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Psalm 149 Devotional

He Delights in His People

“For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He adorns the afflicted with salvation.”Psalm 149:4 (BSB)

Psalm 149 calls God's faithful people to a new song. Israel is to rejoice in its Maker and the children of Zion in their King, praising him with dancing, tambourine, and harp (149:1-3). The reason sits in verse 4. The LORD takes pleasure in his people, and he adorns the afflicted with salvation. God's people do not only delight in him. He delights in them.

The psalm then turns sharply. Praise in their mouths is joined to a double-edged sword in their hands, to carry out the judgment written against hostile nations and their kings (149:6-9). These hard lines portray God's justice carried out through his people, called an honor for his faithful ones (149:9). The New Testament does not hand believers a physical sword to advance God's kingdom. It arms them with God's word, the Spirit's own sword (Ephesians 6:17). God delights in the afflicted and judges his enemies, and both truths belong in worship. You can sing today as one he takes pleasure in.

To think about: How might your worship change if you began it by remembering that God takes pleasure in you?

About Psalm 149: A New Song for Israel's King

The faithful of Israel are called to sing a new song and rejoice with dance and music in their Maker and King, who delights in them and adorns the lowly with salvation. The psalm then pairs their praise with the sword, as the judgment recorded against the nations and their kings is carried out, an honor for His people.

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