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Gen 29:35

Judah "Praise" - A weapon of warfare

The name Judah means Praise of Jehovah and denotes the expression of praise. The tribe of Judah was the Regal and Ruling tribe of God. It was out of

this tribe that the Lawgiver and Kings came. Blessings, joy, strength, and victory were always

their portion.

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The Lion of Judah;Issachar; Zebulon

Judah would pitch camp on the East, and would go FIRST in breaking camp. With him would be the tribes

of Issachar and Zebulun

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Arial view of the camp in the shape of the cross

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Judah

The Lion of JudahGenesis 49:8

• 8 "Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons will bow down to you.

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Judah

• The Hebrew name Judah (ָד;ה= ?הּו comes (ְיfrom the root word Yadah (ָד;ה; which (ְיmeans to "thank or thank and praise God with extended hands"

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Warning• Be careful to praise in the Spirit and in

Truth and not in the flesh

• God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:23-24)

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Foundations of Praise

Mosaic & Davadic

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Mosaic Praise• The Tabernacle of Moses:

• We enter His gates and come into His "courts" with praise, says Psalm 100, singing up-tempo songs, clapping, dancing, rejoicing, giving wave offerings and shouting for joy.

• In this way we are offering ourselves as "living sacrifices on the altar of God" (Rom. 12:1).

• We are also being "washed by the water of the word" as we sing these songs based on the scriptures represented by the laver.

•(Over)

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Mosaic Praise (continued)

• Pattern for the praise and worship ( cont'd)

• As we enter the Holy Place, a transition takes place. The music slows down and we feed further upon the word, the bread of life itself. Our minds are illuminated by the fire of the Holy Spirit, represented by the lamp stand. We place "fresh incense" on the altar as we "sing in the Spirit" with "tongues of angels". The fragrance of pure worship "permeates the veil "and pleases God.

• The veil is parted and now we have access into the Holy of holies, in a tabernacle pitched not by man, but by the Lord Himself. As we enter in we are consumed by a cloud of glory, fall down before the Throne of the Almighty, and worship Him in Spirit and truth as a royal priesthood, purchased by the blood of Yeshua (Jesus).

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Davidic praise and worship

• Tabernacle of David, according to I Chronicles 15 & 16.

• Music

• Shouting

• David also formed a temple orchestra of 4,000 members (I Ch 23:5), and a school of music and prophecy (I Ch. 25:1-7) -- prophetic worship.

• He also made the lifting up of banners an important part of worship (Psalms 20:5).

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Praise Actions

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Some Biblical Expressions of Praise

• Declaring of thanks (Heb. 13:15)

• Clapping hands and shouting (Psalms 47:1)

• Musical instruments and dancing (Psm. 150:4)

• Singing praise songs (Psalms 9:11)

• Psalms, hymns, & spiritual songs (Eph. 5:19-20)

• Making a joyful noise (Psalms 98:4)

• By lifting our hands (Psalms 134:2)

• By being still (Psalms 4:3-5, 46:10)

• By being loud (Psalms 33:3, 95:1-6)

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Dance

• Praise Him in the dance." (Ps.149:3) As Israel gathered together at every battle or feast day dancing was present.

• Dance is a scriptural way to express our joy to the Lord. In Psalm 150:4, it reads, "Praise Him with the timbrel and dance.

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Clapping

• Psalms 47:1: Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph!

• Clapping: the word clap in the Hebrew language is the word “taga”. It means to clatter, slap, to strike or drive a nail.

• By the definition we can see the aggressively violent dimension of this expression in praise. It is a strike on the enemy and it drives a nail into his strategies in the spirit realm.

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Hands are for Clapping

• Sometimes when you are threatened with physical violence, a weapon to defend yourself with is not always available. Your hands, however, are always with you, and can be as lethal as any weapon.

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Shouting

• Shout: The word shout in the Hebrew is the word “ruiva” and means "to split the ears" -- of the demonic forces, creating confusion in the enemy camp

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Secular Fighting Strategy

• Attacking is a primary factor. A fight was never won by defensive action. Attack with all of your strength. At any point or any situation, some vulnerable point on your enemies body will be open for attack. Do this while screaming as screaming has two purposes:

• To frighten and confuse your enemy, and

• To allow you to take a deep breath which, in turn, will put more oxygen in your blood stream. Your balance and balance of your enemy are two important factors; since, if you succeed in making your enemy lose his balance, the chances are nine to one that you can kill him in your next move. Employing a sudden movement or a scream or yell can throw your enemy off-balance.

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Singing2 Chr 20:17-25 (Jehoshaphat)•2 Chronicles 20:22 -- Now when they

began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.

•(read these verses (17 - 25)

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Prophetic Songs Jeremiah 1:9-10

• 9 Then the LORD put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.

• 10 See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To build and to plant.”

•(over)

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Prophetic Songs (continued)

• Through prophetic praise God speaks or sings changes that manifest to the earth in the form of restoration for His people and defeat for the enemy.

• Through prophecy in song people are healed, delivered and given direction as individuals. God also sings prophecy to the church body as direction, comfort, rebuke, warning etc.

•Zephaniah 3:14-17

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The Power of Praise & Worship

• Paul & Silas

• Acts 16:23-26 “And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:

• (24) Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.

• (25) And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

• (26) And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.”

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Psalm 47:7 -- "......sing ye praises with understanding"• Understanding the Hebrew in the

difference between God's name and Praise

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I Am Yahweh

Yod Hey Vav Hey (YHWH)The Hand Revealed “Behold”, the Nail

Revealed

Aramaic Script

Aramaic Script/Phoenecian

Classical Hebrew

Read from Right to left

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Praise Elevates us into God’s Presence

and Power

•JUDAH• Yod Hey Vav Daled Hey

• Yod Hey Vav Hey ==> YHWH

• Daled = Door ==> to enter

•Enter into God's presence through praise

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The Power of Praise• Praise is often on the "frontlines" of the

battle

• Praise Sends the Enemy Running

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Judges 1:1-2,2 Chronicles 14-25

Praise Sends the Enemy Running

• Since praise manifests God’s presence, we also realize that praise repels the presence of the enemy.

• An atmosphere which is filled with sincere worship and praise to God by humble and contrite hearts is disgusting to the Devil. He fears the power in the name of Jesus, and flees from the Lord’s habitation in praise.

• Psalms 50:23 -- “Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I show the salvation of God”

•(over)

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Praise Sends the Enemy Running

(continued)• When the children of Judah found themselves outnumbered by the hostile armies of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, King Jehoshophat and all the people sought the Lord for His help.

• The Lord assured the people that this would be His battle. He told them to go out against them, and He would do the fighting for them.

• So what did the children of Judah do? Being the people of “praise” (Judah actually means Praise), and knowing that God manifests His power through praise, they sent their army against their enemies, led by the praisers!

•(over)

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Praise Sends the Enemy Running

(continued)• 2 Chronicles 20:22 -25 --So on they went, ahead of the army declaring, “Praise the Lord, for His mercy endureth forever!” And the scripture says, “...when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten”

• When God’s people begin to praise His name, it sends the enemy running!

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Let Judah "PRAISE" Go Up First

• Ephesians 6:12. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the Heavenly realms. We are in a struggle that is spiritual in nature.

• In the book of Judges1:1-12, Israel is preparing for battle and they inquire of the Lord, Who will be the first to go up and fight for us against the Canaanites? The Lord tells them ...Judah is to go.

• Judges 20:18 we find, ...who of us shall go first to fight against the Benjamites? The Lord replied, Judah shall go first.

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Let Judah go up first (continued)

• For us to let Judah go up first is to recognize that our battles are spiritual and must be fought in the spirit.

• When we let Judah go up first, we confess the attributes of God (yadah-praise), we realize Who and What God is.

• This brings us to realize and confess our own inadequacies (yadah-prayer).

• We confess our sins, our need for repentance and reconciliation.

• This allows us to establish a proper relationship with God.

•(continued)

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Let Judah go up first (continued)

• When we enter into spiritual warfare - "Let Judah Go Up First!"

• Begin to praise God by faith

• Confess Who He is

• Confess who you are

• Confess your sins and be reconciled

• Continue by confessing forgiveness

• Confess God's mercy

•(continued)

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Let Judah go up first (continued)

• Confess God's love

• Confess God's victory!

• Kneel, cry aloud, magnify the Lord, sing, exalt, shout, and give thanks. After this, begin to confess God's Word concerning the situation.

• Then and only then, are you ready to go into battle.

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Praise to God is a Lifestyle

• Psalm 34:1-- I will bless the Lord at all times and His praises will continually be in my mouth

• Heb 13:15 -- By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name

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Ten (10) Types of Praise

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Types of Praise• BARACH (Bar Rach) - To kneel, to bless, to adore with

bended knee. When used by man in reference to God, it means to endure with power for success, prosperity and long life. In Psalm 34:2, barach is translated as BLESS and in Psalm 103:1-2, barach is translated to mean WORSHIP.

• HALAL (Hah Lahl) - The root is to shout, cry aloud. See Psalm 148:1-5, Isaiah 62:9, Psalm 135:1-3. The sense is to shout for joy, to rejoice, to be sincerely and deeply thankful.

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Types of Praise• TEHILLAH (The Hi Lah) - This word for praise is also translated as "Psalm."

David uses this word in Psalms 48:11, 34:2 and 100:4. The noun is a song of thanksgiving. The theme of both noun and verb is verbal expression, an interweaving of belief and joy.

• GADAL (Gah Dahl) - Often translated "magnify," it is used as a synonym of praise. In Psalms 34:4 and 69:31, it literally means "to cause to become great." Gadal calls the worshipper to ascribe greatness to the Lord and His name.

• ZAMAR (Zah Mar) - To make music to God. Remember the word "tehillah?" It is very similar meaning a Psalm. A Psalm may be instrumental or vocal. Zamar indicates instrumental accompaniment. A zimra is a song or music. The Sabbath book of table songs, still in use today, is called zimarot, the plural for zimra.

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Types of Praise• SHIR (Sheer) - Meaning a song, more specifically, vocal music. The term

combined with others to indicate a choral group. Shir and zamar are used alternately in Psalms 21:4, 104:33, 57:8, 27:6, 13:6 and 33:2.

• SHAVACH (Shav Ach) - To commend, to congratulate, to laud. This word parallels some of the words we have already looked at. Refer to Psalms 63:4, 117:1, 147:12 and 145:4. The idea of parallelism is often used in Hebrew poetry. This occurs when the same information or idea is stated in more than one way, one verse reinforcing the other.

• RUM (Room) - The basic meaning is height and it is used to parallel many of the preceding words. Rum is used symbolically to express such lofty notions as glory, exaltation and to extol. See Psalms 30:2, 66:17, 149:6. We can also see the following parallels: rum to halal in Psalm 107:32; rum to barach in Psalm 145:1 and rum to gadal in Psalm 34:4.

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Types of Praise• RANAN (Rah Nahn) - To cry out, shout for joy or to give a ringing cry.

It parallels joy, rejoicing, praise and jubilation in poetry. Found in Psalms 5:12, 67:5, 90:14 and 92:5, the usage indicates that the highest mood of the Hebrew religion is joy.

• YADAH (Yah Dah) - The literal root is to throw or to cast. When used in text, it means to confess or declare Who God is and what He does. See Psalms 105:1, 106:1 for public confession of God's attributes. When yadah is used in the context of praise, it means to confess or declare the attributes of God. When yadah is used in the context of prayer, it still retains the root meaning of confession. Instead of the confession of God's attributes, it becomes the confession of our sins to God. Yadah has a two-fold meaning: the confession of God's attributes and the confession of our shortcoming or sins. Judah comes from the root, yadah.

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What is your situation?

• What kind of battle are you facing today?

• What kind of enemy are you facing today?

• In "spiritual warfare":

• Eph 6:12 says, "We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, rulers of darkness, and spiritual wickedness in high places."

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What should you do?

• Whatever opposition you may be facing, take your position on the front lines of the battle and stand firm in the Lord!

• Lift up your hands in praise and sing "give thanks to the Lord for His love endures forever".

• Watch Him throw your enemies into complete confusion and give you the victory.

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