praise – The Pillar and Ground of Truth

Stephen Kuntzman | 9/28/2025 | 6:30 pm

Text: Genesis 49:10

The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

The Magnetic Power of Praise[1]

Reuben = firstborn of Jacob and Leah

He sinned against his father by sleeping with his concubine.
Unstable as water

Simeon & Levi = sons 2 & 3

Judah = Praised[2]

Fourth son of Jacob and Leah: “…and she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise the LORD: therefore she called his name Judah…”[3]
Judah always signifies the act of praise.

“Praise” appears 248 times in 216 verses in the KJV:

Deuteronomy 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.”
Judges 5:3, “Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes; I, even I, will sing unto the LORD; I will sing praise to the LORD God of Israel.”
1 Chr. 16:4, 35, “And he appointed certain of the Levites to minister before the ark of the LORD, and to record, and to thank and praise the LORD God of Israel:….And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory in thy praise.”
David appointed worshippers and praisers: “Moreover four thousand were porters; and four thousand praised the LORD with the instruments which I made, said David, to praise therewith.”[4]
Ps. 7:17, “I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high.”
Ps. 9:1-2, 14, “I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works. I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High….That I may shew forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in thy salvation.”

Some try to silence praise.

They will try to silence praise through spiritual death, unthankfulness, sin, shame, fear.

Others are too prideful to praise God. They call it “dignity,” but it’s really pride. Too fearful of what others may think.

You can make a choice to either entertain God’s presence, or pursue man’s acceptance.

God is captivated by Praise!

Psalm 22:3, “For thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.”
Psalm 147:1, “Praise ye the Lord: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.”
- He is attracted to your praise
- Ps. 3:1, “Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.”
- Comely = “beautiful, seemly”
  - “It becomes them; it is their duty; they are bound unto it by the mercies and favours they have received; should they not give praise to God, the stones of the wall would cry out, and rebuke them for their ingratitude: it is beautiful, and looks lovely in them…”[5]
Psa 34:15, “The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.”
- True praise is righteous.
- Woman at the well: “(19) The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. (20) Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. (21) Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. (22) Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. (23) But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. (24) God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (25) The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. (26) Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.”

Hebrews 13:12-15, “(12) Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. (13) Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. (14) For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. (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.”

Judah – praise – scepter not depart – gal pet – to him shall all the people come – magnetic pull of praise – praise draws people to JC –

Gen. 49:10

Ps. 33:1

Gal 3:13-14

[1] SOURCE: Conversation over breakfast with Bishop Jerry W. Dillon (Parkway Church, Madison, MS) at the 2025 UPCI GC in St. Louis, MO.

[2] Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Definitions. H3063.

[3] Gen. 29

[4] 1 Chr. 23:5

[5] John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible.

Ephesians 5:15-16, “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”

It is healthy for a soul to want to do more for God and to be in a perpetual state of personal improvement and spiritual maturity. There are 168 hours in a week, and if you tithe your time to God as you do your monetary increase then that leaves you with nearly 17 hours a week that you can dedicate solely to God.

Assuming you are faithful in your church attendance, an average service is 2 hours, then you have 11 hours left to invest in your relationship with God in a week, and the real question becomes: “What do you do with these 11 hours of great Spiritual potential?” Consider these suggestions:

1. Pray. You don’t have to start out praying an hour a day, but whatever time you invest in prayer will bring results. Prayer is essential to growing in the Lord. Learn to intercede, but don’t let intercession overwhelm you and rob you of joy.

2. Read. Read the Word of God. Some people spend so much time studying and chasing down rabbit tracks in the Bible that they fail to simply read the Bible. Pray, clear your mind, then read. Let His written Word be as food to your spirit and absorb it. Remember: The greatest and final source of self-examination is the Word of God.

3. Study. This is the time to follow those rabbit trails. This is the time to look into the deeper meaning of the Scriptures. This is the time to search the Scriptures.

4. Listen. Invest time in active listening. Many people talk to God in prayer, but ignore the richest half of prayer time — listening to what Jesus is saying to them. He hears your prayer, but do you hear His? Prayer is dialogue, not monologue.

5. Fast. You want to draw closer to God? Fast one day a week, one meal a day, or three days (typically, 3 days is what it takes to crucify the flesh). You can also fast by setting aside time spent on things that you enjoy (other than food), like the Internet, movies, Starbucks, chocolate, etc.

6. Praise. There needs to be some time in your week, or day, where you loudly and demonstratively praise God. Dance before Him in secret prayer; sing in the Holy Ghost loudly as you’re sweeping the carpet; let tears of praise flow. We praise God for what He’s done. Shout! Clap! Jump! Sing! Extol!

7. Worship. Worship is different than praise. Study the difference and then apply it to your life. We worship God for who He is. Lie prostrate before God.

8. Obey. Whatever God tells you to do in His Word, in prayer, or by His messengers (Pastor, preachers, teachers…) do! Remember: God will never ask/tell you to do something that violates His written Word.
Of course, there will be days when you feel like you’ve been with God all day, and others when He seems to be unavailable, but every day is full of potential investment opportunities in your relationship with your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as you tithe your time to Him.

Original post on 9 March 2011 on https://thepillarandgroundoftruth.blogspot.com/2011/03/tithing-your-time.html