Although worship may involve more than praise it certainly includes such, and all who serve the Lord should seek to praise his holy name. But why should we praise the name of the Lord? Surely there is reason for such. Nearly a thousand years before Christ the Psalmist taught Israel, God's chosen people, why? Lets listen in and learn why they should praise Him.
Do you realize that God does as he pleases! Most of us when young want to grow up so we can do as we please. But our doing is always so limited. Not so with God. He can do as He pleases! Where? In heaven and in earth and in the seas. He once made the sun stand still because it pleased him to help Israel win a battle by so doing. He caused the Jordan River to stop flowing one day because it pleased Him to let Israel go into the promised land. Jesus once sent Peter a fishing and said, the fish you catch will have a coin in it's mouth, take that and pay your taxes and mine. (How did He know Peter would catch a fish? And how did He know that fish would have a coin in it's mouth. I've caught hundreds of fish and not a single one of them has had money in its mouth.) Remember, our Lord can do as it pleases Him!! Now that's great!
2. He has chosen Israel ... His special people. 'Praise the Lord..... for the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar (special) treasure' (vs. 4). Yes, Israel was a special people unto God, descendants of Abraham, the friend of God, honored by having God make a covenant with them. Blessed by being given a land that had been occupied by others, dwelling in cities others had built, and reaping from the vineyards others had planted. Truly, a people blessed by God. They were God's chosen people, surely they should praise Him.
3. For the Lord will judge his people. They were to serve the Lord and praise him, 'for the Lord will judge his people, and he will repent himself concerning his servants' (vs. 14). They were taught to fear God and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil (Ecclesiastes 12:13,14).
4. Bless the Lord ... Praise ye the Lord. 'Bless the Lord, 0 house of Israel..... ye that fear the Lord, bless the Lord .... Praise ye the Lord' (vs. 19-21). This was the grand conclusion for Israel. Consider the Lord, who He is. He is good, He is great; He has chosen Israel his special people and given them an inheritance-, and He shall one day judge His people. These are reasons they should praise the Lord.
What is the grand conclusion we should reach regarding our Lord and our God? God is good and God is great: by the gospel of Christ he has chosen us as his own special people, and has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus (Eph. 1:3), and has made us heirs of Christ, to an inheritance that is incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for us. Surely we should praise the Lord. In the language of Paul, the apostle: 'Praise the LORD, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples!' (Rom.15:11, NKJB). Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name (Heb. 13:15). "In the midst of the assembly I will sing praises to You' (Heb. 1:12).