From the Preacher’s Pen…
Have you ever noticed how winners parade and show off how great they are? While losers might moan and complain that winners aren’t that great, the facts tend to speak for themselves, don’t they?
Have you ever noticed how winners parade and show off how great they are? While losers might moan and complain that winners aren’t that great, the facts tend to speak for themselves, don’t they?
In the Spiritual world, the same thing is true. Losers moan and complain while winners, real winners celebrate the joy of victory. Consider…
Singing the Song of Joy
The Jewish rabbis considered this one of David’s Kingship Psalms and saw it as highlighting the military victory of God. While David was a great king himself, he constantly reminded himself (and his people) that the Lord is the real king. It was this humility and love for his God that both kept him humble and showed his greatness.
Perhaps because many Christians today are unfamiliar with, or just uncomfortable with, the military lessons of God, many Christian commentators tend to simply view it as one of the “new songs” to be sung in heaven (cf. Revelation 5:9-14). Of course, when you read the book of Revelation (and the rest of the New Testament) you cannot fail to see the constant references to our God and Savior as both our great leader in the war against sin and Satan now and, one day, the great victor in eternity.
Military victories were important to David. The battles won subdued the hostile nations surrounding Israel and eventually brought peace, safety, honor, and riches to the nation of God’s people.
To Christians in the New Testament world seeing increasing persecution because the world did not agree with them or accept them, the same lesson of victory under Jesus’ kingship was both important and vital to their hope (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:54-57; Colossians 2:15; Ephesians 4:8; 1 John 5:4; etc. where the terms for military victories are used). So consider David’s song as he challenges God’s people to join the “new song” and share in the reminder of joyful victory:
Psalm 98
O sing to the Lord a new song,
For He has done wonderful things,
His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him.
The Lord has made known His salvation;
He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations.
He has remembered His loving kindness
and His faithfulness to the house of Israel;
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth;
Break forth and sing for joy and sing praises.
Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
With the lyre and the sound of melody.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
Shout joyfully before the King, the Lord.
Let the sea roar and all it contains,
The world and those who dwell in it.
Let the rivers clap their hands,
Let the mountains sing together for joy
Before the Lord, for He is coming to judge the earth;
He will judge the world with righteousness
And the peoples with equity.
As many other Biblical writers remind us, our God is creator of all we see around us. And all of God’s creation should honor Him. The physical world does so by obeying the physical laws He created to govern all that exists (many of the Psalms remind us of this lesson as does the book of Job).
Interestingly enough all living creatures but humans obey the laws of God that govern their lives. For example, rats never suddenly give birth to elephants and whales never give birth to horses. Rocks never turn into plants or any other living thing. All in spite of the humorous, fantastical claims of some humans.
Only humans actively try to disobey the Creator in the lives they lead. And sadly, only humans are actually made in the very image of God.
Victory is truly in Jesus. And one day, as even David looked forward to, the Lord is coming to judge the earth in righteousness. Will you and I be found to have honored Him with obedient lives? Or will we be found in rebellion against Him who is and always will be the victor?
May we join with David in singing and living praise to our Lord. He HAS made known His salvation, He HAS revealed His righteous will. Will we obey it?
— Lester P. Bagley