Holy Roar (Chris Tomlin)

I would encourage anyone interested in leading worship to obtain this book for their library.

This book takes the seven Hebrew words for ‘praise’ and expounds upon them, along with the author’s anecdotal stories and songs relating to those words.

Yadah: To revere or worship with extended hands. To hold out the hands. To throw a stone or arrow.

“Yadah is one of the seven words translated in the Old Testament as ‘praise,’ and it’s found over 111 times in Scripture. It is defined as a word meaning to ‘extend hands’ or ‘to throw out the hand,’ and it is used to describe the act of shooting an arrow (Jerimiah 50:14) or throwing a stone (Lamentations 3:53). In the context of praise, yadah describes those moments when the Hebrew people were so overcome by the glory of the Lord that their hands shot upward in response.”

Halal: To boast. To rave. To shine. To celebrate. To be clamorously foolish.

“Halal is the primary Hebrew word for praise. It’s the word from which we drive the biblical word hallelujah. It’s an exuberant expression of celebration, a word that connotes boasting, raving, or celebrating. It carries with it the notion of acting in a way that is ‘clamorously foolish.’ True halal contemplates laying aside your inhibitions and killing your self-consciousness.”

Zamar: To make music. To celebrate in song and music. To touch the strings or parts of a musical instrument.

“Zamar is used throughout the psalms to connote the making of music, celebrating in song and music, and plucking the strings of a musical instrument.”

“In the earliest days of leading worship, I read the story of the famous composer, Johann Sebastian Bach. It’s said that as Bach composed and played music, it was as if he were praising God, even in his instrumental arrangements. ‘I play the notes as they are written,’ Bach is oft quoted as saying, ‘but it is God who makes the music.’ Bach was so convinced of this truth, in fact, that he penned the initials S.D.G. on many of his pieces, his shorthand for Soli Deo Gloria- glory to God alone.”

Next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world. Beautiful music is the art of the prophets that can calm the agitations of the soul; it is one of the most magnificent and delightful presents God has given us. (Martin Luther)

Towdah: An extension of the hand. Thanksgiving. A confession. A sacrifice of praise. Thanksgiving for things not yet received. A choir of worshippers.

“Towdah is the Hebrew word that means an extension of the hand in thanksgiving for what God has done. But it also means a sacrifice of praise for things not yet received. It is praising God with expectation. The psalmist used towdah as an expression of confession, a way to convey trust in the goodness of God.”

Barak: To kneel. To bless God (as an act of adoration). To praise. To salute. To thank.

“The word, barak, is a word of humility. Barak embodies the notion of kneeling before God, of blessing and adoring him, of recognizing one’s position in relation to him…Scholars of the ancient Hebrew provide additional insights into the word barak. They believe that in the original context, the term did not simply mean bowing down. Instead, it carried the connotation of bending low while keeping one’s eyes fixed on the king. To barak is to be transfixed.”

“When debriefing a church service over lunch, often we ask the question, ‘How was the worship?’ We encourage people to respond with ‘That’s the wrong question!’ The better questions are ‘How was your worship?’ and ‘How was my worship?’ It’s a question of self-examination, a reminder that when we come into the presence of God together, our sole focus should be on the King.”

Tehillah: Laudation. A hymn. A song of praise. A new song. A spontaneous song.

“Tehillah is a Hebrew word meaning hymn, a song of praise, or a new, spontaneous song. The book of Psalms is a collection of these kinds of songs, and in fact, in the Hebrew language, the book of Psalms is called the Tehillum.”

Shabach: To address in a loud tone. To shout. To commend, glory, and triumph.

“Every time we gather with God’s people to praise him, one voice unites with another. Songs become anthems. Anthems become declarations. Declarations become a holy roar. The notion of Shabach transcends geography; it’s a holy roar that reaches from one generation to the next. In Psalm 145:4, the psalmist wrote:

One generation shall praise (shabach) Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts.

It’s not praise for the purpose of pumping up the present crowd. It’s for the purpose of passing on the faith from one generation to the next.”

Conclusion: I had mixed emotions reading this book because I remember hearing an older man, a pastor, at a conference I went to 20 or30 years ago give this teaching. Back then, the message was his original one, and he was well-known for giving it. It seems that Tomlin was the one to reap the dividends from this older teaching, with his popular book. Nevertheless, it was written with sincerity and many applicable stories of the author’s personal experiences and songs.

LH 2019-10-11