For His aname alone is exalted;

His *glory is above the earth and heaven.

14And He ahas exalted the 1horn of His people,

The praise of ball His saints—

Of the children of Israel,

cA people near to Him.

2Praise the LORD!

149

PSALM 149

Praise to God for His Salvation and Judgment

1PRAISE1 the LORD!

aSing to the LORD a new song,

And His praise in the assembly of saints.

2 Let Israel rejoice in their Maker;

Let the children of Zion be joyful in their aKing.

3aLet them praise His name with the dance;

Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp.

Word Wealth

149:3 sing praises, zamar (zah-mar); Strong’s #2167: To make music, sing praises; to sing songs accompanied by musical instruments. Zamar occurs more than 45 times, mostly in Ps. There seems to be a special affinity between zamar and stringed instruments. The most important derivative of zamar is mizmor (a psalm, or song accompanied by instruments). Musical instruments are an integral part of praise and worship.

4 For athe LORD takes pleasure in His people;

bHe will beautify the 1humble with salvation.

5 Let the saints be joyful in glory;

Let them asing aloud on their beds.

Kingdom Dynamics

149:5 Private and Public Praise, PRAISE AND WORSHIP. Here is instruction to sing praise in the privacy of one’s home, not only in public gatherings but to sing in private worship as well. This OT call reminds us of the NT revelation that we are temples, or sanctuaries, of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19; Eph. 2:20–22). Further, see this mobility—praising in all places—as a marching army, confronting foes (not human, but hellish powers) with praises brandished like a sword (Ps. 149:6–8). The “written judgment,” in NT terms, reminds us how praise not only honors the victory of Calvary, but applies the triumph of the Cross to real life struggles—anywhere!

(Ps. 42:5/Ps. 150:2) L.B./J.W.H.

6Let the high praises of God be in their mouth,

And aa two-edged sword in their hand,

7To execute vengeance on the nations,

And punishments on the peoples;

8 To bind their kings with chains,

And their nobles with fetters of iron;

9 aTo execute on them the written judgment—

bThis *honor have all His saints.

1Praise the LORD!

150

PSALM 150

Let All Things Praise the LORD

1PRAISEa1 the LORD!

Praise God in His sanctuary;

Praise Him in His mighty 2firmament!

2Praise Him for His mighty acts;

Praise Him according to His excellent agreatness!

Kingdom Dynamics

150:2 Extreme Praise, PRAISE AND WORSHIP. The Hebrew word here for “praise” is halal, meaning “to shine, boast, rave, and to celebrate clamorously.” To some this may seem extreme, but that is the directive here, “Boast of the Lord! Rave of Him in His sanctuary,” and more—this exuberance is to be manifest by a radical measure—according to God’s excellent greatness! How? Begin with honestly asking if our habits of praise (spanning the spectrum from the silence of awe to songs of joy) are willing to incorporate the shout of triumph—see Ps. 47:1. Here is biblical counsel to include occasions of extreme praise. If a worthy reason is needed, embrace the ultimate “triumph”—Christ’s cross and resurrection (2 Cor. 2:14; Col. 2:13–15). The triumph of Christ’s Cross and resurrection summons. Give Him more praise than any other god gets. He is the “God among the gods,” so our praise of Him should be more outstanding than that given to any other god.

(Ps. 149:5/Is. 61:3) L.B./J.W.H.

3Praise Him with the sound of the 1trumpet;*

Praise Him with the lute and harp!

4 Praise Him with the timbrel and dance;

Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!

5 Praise Him with loud cymbals;

Praise Him with clashing cymbals!

6Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.

1Praise the LORD!