The
singing, dancing, melody making, tambourine praise the Lord psalm was going
along quite nicely until the people in whom the Lord takes pleasure picked up
two edged swords to execute vengeance on people for whom the Lord presumably holds
no affection. One minute they’re singing for joy on couches and the next they’re
binding kings and nobles with fetters and chains, which by the way always
involves collateral damage aka people like you and me just trying to mind our
own business and stay out of the way. I understand the historical context of a
humble people picked on wanting to be adorned with victory but I’m just going
to say “No” to verses 6 – 9 of Psalm 149; no to religiously justified violence;
no to exacting revenge; no to an image of God who delights in some people and
despises the rest. And the reason I can say no to that image is because God
provided another. “Put away your sword,” is what Jesus said to Peter when the
mob surrounded the King of Kings and bound him with iron chains to execute the
judgment decreed. Crucify him! So I think it best to end the psalm with verse 5,
even if that means I’m a pacifist couch potato.
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