Praise the LORD! I sing to you joyfully, Saving God! Make me an agent of your justice through the peaceful power of your Holy Spirit, that I may be a living example of your love. Amen.

Psalm 149 (Good News Translation) Come Together in Faith and Praise God with a Thankful Heart Introduction Psalm 149: Today’s psalm is another song of praise that emphasizes God’s justice. It offers images of music, praise and celebration. But it also includes images of punishment. It may possibly have been an exilic or postexilic prayer for the defeat of Israel’s enemies and the deliverance of the people from exile and the restoration of Judah. Today’s Scripture: Psalm 149:1b Sing a new song to the LORD; praise him in the assembly of his faithful people! Today’s Reading 1 Praise the LORD! Sing a new song to the LORD; praise him in the assembly of his faithful people! 2 Be glad, Israel, because of your Creator; rejoice, people of Zion, because of your king! 3 Praise his name with dancing; play drums and harps in praise of him. 4 The LORD takes pleasure in his people; he honors the humble with victory. 5 Let God's people rejoice in their triumph and sing joyfully all night long. 6 Let them shout aloud as they praise God, with their sharp swords in their hands 7 to defeat the nations and to punish the peoples; 8 to bind their kings in chains, their leaders in chains of iron; 9 to punish the nations as God has commanded. This is the victory of God's people. Praise the LORD! Reflect Reread verses 6-9: The “swords” symbolize God’s concern for justice. Punishment is to serve the purpose of justice. God gave the king the responsibility for establishing justice on earth, but after the end of David’s dynasty, the responsibility for establishing justice was given to all God’s people. Note that New Testament writers do not speak about the sword of vengeance as much as the power of God at work within them (see 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; Ephesians 6:12-17; Hebrews 4:12). This “power” is God’s Spirit which helps them to be living examples of God’s love. In what ways have you experienced the power of God’s Spirit at work in your life?