Psalm 149
Talk about a tale of two cities. This Psalm had me thinking about all the wonderful things God does for us, then, right about the middle of it, I wasd invited to also "let the high praises of God be in [my throat] and two-edged swords in [my hand]." What follows this declaration is the hope that through God we can bind, execute, and punish our enemies.
What!? It's no wonder I get confused sometimes about what God is asking us to do. Are we to love our enemies, or defeat our enemies?
As I read commentaries on today's Psalm I found one which made mention that the request for vengeance with a double-edged sword is a hope for the future. This commentary said that it was most likely swords did not have two-edges in the days this Psalm was written, so the mention of a double-edged sword was a "dream", if you will, of a future weapon that will not only allow the people of Israel to protect themselves, but to also defeat any enemies which threaten their way of life.
The commentary goes on to say that the Psalmist's design was "not to proceed under the influence of private resentment, [but] to throw a rein over passion." What this commentator is saying is although the Psalm is calling for violence, it isn't the way of God's people to be violent, rather to live for justice.
The Psalm is saying that the people of God are not a violent people, but neither should we allow injustice to go unchecked. The sword is not a literal sword, but an instrument which allows for God's people to fight against the powers of government and a corrupt religion to ensure all people live in a land filled with songs and dance. Wielding this sword allows us to say, "Come into God's loving arms" to invite people into God's love, while at the same time saying, "God's arms hold you at length" in order to protect those who need protection.
One might say that this kind of talk is similar to talking out of both sides of your mouth. To which I would simply say that such is the way of a double-edged sword.
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