Psalm 149: A Double-edged Sword

Today’s reading is Psalm 149.

Jehoshaphat, Not Nehemiah

This great psalm of praise seems to take a dark turn in the middle of vs. 6. These “chasid” sing praises with their throats while they wield two-edged swords in their hands, mowing down the people of the nations around them. Maybe. I guess it’s possible in the context of some events in the history of Israel that idea would fit in this psalm. Certainly, in the time of conquest, God used the Israelite nation as His arm of judgment to execute nations who had committed egregious sins as part of their idolatry. Equally as certain, there were times when deliverance for Israel from enemies who harmed them meant judgment on the nations who did them harm. As Isaiah 61:2 explains, the year of the Lord’s favor on one nation will be the day of vengeance on another. It’s possible this psalm, especially since it is compiled in the post-exilic period, calls to mind a situation like Nehemiah’s wall builders–working with one hand and carrying their weapon in the other (Nehemiah 4:15-23).

However, I don’t think that is what this psalm is saying. Keep in mind what we said yesterday about the humble, the meek. In this psalm, the meek are being adorned with salvation not the warriors. That is, the ones who trust God to bring vengeance and justice are adorned with salvation.

With that in mind, it seems the psalmist’s point is that the praises themselves are the two-edged sword. That is, those who don’t fret over evildoers, but who trust God to bring justice will see God bring the justice. The weapon they wield is not a literal two-edged sword, but their praise and worship become one because it calls the warrior God to fight on their behalf. This is not the picture of Nehemiah and his wall builders. It’s the picture of Jehoshaphat and his army in 2 Chronicles 20. Jehoshaphat prays, knowing his army is no match for the Moabites, Ammonites, and Meunites. In 2 Chronicles 20:12, he says, “O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (ESV). The Lord sends a prophet explaining God will defeat the enemy and the Judean army won’t have to do a thing. In 2 Chronicles 20:21-23, Jehoshaphat places the singers in front of his army who sang, “Give thanks to the LORD, for his steadfast love endures forever.” When they began to sing praises, the Lord set an ambush against the enemy armies and they rose up against each other. Judah didn’t have to fight. Their praise and song was their weapon.

On a much smaller scale, this is akin to Proverbs 25:21-22. “If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you” (ESV). Surely, our goal in this is not simply to heap the coals on the enemy for whom we are praying and whom we are learning to love. But, our best weapon is not to take up our own sword against the enemy, but rather to serve him or her and let God deal with it.

“Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord” (Romans 12:19, ESV). When Israel praised God, they let God be the two-edged sword. He would execute vengeance when vengeance needed to be executed. He would punish the peoples and bind their kings. He would execute the judgment on them that was written.

This is honor for the Lord’s chasid, the Lord’s godly ones. It is honor for them to praise and worship God and leave vengeance up to Him. He will do it when it is the appropriate thing to do.

Praise the Lord!

Tomorrow’s reading is Psalm 149

PODCAST!!!

Click here to take about 15 minutes to listen to the Text Talk conversation between Andrew Roberts and Edwin Crozier.

PATHS:
Discuss Today’s Meditation with Your Family

How does Psalm 148 prompt or improve your hope in God?

Psalm 127: You and Me

Today’s reading is Psalm 127.

The Pilgrim and Us

We often say (I think I’ve even said it in this series on the Songs of Ascents) we need to pray like it all depends on God and work like it all depends on us. In the situational contexts in which we say that, I think we are speaking truth. Usually, we say that when we are talking to folks who want to pray and then do nothing. We know God works when we work. We know our work is the seed in the field God will irrigate to bring forth fruit beyond our imagination and ability.

That being said, Psalm 127 says we should perhaps modify the second half of that statement. Regrettably, I have been unable to come up with a catchy and clever way of saying it, but stick with me and I hope to make it clear.

As we’ve followed the story of the pilgrim in these Songs of Ascents, we watched him choose to leave the warmongering lands of Meshech and Kedar to pursue the city of peace. He walked up the mountain trails until he arrived in Jerusalem. When he got there, he knew if the Lord hadn’t been with Him along the way, he would never have made it. Yet, even there he endured mockery and contempt from the proud. He knew his only source of mercy was his master, YHWH. Sometimes, it even seemed the scepter of wickedness continued to rule. However, He understood God would never allow that to continue. Sometimes it felt like God was distant. He reminded himself even though he couldn’t see God, God was just like the mountains surrounding Jerusalem–always there. Yet, life continued on, day after day. Sometimes his own spiritual well ran dry. He recalled the times of refreshing restoration, he looked ahead to times of restoring refreshment. In that dry time, he kept working. Though he took his seed bag out to the field with tears, he also went out praying for God to fulfill His promises and with faith God would do exactly that. In Psalm 127, we find the pilgrim working. He is in God’s city, working on the Lord’s house. And isn’t that precisely where we find ourselves in our pilgrimage.

Certainly, the pilgrim was to work hard when he was working, and so must we. After all, Scripture elsewhere says whatever work we do, we should do with all our might ( Ecclesiastes 9:10). However, Psalm 127 explains if we’re not working with God, our work is vain. If we’re building the house without the Lord, we labor in vain. If we’re staying on guard overnight, but the Lord isn’t protecting the city, our watchfulness is useless. The Lord’s involvement doesn’t mean we quit building and watching; it does mean the effectiveness and productivity of the work do not depend entirely upon us. If we don’t work, God has nothing to magnify and multiply. However, when we work, trusting and relying on the Lord, He increases the effectiveness and productivity of the work beyond our capabilities. Additionally, because He is working, we discover rest. We don’t have to burn the candle at both ends thinking each minute of sleep costs us a minute of productivity and profit. As Psalm 121:3-4 said, the God who watches over us and keeps us doesn’t slumber. He keeps working even while we sleep.

As I try to grasp the balance the pilgrim presents, I think of the one-talent man in Jesus’s Matthew 25 parable. His words said he believed in the Psalm 127 God. His Master was so amazing, He could reap where He didn’t sow and gather where He scattered no seed. The man’s actions, however, said he didn’t really believe in that God. He seemed to think the whole thing depended on himself and was afraid he would mess it up. So he did nothing. The Master explained if the man had really believed the Master was that awesome, he should have at least done something with his one talent. If nothing else, he should have taken it to the bank so it could gain interest. That was an action whose effectiveness and productivity the Master could and would multiply. But putting the talent in a hole in the ground was not. In other words, the man didn’t need to live in anxious fear that his work was not good enough, strong enough, effective enough to bring profit to the Master. After all, it was the Master’s talent to begin with and it was the Master’s ability to reap where He didn’t sow that would make the work with the talent effective and productive. But, the man did need to work with the talent.

So, perhaps, instead of saying we need to work like it all depends on us while we pray like it all depends on God, we should instead say we should work like we know everything we do will be multiplied by God and pray for God to multiply.

In any event, our pilgrim highlights the two extremes we struggle with as we reside in Christ’s holy city, striving to build His holy house. Some want to do nothing, expecting God to do all the building and watching. Others spend their days in anxious toil, fearing they can’t have a moment’s rest lest they disappoint God and cost Him profit. The pilgrim knows we rest in the Lord. That is, we trust the Lord. We do what He tells us to, meaning we work the way He says and we rest the way he says. And in that approach, even our work, though sometimes strenuous, is never anxious. Then we watch as God multiplies our work beyond our ability. And we know, those results are God’s, not ours.

Praise the Lord!

Tomorrow’s reading is Psalm 127.

PODCAST!!!

Click here to take about 15 minutes to listen to the Text Talk conversation between Andrew Roberts and Edwin Crozier.

PATHS:
Discuss Today’s Meditation with Your Family

How does Psalm 127 prompt or improve your hope in God?

Psalm 122: A Prayer for Christ’s Church

Today’s reading is Psalm 122.

The HEavenly Jerusalem

Clearly, in its original context, Psalm 122 spoke of pilgrimages to the city of David. In Deuteronomy 16:16-17, the Lord commanded:

Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God at the place that he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Booths. They shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed. Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God that he has given you (ESV).

But in Jesus, this psalm takes on new meaning.

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
Hebrews 12:22-24 (ESV)

While our ancient Hebrew counterparts celebrated an annual pilgrimage to a geographical location in Canaan or memorialized a return from Babylon to and restoration of that location, we glory in a greater gift. We glory in Christ’s church, the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven.

Certainly, our pilgrimage takes us from temporal earth to the eternal dwelling of God in His ultimate kingdom. But we do not make this journey alone. We must enter the gates of His city. We must join together with others in Christ’s church. We leave Meshech, Kedar, and all they represent behind. We joyously come into Christ’s church.

Many today want to steer clear of this truth. They speak of being spiritual, not religious. They want to pursue individualistic spirituality. They despise what they call organized religion. They think they will somehow pilgrimage into the very holy place of God at the pinnacle of His mountain in Psalm 134 without walking through the city of God in Psalm 122. This can’t be.

We will find Jesus in this psalm on Friday as we always do. But first, let us clearly see His church. We can’t have the Jesus of this psalm without having the church of this psalm.

This does speak of being part of the universal body of saved believers. But the very picture in this psalm of tribes going up and gathering together to give thanks means we must also see the local gatherings and assemblies meeting regularly to worship, praise, and give thanks to God. We make our journey to the ultimate throne room of God through the habitual assembling with God’s people. We travel our pilgrimage in no other way.

Yes, in original context, this was a prayer for the geographical city of Jerusalem. For us, it is a song of Christ’s church. It is a song of our congregation. It is a song of our assemblies. Let us be glad to be called to these assemblies, let us be glad to be called to worship with brothers and sisters.

Praise the Lord!

Tomorrow’s reading is Psalm 122.

PODCAST!!!

Click here to take about 15 minutes to listen to the Text Talk conversation between Andrew Roberts and Edwin Crozier.

PATHS:
Discuss Today’s Meditation with Your Family

How does Psalm 122 prompt or improve your praise of God?