THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION

Psalms: God's Nurture Of The Inner Man In The Life Of Faith

CXLIX: Translating Our Praise Into Furthering God's Program

(Psalm 149:1-9)

I. Introduction

A. Not only should God's people be given to praising Him with their lips, but they should translate that praise into the action of furthering His program on the earth.

B. Psalm 149:1-9 in its Biblical and historical context teaches this truth, and we view it for our insight:

II. Translating Our Praise Into Furthering God's Program, Psalm 149:1-9.

A. The verse numbering system in the Hebrew text matches that of the English Bible (Kittel, Biblia Hebraica, p. 1103), so we stay with the numbering system of the English Bible for clarity with this lesson.

B. We then translate Psalm 149:1-9 as follows:

1. "Praise Jah(weh). Sing to Jahweh a new song, His praise in the assembly of the saints," Psalm 149:1.

2. "Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the people of Zion be glad in their King," Psalm 149:2.

3. "Let them praise His name with dancing and make music to Him with tambourine and harp," (Psa. 149:3)

4. "for Jahweh takes delight in His people; He crowns the humble with salvation," Psalm 149:4.

5. "Let the saints rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their beds," Psalm 149:5.

6. "May the praise of Elohim be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands," (Psalm 149:6)

7. "to inflict vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples," (Psalm 149:7)

8. "to bind their kings with fetters, their nobles with shackles of iron," (Psalm 149:8)

9. "to carry out the sentence written against them. This is the glory of all His saints. Praise Jah(weh)," v. 9.

C. We note significant observations regarding this psalm as follows:

1. This psalm with its call to arms and war by errant Amillennial beliefs in Church History has errantly and tragically been used as a call to arms for Catholic princes at the start of the Thirty Years War against Protestants and by Protestant Thomas Muenzer in citing peasants to rebel at the start of the tragic Peasants' War, cf. H. C. Leupold, Exposition of The Psalms, 1969, p. 1001.

2. In reality, this psalm was meant for Israel's theocracy when she was called of God to wage holy war in conquering the Promised Land from the vile Canaanites (cf. Deuteronomy 20:16-18 with Leviticus 18:26-29) or possibly for the saints in the establishment of the Messianic Kingdom at Christ's Second Coming when Christ returns to earth to judge it and set up His earthly Kingdom, Revelation 19:11-21; 20:1-4.

3. In striking contrast, the work of the Church in the current dispensation is not that of establishing Christ's Kingdom on the earth as in Amillennialism, but the Premillennial view that the Church is to disciple men to become subjects of the coming King, Jesus Christ, as we believers await the Pretribulation rapture that is followed by Christ's Second Coming to the earth to set up His Messianic Kingdom.

4. Accordingly, to apply THIS PSALM correctly, we hold that our calling should be to translate the praise we have for the Lord into the action of furthering His work on the earth for this era, that of making disciples in alignment with Christ's Acts 1:8 directive. One day we will see Christ administer vengeance on the world for its sins (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9), but our part is NOT to seek to administer that vengeance, but to leave vengeance with God to administer at Christ's return and instead occupy ourselves with God's call that in this era, using our individual spiritual gifts from Him to serve the Lord in the local church.

5. Also, the call to praise God with dancing and use of the tambourine and harp (v. 3) is a culturally conditioned call applicable directly to ancient Israel, but different from the actions of God's people in many places of today's world! We should praise the Lord in the realm of music, but in ways that are edifying in our cultural framework and local churches!

Lesson: The psalmist called God's people to praise the Lord from the heart, but then to translate that praise into action in performing the calling God had for them to wage holy war and inflict God's vengeance on the nations, the glory of the saints of God.

Application: (1) May we not only praise God, but translate our praise into the action of fulfilling His calling for us on earth. (2) May we recall that the Church today is not a theocracy as was Ancient Israel under the Law and as God's saints will be in Christ's Second Coming, that we are NOT to wage holy war on the lost, but as Premillennialists to disciple them to become subjects of the coming King, Jesus Christ!