Psalm 149--Sing to the LORD a New Song

Psalm 149
English Standard Version

Sing to the LORD a New Song
149 Praise the LORD!
Sing to the LORD a new song,
    his praise in the assembly of the godly!
2 Let Israel be glad in his Maker;
    let the children of Zion rejoice in their King!
3 Let them praise his name with dancing,
    making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!
4 For the LORD takes pleasure in his people;
    he adorns the humble with salvation.
5 Let the godly exult in glory;
    let them sing for joy on their beds.
6 Let the high praises of God be in their throats
    and two-edged swords in their hands,
7 to 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 to execute on them the judgment written!
    This is honor for all his godly ones.
Praise the LORD!

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Israel is told to sing to the LORD a new song.  What is new that they have to praise the LORD about?  Probably their return from Exile.  They are to worship the LORD as their Maker and their King (remember the "kings" of Israel were called "princes" by the LORD because He was their King).  The people are to dance and sing for joy and make all kinds of joyful music with the tambourine and lyre.

The LORD loves and takes pleasure in His covenant people.  Those who are humble and cry out to Him for salvation, He will save--not because they deserve it, but because that is what He loves to do.  The people will even be singing for joy in their beds when they lay down and when they rise up.  The praises of the LORD will go before them to destroy their enemies.  That one may take a bit of explanation.  When Israel went out to battle in the Old Testament, the priests would go out front with the Ark of the Covenant and there would be those out front with the ark of the covenant who would be blowing their trumpets (ram's horn trumpets) and leading the people in worship.  While the men of Israel were armed for war, they would sing to the LORD and worship Him as they went into battle, and priests and worship leaders were their front line.  They had no weapons.  The LORD went before them and destroyed the enemy before them, and all the people were called to do was to worship the LORD and see what He would do to make their enemies be destroyed before them.  At the appropriate time, the LORD would tell the armies of Israel to advance and mop-up any survivors, but the entire time was a time of worship.

Those who thought they were mighty in military strength would laugh at the small number of men that would come out to them playing music, singing, and being led by priests who carried no weapons of physical warfare, yet we understand that our battle is not against flesh and blood--these flesh and blood enemies were but pawns being controlled by Satan and his demons to try to oppos God and His plan of salvation for His people and the whole world.  When God's people put their trust in Him, He is able to take care of our physical and spiritual enemies so that no weapon that is formed against us can prosper.  All we need to do is praise Him for who He is, what He has done, and what we are sure that He is going to do because He does not change.  What He has been and has done in the past, He will continue to be and will continue to do in the future.  He is "I AM"--always being the same, never changing.  He is The LORD.