Scripture Reading:

Psalm 149

1 Praise ye the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints.

2 Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.

3 Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.

4 For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation.

5 Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds.

6 Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand;

7 To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people;

8 To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron;

9 To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the Lord.

The Point:

When wicked tyrants come down, God’s people rejoice and dance in praise before the true King.

How do we feel in the recitation of this Psalm?

The joy expressed in this psalm may come across as a little odd to those who have the modern conception of joy. The joy in this psalm is experienced when battles are won and the enemy is crushed. It is the joy of triumph that comes after military conquest. The most popular presidents are usually those who have won significant wars, men like George Washington or Abraham Lincoln. These earthly kings pale in comparison to our heavenly King and we ought to be a thousand times more thrilled when He rides into town.

What does this Psalm say?

Verses 1-5

How many love songs could a man write when he is enraptured with his espoused? God’s people will instinctively express themselves in new songs of praise when their hearts are captured by love and devotion for God. This is the natural form of human expression that is built into a people who are created to glorify God. While many of the great hymns were written in times of the greatest Spirit-filled revivals in church history, we can only imagine the billions of new hymns of praise that will be written into eternity. Revived churches will be known by their new songs of praise put to new music, inspired by Spirit-filled hearts that love God, many of which have already been written. Some denominations only sing new songs outside of formal worship, and that is fine. The important thing is that the hearts of men rise up to praise God in spirit and in truth.

What a blessing to sing psalms and hymns in the congregation of the saints! We are called to a like-mindedness and unity, in order that we should “with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 15:5, 6). This is the grand purpose of the church of Jesus Christ. This is the great end for which the church exists and will exist throughout eternity!

This praise, however, must not be confused with the praise of some terrible dictator of North Korea. These human tyrants require parades in their own honor every other week or so, where everybody dutifully shows up to parrot the mantras of praise. Should anybody be absent, they know they will be summarily executed for disloyalty. God’s people, on the other hand, find great joy in this worship because they have a wholly different relationship with Him.

How? First, each member of Zion has been specially selected from all eternity to make up this body. Each has been redeemed, adopted into the family of God, and sanctified by the Holy Spirit of God. He has taken ugly sinners and made them beautiful saints. He has taken killers and cannibals and made them loving, gentle elders in His church. Moreover, our God genuinely takes pleasure in His people. He has been incredibly gracious to them, more than any King in the history of the world. And, He delights in them more than any earthly father delights in his little ones.

We are even to sing upon our beds. How often does this happen with any of us? Usually, our innermost thoughts surface when we are in the quiet of the bedroom. Here we are away from the hustle and the bustle of the day. If our thoughts are upon God’s work in our lives, indeed we may burst forth in glorious praise as we lie in bed.

Dancing and musical instruments are added to the celebration in verse three. Some churches are not comfortable with adding these elements to their public worship services. Sincere Christians are always rightly concerned about promoting showmanship, shallow forms of amusement, or emotionalized and mindless worship in the church. When it comes to music, there are many traps to fall into, particularly in the day in which we live. Whether it occurs in formal worship or outside of it, there must be a role for instruments and dance for the saints. This psalm is speaking about praise music in the congregation (Verse. 1). The context for this psalm is important at this point: we are celebrating a victory over wicked powers, and the reign of our King. This is clearly a celebratory psalm, much like the psalm that Miriam sang when Pharaoh’s hosts were decimated at the Red Sea. Churches that never quite resonate to this sentiment have not experienced the taste of victory, the sense of conquest, and the celebration that needs to attend the ascension of our King. This use of music and dance is most unfamiliar to the culture of the Western, secularized world.

Verses 6-9

The psalm takes an unusual turn in these last verses. We must remember that the kingly office of the Lord Jesus Christ has already been introduced in the second verse. Praise to God relates to various elements of His nature, persons, and offices. In this psalm, we specifically think of Jesus’ kingly authority, His violence as He treads out the winepress of God’s wrath against the nations, His spiritual conquests, and His rule over us.

We sing high praise as we realize Christ’s kingly reign, but what about the second half of verse six? There is this two-edged sword in our hands with which we will execute vengeance upon the nations. What does this entail? The Christian life is portrayed as violent in many parts of the New Testament. The violent take the kingdom by force (Matt. 11:12). We tread upon Satan (Rom. 16:20). We cast down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself above the knowledge of Christ (2 Cor. 10:5). We avenge disobedience (2 Cor. 10:6). Certainly, the risen Christ is bringing His enemies under His footstool (1 Cor. 15:25). Those kings and their empires that refuse to serve Christ always end up in the ash heap of history. But how are we involved in this binding of kings and taking vengeance on the heathen? We take the Gospel to the furthest ends of the earth. We are responsible for preaching the Word of God and wielding that mighty sword. We take down those imaginations that oppose Christ. The weapons of our warfare, however, are not carnal but mighty through God to the tearing down of strongholds (2 Cor. 10:4).

It may be hard to imagine this, but one day Hollywood’s film industry, with all of its pride and lust that virtually dominates our culture, will be no more. The powerful, godless school systems that refuse to teach the fear of God as the very beginning of knowledge will be gone. Proud materialist states like the current Chinese communist government will be no more. The preaching of the Word of God and the prayers of the saints will avail much to destroy these enemies of Christ. Though the church’s influence is practically imperceptible at times, and though the most uncompromising pastors are persecuted until there is hardly anything left of them, this fledgling church will end up treading on Satan. This is the modus operandi of our King. It is the foolishness of preaching that brings earthly kingdoms down. Christ will conquer through weakness, and He will never allow the enemy to win in the long run.

The world’s power is already ruined by the cross. The Christian will say with the Apostle that this world has been crucified to me, and I to the world (Gal. 6:14). For the Christian, Jesus broke the world’s back when He died on the cross. He told us, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (Jn. 16:33). We are given the upper hand in these battles with the world, but the war continues until He returns to final and complete victory.  PRAISE THE LORD!

How do we apply this Psalm to our lives?

Every part of this praise psalm applies to the Christian family. Singing in our beds, dancing before the Lord, playing our musical instruments—this should be the warp and woof of Christian family life. In no way should this be confined to a single meeting of the church on the first day of the week.

How does this Psalm teach us to worship God?

Our churches too often degrade into either an entertainment fest meant to amuse the crowds, or, a somber, subdued service that does not reflect the sentiment of victory we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. When will we find this loud celebration, dancing, and rejoicing rightly carried out? A right understanding of who God is, and what He has done for us through Jesus Christ, will yield the right kind of worship.

Questions:

1. What does this psalm say about writing new songs and new hymns of praise?

2. How does the worship of our King differ from the worship demanded by a human king or dictator?

3. How does the context of this psalm warrant dancing?

4. What is Jesus doing right now, as He sits on the right hand of the Father?

5. How do the saints bind kings with chains?

Family Discussion Questions:

1. Should dancing and musical instruments be brought into the church? How could we employ these means of praise in our family?

2. Do our gatherings err on one of these two sides: the “entertainment-fest” or the “somber, subdued service with no real sentiment for victory?” How might we adjust a bit?