When someone does something that benefits you, you sing his praises.
Since God does all things that benefit you, you run intentionally to sing his praises!
You run intentionally to sing his praises with others
Jesus, the bridegroom, finds his bride pleasant to look at. He beautifies those whom he has given strength under control, the character of meekness. Psalm 149 describes the beauty that is given to the meek as “salvation’s radiance.” His beautiful bride is his very body, his church, who runs intentionally to sing his praises, keeping pace and in step with her head. He is her servant leader, the Lord Jesus Christ. She follows his lead and direction along his perfect path.
Singing Psalm 149 your countenance will shine upon the Lord in reflection of his face shining upon you! No need for lotions or makeup then since it is meekness that makes your face beautiful! Those known for meekness, Jesus, Moses, and Stephen, were also those whose faces shone. The Lord is blessing you, keeping you, and being gracious to you as he makes his face to shine upon you, and you get to return the blessing to him!
As you sing this new song, you are also acknowledging that as God is faithful to judge you, he is making you faithful as he is, to do a new thing – to judge the nations – to judge them rightly as God does, replacing those angels who rule the nations now.
“‘Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare;before they spring forth I tell you of them.’
“Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise from the end of the earth,you who go down to the sea, and all that fills it, the coastlands and their inhabitants.” ~ Isaiah 42:9-10
You run intentionally to sing his praises alone
On your bed, you are in a restful posture, you have no one else who sees what is most on your heart and in your mind except God alone.
You sing his praises that he would make you into a meek person who is beautiful in his sight. This is what is accomplished when you sing his praises alone, the prerequisite for his tasking you with the job of reigning and ruling with Christ alongside all those who make up his body, his church, a people of his very own, the people he has beautified as each one gets alone to sing his praises from the heart.
”…but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.” ~ 1 Peter 3:4
When you sing his praises there, he hears and rewards what you do in secret, in front of his eyes only. To know God intimately makes suffering happiness.
You run intentionally to sing his praises in honor
“O let the lofty praise of God From out their throats be poured,And let them have within their hands A sharp two-edged sword.” ~ Psalm 149:6
You will judge the nations, their leaders, and the demonic angels that undergird their power using the sword of the spirit, the word of God!
“When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!” ~ 1 Corinthians 6:1-3
God’s word, sharper than any double-edged sword, has whittled many hearts from proud to meek, and sculpted many faces from scowling to smiling. Trusting in Jesus, the word of God, makes you righteous. Nothing else can.
By his word, he gives you honor, wisdom, and strength of mind, heart, and body to make right judgments to his glory. In a grand reversal, the Lord will take revenge on evil angels by transferring their power to his people who, in the new heavens and the new earth, will be like the angels.
“For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.” ~ Matthew 22:30
“So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” ~ Matthew 13:49-50
If the good angels will judge all people, then who will judge the evil angels?
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” ~ Matthew 5:5
“If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak.” ~ John 12:47-49
In singing Psalm 149, you sing his praises with a new song and a new heart in preparation for the new heavens and the new earth!
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” ~ Hebrews 4:12-13
“In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints…” ~ Ephesians 6:16-18a
Jesus is with you always as you teach those in all nations to observe everything he commands since all authority belongs to him. ~ Matthew 28:20
He is training you for the kingdom of heaven where you will be “like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” ~ Matthew 13:52
“O praise the LORD, O sing aloud,A new song to the LORD;Where godly people congregate,Let them His praise accord.
“On them the judgment execute Found written in His word;This honor all His godly have. Give praises to the LORD!” ~ Psalm 149:1, 9
July 28-August 4, 2023
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