Psalm 149: The Double Edged Sword
reflection by Silvia Purdie Ah, the Psalms. We love them, and then duck for cover as they swing around and whack us on the back of the head! Psalm 149 is mostly all sweetness and soaring music … Praise to the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song Sing his praise in the company of friends Find joy here, celebrating the one who made us Find joy here, praising God! Praise with your body, move and dance Praise with your voice, your drums and guitars Find a place here, for God is delighted with you Be you broken or lost be you fragile or sad God delights in you Glory grows as we praise God and God lifts up our heads Praise the Lord with joy! So far so good. But suddenly a double-edged sword is placed in your hands and around you the crowd yells for victory crying for the head of the President waving bayonets in the air roaring for revenge roaring for blood! Feel free to stop reading at verse 5. Or can we absorb the violence transform the hunger to punish and control? Can we confront our own hidden fantasies of retribution for those who have hurt us? What are the victories we celebrate the victories over darkness that give substance to our joy? so that praise is hard-won and worship is bone-deep |
Psalm 149: Find joy here
Praise to the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song Sing his praise in the company of friends Find joy here, celebrating the one who made us Find joy here, praising God! Praise with your body, move and dance Praise with your voice, your drums and guitars Find a place here, for God is delighted with you Be you broken or lost be you fragile or sad God delights in you Glory grows as we praise God and God lifts up our heads Praise the Lord with joy! |
Note on the photos:
My husband is an Army Chaplain. He took this photo out on patrol in Bahmyan province, Afghanistan.
The flower was painted by Lynn Ramage.
My husband is an Army Chaplain. He took this photo out on patrol in Bahmyan province, Afghanistan.
The flower was painted by Lynn Ramage.