Psalm 149:1-9

Praising the Lord continues to be the theme of these final Psalms.  It seems amazing to me that the all mighty God would take pleasure in the praise of an insignificant person like me.  It seems even more amazing that an insignificant person like me is so often slow to praise such a magnificent God.  Our entire lives should be dedicated to the honor and praise of the Lord.  All of our talents and all of our energies should be dedicated towards the worship of God.  David calls the children of Israel over which he ruled to lift up the name of the Lord.  We too are called to use all of our might to praise the Lord.  David urges his people to praise the Lord using two very contrasting methods.
PRAISE THE LORD WITH SONGS: All along David has been urging us to sing praises to the Lord.  David wrote this incredible collection of Psalms that are for the purpose of lifting the hearts of the people in songs of praise to the Lord.  Songs can be sung with our voices or they can be played on instruments but they are all for the glory of God.  Singing, dancing and playing instruments are demonstrations of the joy of the Lord that He has placed in us flowing out in worship from us.  This type of praise brings great pleasure to God because when we praise we are demonstrating humility which is a prerequisite to salvation and it is God’s greatest delight to save us that we might exult and glorify His name.  The proud do not praise the Lord because they are too busy contemplating their own fame.  The humble stand in awe of God, are saved by God and have their hearts filled with praise towards God.

PRAISE THE LORD WITH SWORDS: The first half of this Psalm is exactly what we would expect in a Psalm or a song.  Then there is a very unexpected twist.  David calls the children of Israel to take us their double edged swords to execute vengeance and punishment on those who blaspheme the name of the Lord, worship idols and walk in rebellion against God.  The nation of Israel was under constant attack from the neighboring nations that were living in rebellion against the Lord and were seeking to eliminate the children of Israel from the face of the earth.  These nations had rejected the Lord and fashioned idols of their own choosing and refused to fear and worship the God of creation.  David calls on his people to take of swords as instruments of praise to God and punish these rebellious nations.  It is not our place as individuals to randomly take up any weapon in the name of the Lord and use it to attack those who follow other gods.  However, we must recognize that God has often raised up nations to bring judgment on other nations throughout the history of the world.  One day Christ Himself will return with a double edged sword and all the rebellious nations will fall in judgment before Him and He will reign in glorious and perfect praise for all of eternity.Praising the Lord continues to be the theme of these final Psalms.  It seems amazing to me that the all mighty God would take pleasure in the praise of an insignificant person like me.  It seems even more amazing that an insignificant person like me is so often slow to praise such a magnificent God.  Our entire lives should be dedicated to the honor and praise of the Lord.  All of our talents and all of our energies should be dedicated towards the worship of God.  David calls the children of Israel over which he ruled to lift up the name of the Lord.  We too are called to use all of our might to praise the Lord.  David urges his people to praise the Lord using two very contrasting methods.

PRAISE THE LORD WITH SONGS: All along David has been urging us to sing praises to the Lord.  David wrote this incredible collection of Psalms that are for the purpose of lifting the hearts of the people in songs of praise to the Lord.  Songs can be sung with our voices or they can be played on instruments but they are all for the glory of God.  Singing, dancing and playing instruments are demonstrations of the joy of the Lord that He has placed in us flowing out in worship from us.  This type of praise brings great pleasure to God because when we praise we are demonstrating humility which is a prerequisite to salvation and it is God’s greatest delight to save us that we might exult and glorify His name.  The proud do not praise the Lord because they are too busy contemplating their own fame.  The humble stand in awe of God, are saved by God and have their hearts filled with praise towards God.

PRAISE THE LORD WITH SWORDS: The first half of this Psalm is exactly what we would expect in a Psalm or a song.  Then there is a very unexpected twist.  David calls the children of Israel to take us their double edged swords to execute vengeance and punishment on those who blaspheme the name of the Lord, worship idols and walk in rebellion against God.  The nation of Israel was under constant attack from the neighboring nations that were living in rebellion against the Lord and were seeking to eliminate the children of Israel from the face of the earth.  These nations had rejected the Lord and fashioned idols of their own choosing and refused to fear and worship the God of creation.  David calls on his people to take of swords as instruments of praise to God and punish these rebellious nations.  It is not our place as individuals to randomly take up any weapon in the name of the Lord and use it to attack those who follow other gods.  However, we must recognize that God has often raised up nations to bring judgment on other nations throughout the history of the world.  One day Christ Himself will return with a double edged sword and all the rebellious nations will fall in judgment before Him and He will reign in glorious and perfect praise for all of eternity.

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