The Honor of the Saints

Psalm 149:5-9:

Let the saints be joyful in glory;
Let them sing aloud on their beds,
Let the high praises of God be in their mouth,
And a two-edged sword in their hand,
To execute vengeance on the nations,
And punishment on the peoples;
To bind their kings with chains,
And their nobles with fetters of iron;
To execute on them the written judgment --
This honor have all His saints.

Praise the Lord!

In the first four verses of Psalm 149 we are called to praise the Lord with a new song, for the saints to assemble and rejoice in God, our Maker, heavenly Father, and King, with dancing, singing, and the playing of musical instruments. If we humble ourselves in praising, God will take pleasure in us and beautify us with salvation.

The last five verses of Psalm 149, shown above, also call us to rejoice, to sing, and to praise God.

Then the honor of the saints is revealed.

What is the honor of the saints?

According to the Psalmist, the saints will be given a task to do. It is to carry out God's written judgment upon the nations, peoples, kings, and nobles.

It is an execution of vengeance with the two-edged sword. It is no less than punishment. Kings and nobles will be bound in chains and fettered in irons.

At first glance, this part of the Psalm appears less than Christian. Swords? Vengeance? Punishment? Binding and fettering?

And yet, it's right there in the Bible, the same Word that our Lord said will stand forever. The same Word that Jesus said he came to keep, to fulfill, not wanting to remove even a jot or a tittle.

So what are we to do with this part of Psalm 149?

The more important question is, I think, what does it have to do with us? After all, who are we to question its wisdom?

I seem to remember Jesus speaking early and often of a Day of Judgment, of a separating of the sheep from the goats. I recall our Lord predicting His triumphant return, to establish His Kingdom on earth, as it is already in Heaven. The final chapters of the Bible, in the Revelation to John, speak of that coming Day.

What is the honor of the saints, then?

It is just this, to execute judgment on that great Day of the Lord only upon the written judgment of God.

God is a just Judge and I have no doubt that His judgments in that Day will be fair and justified.

The vengeance and punishment and written judgment of God will someday come.

This Psalm, taken in its entirety, speaks of a day of praise, a time of rejoicing, a time even of rest and renewal, before the great and terrible Day of the Lord.

Yes, I believe that our Lord will come again "to judge the quick [the living] and the dead."

The honor of "all the saints" is to participate in God's judgment.

Until that Day, let's live each day as God wants us to:

• Loving God with all our heart and mind and soul and strength
• Loving our neighbor as ourselves
• Loving one another as Christ loved us.

Come, Lord Jesus!