3 Let them praise (Halal) His name with the dance;
Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp.
4 For the Lord takes pleasure in His people;
He will beautify (paar) the humble with salvation. (Psalm 149:3-4)
Notice the Hebrew word for praise is ‘Halal’ and it is translated as praise more than any other Hebrew word in the Bible. Also, carefully notice, the Hebrew word for “beautify” in verse 4 is paar (pronounced paw-ar) and means “to adorn with glory.”
God will adorn His people with His glory when they ‘Halal’ His name. He will beautify, or adorn with glory, the humble. It takes humility and willingness to look like a fool in front of others in order to have the glory of God manifest upon you.
In 2 Samuel 6:1-10, David in his first attempt tried to bring back the Ark but failed to follow divine order. In the failed attempt, there was loud and beautiful music and a magnificent procession. However, they did not follow God’s divine order. They put the Ark on a cart instead of the priests bearing it upon staves, according to the Law. As a result, God struck Uzzah dead as he reached to steady the Ark. That which is born of the flesh must be upheld by the flesh. The flesh cannot glorify God. (Romans 8:8)
To ‘Halal’ is not simply a matter of playing music, dancing and singing. The divine order of the New Testament is to worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24).
The second time that David brought up the Ark (three months later), it was in accordance with God’s divine order. David became the living definition of ‘Halal’ as he foolishly and danced before the Lord in front of all the people.
14 Then David danced before the Lord with all his might, and David was wearing a linen ephod. 15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet. (2 Samuel 6:14-15)
David was not concerned with his dignity or his appearance as he danced before the Lord with all his might. Being preoccupied with what other people think of you is the greatest inhibitor of enjoying God’s presence and being adorned with His glory.
6 Let the high praises of God be in their mouth,
And a two-edged sword in their hand,
7 To execute vengeance on the nations,
And punishments on the peoples; (Psalm 149:6-7)
Psalm 149:6 is the only verse in the Bible that contains a reference to “high” Praise.
God has given us a twofold combination with which to defeat our enemies: the praise of God in our mouths, and the word of God (two-edged sword) in our hands.
A New Testament understanding of this passage is in order because God does not usually respond to our praise by pouring out his wrath and judgment on the heathen.
In a New Testament sense, God is saying, “There is an inheritance for the church in the nations, but it is not yet claimed. Go forth and bind the satanic powers that blind the hearts of men, and reclaim for the kingdom that portion of the body of Christ that has yet to be brought in.”
Chapters
- Chapter 1
- Chapter 2
- Chapter 3
- Chapter 4
- Chapter 5
- Chapter 6
- Chapter 7
- Chapter 8
- Chapter 9
- Chapter 10
- Chapter 11
- Chapter 12
- Chapter 13
- Chapter 14
- Chapter 15
- Chapter 16
- Chapter 17
- Chapter 18
- Chapter 19
- Chapter 20
- Chapter 21
- Chapter 22
- Chapter 23
- Chapter 24
- Chapter 25
- Chapter 26
- Chapter 27
- Chapter 28
- Chapter 29
- Chapter 30
- Chapter 31
- Chapter 32
- Chapter 33
- Chapter 34
- Chapter 35
- Chapter 36
- Chapter 37
- Chapter 38
- Chapter 39
- Chapter 40
- Chapter 41
- Chapter 42
- Chapter 43
- Chapter 44
- Chapter 45
- Chapter 46
- Chapter 47
- Chapter 48
- Chapter 49
- Chapter 50
- Chapter 51
- Chapter 53
- Chapter 54
- Chapter 55
- Chapter 56
- Chapter 57
- Chapter 58
- Chapter 59
- Chapter 60
- Chapter 61
- Chapter 69
- Chapter 70
- Chapter 71
- Chapter 72
- Chapter 76
- Chapter 77
- Chapter 79
- Chapter 80
- Chapter 81
- Chapter 82
- Chapter 83
- Chapter 85
- Chapter 86
- Chapter 87
- Chapter 88
- Chapter 89
- Chapter 90
- Chapter 105
- Chapter 127
- Chapter 128
- Chapter 130
- Chapter 131
- Chapter 132
- Chapter 133
- Chapter 138
- Chapter 139
- Chapter 140
- Chapter 142
- Chapter 144
- Chapter 145
- Chapter 148
- Chapter 149
- Chapter 150