Psalm Chapter 149

Psalm 149:1 Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints.
2 Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.
3 Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.

This type of dancing mentioned here certainly does not mean the same as what we think of ordinary dancing to the beat of music. I'm not saying ordinary dancing that is decent and fun is right or wrong but the dancing mentioned here is more of a rejoicing in the Lord.

This is a dance of praise, thanksgiving and gladness. It could be merely jumping up and down, skipping or showing happiness in some manner that is a result of spontaneous joy when worshipping the Lord. I do not believe it is ballet or some form of dance that is practiced but more of a spur of the moment praise.

Praising the Lord in the dance to me would be something spontaneous and open to all worshippers and not just the ones that are appointed as dancers. This is why using groups and performers should be limited because we want to see everyone worship the Lord not have someone do our worshiping for us. We all need to worship.

The dancing I've seen in churches today seems to be practiced and done only by a few. It seems to be very close to entertainment instead of worship but I'm not going to say it's wrong and be judgmental but I prefer everyone get involved in worship. I feel the same way about special singing done only by one or two rather than congregational singing and we know singing groups are not wrong but participattion by all in worship would be much better.

Seems to me that true worship would be open to the whole congregation and not just those that are more talented. This though is my own opinion and not the gospel. The worship of God in praising, singing and shouting should never be suppressed. It is how the bible says we are to worship God. I will add another opinion here and say that some prefer to worship quietly so they must not be made to feel like they lack something. I know people who sit and cry when they think of God and His greatness. We all react to the spirit of God differently and we must respect the differences that we all have. The bible says that we shall know true believers by their fruits and how they treat one another. It doesn't say that we judge them by how loud they shout or how quiet they worship.

Psalm 149:4 For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation.

All worship is of the heart and is something God sees. He delights when He sees us worship in spirit and in truth. He knows and He is probably the only one who knows who is a true worshipper and who is not. The bible does tell us to walk in meekness. This is the very opposite of being overbearing and self-righteous. Let us worship in meekness and we will be beautified by the Lord Himself. Like I've said many times, God has a better way of doing things if we let Him..

Psalm 149:5 Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds.
6 Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand;
7 To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people;
8 To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron;
9 To execute upon them the judgment written: this honor have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD.

I can't say this enough. We must let God be the one who takes vengeance. Our part is to worship God, spread the gospel and love our neighbor as ourselves. We are not to take vengeance when people oppose the gospel, persecute believers and do us wrong. God is the one to take vengeance. If we try to do it, we will get it wrong and accidently harm the innocent or just those that do not have the same understanding we have.

After saying that, I will say that God sees all the evil done to those that spread His gospel and are faithful to His calling. No one is getting by with anything. Every time a child of God is beaten, killed or tormented for preaching the gospel, God sees it. Unless there is repentance, He will bring vengeance. Judgment day is coming. We will answer to God if we fail to repent and accept His way out. He made a way and that way is only through His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only way to get rid of sin and inherit eternal life. If we neglect this, it is to our own peril. We don't have to be lost. Jesus wants to save, not destroy. Judgment and vengeance should remain in the timing of God unless it is something against the law of the land. Having law and order is ordained by God and is a good thing. Everything God wants us to know is contained within the pages of what we call the bible. Read and understand but be careful of modern versions that change the meaning from the original. DC

Psalm 150

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