Daily Meditations

Psalm 149:8 Binding the kings and the nobles “Fetters” are chains or shackles that are attached to feet and then either fastened together or to a heavy object. In the past they were usually made of brass or iron, they were used in pairs and the Hebrew word here, “zikkim” comes from a root word that means to bind. If you put the feet of an enemy in fetters or shackles, he’s going nowhere! Thus, the psalmist is anticipating the capture and the imprisonment of the kings and nobles as a form of God’s just retribution against His enemies and the enemies of Israel. Let’s not forget what we said at the start of this Psalm that Israel are God’s chosen Ones and they have a special significance in His heart and in His plans. There are many, many covenant Scriptures that confirm this but let’s just pick one of them, Deuteronomy 26:18-19 says, “ And the   Lord   has declared this day that you are his people, his treasured possession   as he promised, and that you are to keep all his ...

Psalm 149:7 The power of the Word Let’s concentrate on what these verses are saying to us and what the Holy Spirit is saying to us. We are being prepared to take  ”vengeance on the nations and to bring God’s punishment on the peoples .” and what are the weapons that He gives us? Not swords, or spear, guns, tanks and missiles but the praises of God in our mouths and the double-edged sword of the Word in our hands. So, this is where Paul gets his inspiration for the armour of God in Ephesians 6! What an encouragement these verses are, for they explain precisely what we have to do to take on the enemy and how we are to equip ourselves.  We have studied, on numerous occasions on our journey through the Psalms, the power of praise and the universal nature of it, as all creative works resound with the praise of our God. There is power in worship, enemy forces are driven back, individuals are left with gaping mouths as they see and hear the praises of the Lord. The Satan’s kingdom is...

Psalm 149:6 The double-edged sword Well, this is a surprise, praising the Lord becomes a military matter! Remember that we are talking primarily about Israel, although, of course, there are lessons for the modern-day church here. As we all go into battle, we don’t sing the songs of the world but instead, we praise the name of our God. It doesn’t matter if the battle is in the trenches, or in the boardroom, whether it is in a classroom of uncooperative kids or an office of gossiping busybodies, wherever we are at war we need to keep the praises of God in our mouths. But, the Psalm goes further for it identifies the kind of weaponry that the Lord God calls upon His children to carry with them. A double-edged sword is in their hands. Immediately, our thoughts go to Hebrews 4:12 where the same imagery is used , “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow, it judges the thoughts and attitude...

Psalm 149:5 Sing for joy in our beds! This verse continues a theme; what is it that should cause the faithful people to rejoice? V4 tells us that it is because the Lord takes delight in His people but also because He crowns them with victory. This evokes images of a Roman victory march where the soldiers who have conquered and overwhelmed their enemies are paraded before spectators and crowned with laurel wreaths and garlands that represent their regiment or their particular general or leader. The closest thing we have to this in the modern day are the victory parades of football teams, who wave their medals whilst sporting the colours and the clothing of their team, accompanied by the triumphant roars of their supporters.  God calls His people to celebrate triumphantly both publicly and privately, for “ He has done great things for us. ” Would that not be a spectacle? Local church congregations regularly parading through the streets to celebrate the victory of their Lord? It happe...

Psalm 149:4 He crowns the humble with victory What a patient, gracious God it is whom we worship. Frankly, our disobedience and our lack of consistency and true faith must drive Him nuts at times! This was certainly true of Israel and there were occasions when the Lord must have let out a deep groan of exasperation before putting into place what was needed to bring them back into line. He must have been particularly pained as He watched them being enslaved and taken captive or conquered by Assyrians, Babylonians, Medes and Persians and Romans, but the Lord never gave up on Israel and because of this we know that He ultimately takes delight in His people. Not least the millions who have been dragged back to the land from every corner of the planet in recent decades.  Jews are not really renowned for their humility, maybe that is part of their downfall over the centuries, but it is the humble man or woman who is exalted by the Lord, the verse tells us that the humble are crowned by H...

Psalm 149:3 Praise His name with dancing In recent years, our local church fellowship has embraced some of the celebratory events that mark the Jewish calendar. So, in addition to traditional Easter gatherings we always have a night set apart for Passover, and at Christmas we also remember the Festival of Lights or Hannukah. The one thing that symbolises these events is the joyful singing and dancing that are part of every Jewish celebration.  Dancing before the Lord was very much frowned upon in churches and chapels when I grew up, it would have been impossible to convince the elders and deacons that it was a Biblically endorsed form of praise! But here it is, the verse before us clearly encourages us to dance before the Lord and in so doing we can “Praise His name.” To be fair, I’m no dancer, but I certainly do not stand in the way of those who are! I, like many of you perhaps, stand in the second category of worshippers and prefer to make music to the Lord, not just with stringe...