name) i.e. The Name.
In the Orthodox Jewish Bible, this capitalized name-word or name-term, Hashem, is used 5894 times. It’s therefore extremely important to get our head around it, because it starts to appear in Scene Two of this epic Play where it’s coupled with the first/original Hebrew word used for the creator God ,Elohim, literally meaning God. When capitalized, the literal translation of Hashem Elohim = The Name God. 
Having questioned why a perfectly good name Elohim, used in Scene One for the Creator God, is then replaced by an almost downgraded name Hashem Elohim (The Name God) and this especially when the Hebrew word Elohim is plural – I’m met with either blank looks or “waffle” that is not a clear answer. Either the Creator God is not good – because He is not making it easy for us even to know His Name. Or else He is very very very good – 100% Good. And what’s good about God is that He has specifically made both Himself and His Word in His epic storyline, known from the outset. By using Hebrew – a language that no one can dispute due to its clarity such that even the Hebrews themselves can’t dispute it – gemstones are carefully woven into the fabric of the world’s longest running drama. The Hebrew name-term in the opening sentence 8000+ years ago: Elohim (the Creator God) is in fact a plural word in the very first sentence. Hashem Elohim (The Name God) and later Malach Hashem (literal translation Messenger God) are both names all understood as the same Lord God yet also used in Act One of this epic drama[c] – beginning first with Hagar – the mother of modern day Muslims and Abraham the father of Jews, Muslims and spiritual-father of Christians. These gemstones are : “….treasures of darkness and hidden wealth of secret places, So that you may know that it is I, The Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name.”
If every nation has been called since 3000+/- years ago to “Make a joyful shout to Hashem…” (The Name), then you should take some time this morning to compare Leviticus 24:11 and Deuteronomy 28:58 with Exodus 23:20-22 &26 below….
“Hinei, (Look here!) I send Malach (capitalized without accompanying small words = someone’s name = Messenger as opposed to malachim – one of the messengers – angels) …I send Malach before you, to be shomer (guide – guardian) over you in the derech (the way), and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. Pay heed to him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your peysha’im (transgressions, sin, wrong-doing)…” In other words, His authority extends to being our divine judge over our behaviour towards Him. Why? “… for My Shem is in him. (My Name – capitalized – the Name of the Lord God Almighty, is IN Him)…” So now we have a second person – a guardian, shepherd[d]) leading us in The Way.[e] “…But if you shall indeed obey his [bat] kol (his echo voice), and do all that I (the Lord God Almighty) speak; then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and an adversary to your adversaries….” So then, His echo-voice is synonymous with God’s Word.[f] Ok, but anyone can claim to be leading God’s people in the right direction; so, where is this Malach person leading us? Answer: The place that the Creator God has prepared in advance for us to go.[g] “…For My Malach shall go before you, and bring you in to the land…. And you shall serve Hashem Eloheichem (The Name The LORD). The word Eloheicha is composed of Elohim and the suffix cha, meaning “you”. Eloheicha can be read as: “the Divine Presence expressing as you, your Gods, plural) “…and He shall bless your lechem (bread) and your mayim (water); and I will take machalah (sickness) away from the midst of you.” [Exodus 23:20-22a & v26]
If we serve The Name The LORD, obey Him and not rebel against Him, He will bless; and our Lord God Almighty will take away… How has this person got so much authority to bless and to forgive or not forgive sin?[h] He can because the Creator God introduced Him into the storyline with a… “Look Hear! I send Malach…” and the rest is HIStory. Now we ask: What’s Good about God? And the answer is: Everything!!! He has stitched up HIStory in an airtight way, so that people everywhere are without excuse.[i] “In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.”[j]
After digging deep and unearthing treasures of darkness and hidden wealth in secret locations, and this through blood, sweat, and tears as I have trudged an uneven road through whatever this Life has thrown at us, my only response is to Make a joyful shout to Hashem (The Name) [v1] and serve Hashem (The Name) with gladness as I come before His Presence with joyful singing. [v2] Why am I so confident? Because I can fully and unquestioningly “know that Hashem [The Name] He is Elohim [God]; it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves, His people, the tzon (sheep) of His pasture…” [v3] I can “…enter into His she’arim (gates[k]) with todah (thanksgiving), and into His khatzerot (courts) with tehillah (praise). I can now be thankful to Him, and bless Shmo (His Name)…” [v4] Why? “…For Hashem (The Name) is good; His chesed (mercy, lovingkindess, steadfast love, compassion, and even goodness) is l’olam (everlasting, eternal); and His emunah (faithfulness) endures dor vador (to all generations). [v5]
CLICK to return to today’s “Daily Breadcrumbs”
[a] Isaiah 45:3
[b] Genesis 1:26-28
[c] Genesis 16:7,9,10&11; 22:11 &v15
[d] John 10:11 &v14
[e] John 14:6 i.e. 1st Century “Followers of The Way”
[f] John 1:1-5 &v14
[g] John 14:2-3
[h] Matthew 9:1-6; 26:27-28
[i] Romans 1:20
[j] Acts 17:30
[k] John 10:1-9