Psalms 149:4-6

DISCOURSE: 751
THE DUTY OF PRAISING GOD FOR HIS GOODNESS

Psalms 149:4. The Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation. Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand.

THE world are ready to account those weak and enthusiastic who abound in the exercise of spiritual duties: but there is nothing in the universe that more accords with the dictates of reason, than such a state. If God have not given us sufficient grounds to love and serve him, then we may doubt whether the supreme affection of our souls be due to him. But we need go no further than the text in order to justify the warmest expressions of our love to him, and the most unreserved dedication of all our powers to his service.
The exhortations in the text are full of energy; but they are founded on God’s love to us. In order therefore to be duly sensible of their force, we must consider,

I. God’s kindness to us—

This is expressed both by the internal regard which he bears towards us, and by the outward manifestations of it to our souls.

1. He loves his people—

[They who fear God are considered as “his people,” in contradistinction to those who belong to Satan. He esteems them as “his peculiar treasure [Note: Exodus 19:5.].” He “has pleasure” in their persons, notwithstanding all their vileness; for he views them as “complete in Christ [Note: Colossians 2:10.].” When they are mourning and weeping for their extreme sinfulness, he looks on them with heart-felt complacency [Note: Isaiah 66:2.Jeremiah 31:18; Jeremiah 31:20.], and delight [Note: Proverbs 11:20.]. Even when they are doubting his love towards them, he marks them as the objects of his tenderest affection and incessant care [Note: Isaiah 49:14.].

He takes pleasure also in their services. Their prayers are his delight [Note: Proverbs 15:8.]: their tributes of praise are esteemed his glory [Note: Psalms 50:23.]; their alms, a sacrifice with which he is well pleased [Note: Hebrews 13:16.]: their every grace is in his sight of great price [Note: 1 Peter 3:4.]. Their holy purposes, though not suffered by him to be carried into effect, are noticed by him with approbation [Note: 1 Kings 8:18.], nor are even their fainter inclinations [Note: 1 Kings 14:13.], or their transient thoughts [Note: Malachi 3:16.], suffered to pass without a suitable reward.]

2. He makes them lovely—

[The distinguishing characteristic of the Lord’s people is, that they are “meek:” their hearts being humbled, their proud impetuous passions are hushed to silence. These the Lord “beautifies with salvation” now. The lion becomes a lamb [Note: Isaiah 11:6.]: instead of the brier and thorn, the fir and myrtle-tree spring up [Note: Isaiah 55:13.]: and even blood-thirsty murderers become humble and loving saints [Note: Acts 2:23; Acts 2:41.]. The very countenances of God’s people often bear a visible mark of the change wrought in them; so that we may almost literally say, “They have the mark of the Lamb in their foreheads [Note: Revelation 22:4.].” There is a beautiful symmetry discernible in all their conduct. “The beauty of the Lord their God is upon them [Note: Psalms 90:17.]:” and as that consists, not in the exercise of any one perfection, but in an union and harmony of all, however opposite to human appearance; so their beauty is seen, not in the exercise merely of meekness or fortitude, of fear or confidence, but in the just temperament, and combination, of every Christian grace. In a word, they are renewed after God’s image [Note: Ephesians 4:24.]; and have the change carried on from one degree of glory to another by the Spirit of the Lord [Note: 2 Corinthians 3:18.].

But in an infinitely higher degree will they be beautified when their salvation shall be complete. Then they shall have no remains of sin or corruption: their bodies shall be made like unto Christ’s glorious body [Note: Philippians 3:21.]: their souls also shall be without spot or blemish as truly as his [Note: Ephesians 5:27.]: arrayed in the robes of his perfect righteousness, and adorned with a crown of glory [Note: Revelation 6:11; Revelation 7:14; 2 Timothy 4:8.], they shall shine forth above the sun in the firmament for ever and ever [Note: Daniel 12:3.Matthew 13:43.]. And when Christ himself shall come in his glory, he will be admired in them, and glorified in them [Note: 2 Thessalonians 1:10.]

After viewing the obligations we owe to God, we cannot but be prepared to hear,

II.

Our duty to him—

There is a correspondence between the mercies we receive from God, and the service which he requires at our hands: Does he take pleasure in us? we should delight ourselves in him: Does he exert himself to beautify us? we should labour to glorify him.

1. We should delight ourselves in God—

[They whom God has set apart for himself as “his people,” and rendered “meek” after the example of Jesus, are properly called “his saints:” and though men scoff at that name, and make it a term of reproach, they whom God has honoured with it, have reason to rejoice and glory in such an honourable appellation. With them, praise should be the subject of their thoughts, the language of their lips, the very element in which they breathe [Note: Psalms 33:1.]. It is their privilege as well as their duty to rejoice in the Lord, to rejoice in him evermore [Note: Philippians 4:4.], to rejoice in him with joy unspeakable and full of glory [Note: 1 Peter 1:8.]. When they rise in the morning, their praise should ascend up as incense; yea, when they are lying “upon their beds,” they should have their waking thoughts occupied with God, and “sing aloud” for joy. Nor should they be contented with the solitary expressions of their love to God: they should commend him to others, and stir up all around them to magnify his name. Such was the delightful employment of the Psalmist [Note: Psalms 63:3; Psalms 96:1.]; and such a devotedness of soul to God is no other than our reasonable service [Note: Romans 12:1.]

2. We should fight the Lord’s battles—

[The Jews were to approve their love to God by extirpating his enemies among the heathen. There are enemies also with whom he requires us to contend: but “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal:” it is not our fellow-creatures that we are called to destroy, but “the lusts that war in our members.” The world, the flesh, and the devil, are our enemies, and God’s. Against them we vowed eternal enmity in our baptism; nor are we ever to sheathe the sword till they are all put under our feet. God has prepared for us a divine panoply, an armour of heavenly temper [Note: Ephesians 6:13.]. Clad with this, we must “go forth continually conquering, and to conquer.” We must “fight a good fight,” and “war a good warfare [Note: 1 Timothy 1:18; 1 Timothy 6:12.],” and “endure hardness as good soldiers of Jesus Christ [Note: 2 Timothy 2:3.].”

Thus fighting and singing must be joined together; for “the joy of the Lord is our strength [Note: Nehemiah 8:10.]:” and then shall we be most victorious, when we go forth to battle singing the praises of our God [Note: 2 Chronicles 20:21.]

Address,
1.

Those who rest satisfied with a mere formal religion—

[What suitableness is there in such a state to the mercies we receive at God’s hands? If he take pleasure in us, should we be indifferent towards him? If he labour to beautify us, should we take no pains to glorify him? If he call us to holy joy, should we be cold or lukewarm? If he command us to maintain a continual warfare, should we yield ourselves willing captives to our enemies, or make a truce with them for a moment? Be it known, that whatever the world may think of such a state, God utterly abhors it [Note: Revelation 3:16.]

2. Those who profess to serve and enjoy God—

[Glorious indeed is “the vocation wherewith ye are called:” and well may you rejoice in it: but oh! be careful also to “walk worthy of it [Note: Ephesians 4:1.].” If you profess that God has pleasure in you, take care that you are also adorned and beautified with his divine image. If you rejoice and glory in God, take care also that the sword is ever in your hand, to cut off whatever is displeasing in his sight [Note: Matthew 18:7.]. Beware also lest you decline from the happy state to which you have been brought: beware lest, by cowardice or sloth, you rob your soul of its beauty and happiness, and make him your enemy, who desires nothing so much as to shew himself your friend [Note: Isaiah 63:10.]