The Power Of Praise Series

Sometimes we take the wisest man in history too seriously. Solomon

said there is nothing new under the sun, and those who take this as the

last word can become pessimistic. What is the point of being an

explorer if there are no new continents to be discovered. The poles

have both been reached, and all the highest mountains have been

climbed. There is nothing new to do, and so we are born to late. Such

is the thinking of one who takes Solomon too seriously.

The fact is, the Bible is filled with new things, and one of the most

common references is to the new songs we can sing to praise God.

Not only does our text say, "Sing unto the Lord a new song," but this

theme is repeated over and over so that it becomes a major duty of

believers to be ever involved with the new.

Psa. 33:3-Sing unto Him a new song.

40:3-He hath put a new song in my mouth.

96:1-O sing unto the Lord a new song.

98:1-O sing unto the Lord a new song.

144:9-I will sing a new song unto Thee O God.

Isa. 42:10- Sing unto the Lord a new song.

Solomon did not realize that the best was yet to be under the new

covenant where we would praise our Redeemer forever with new songs.

In Rev. 5:9 and 14:3, we hear new songs being sung in heaven

in praise of Jesus. The fact is, there have been more songs sung in

praise of Jesus than any other person in history, and for all eternity

song writers will be busy coming up with new ones, for our praise of

Him will never cease.

The message of the Bible is clear: Do not let your praise grow

stale by singing the same songs over and over until they lose their

freshness, and no longer move you to true adoration. I have sung

hymns with my mind elsewhere because they were so familiar that I

did not have to think. They were mere memorized rituals that I could

go through with no real praise to God because my mind was not on

God. A new song forces you to pay attention to what you are singing,

and this engages your mind. You can't be day dreaming when singing

a new song, and, therefore, you are more likely to truly praise.

The implication of the persistent call to sing new songs is that by

nature we get into ruts, and even as God's people we grow stale in our

worship. We need constant renewal, or we sink into dead orthodoxy

where we have all the truth, but it makes no difference in our lives

because it has lost its power to motivate us. If we let this happen, it is

our own fault, because we are urged to never cease singing new songs

to the Lord, and thus, keeping our love for Him fresh and alive.

What we do not realize is that praise is one of the key weapons for

spiritual warfare. You will notice that this Psalm links praise and the

sword. This sounds strange and shocking to us. Worship and

warfare seem worlds apart in our minds, and it makes a discord in

our minds to put them together as does verse 6: "May the praise of

God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands."

The reason it does not fit our sense of harmony is because the subject

has been neglected. Warren Wiersbe, one of the contemporary

leaders in the study of worship, wrote in Moody Monthly, "I have read

books and sermons on the subject of worship, and I have yet to

find a major work that says anything about worship as spiritual

warfare."

We sing Onward Christian Soldiers, and Fight The Good Fight,

but we do not take the issue of spiritual warfare very seriously. The

result is we let our weapons be neglected, and they get rusty and

ineffective for the battle. Israel did the same thing on the physical

level. When she ceased to praise God she fell before the armies of her

enemies. When she praised God she was victorious. One of the great

examples is in II Chron. 20. A vast army of Moabites and Ammonites

came against Israel. When king Jehoshaphat was told of it he went to

prayer, and in verse 12 we read, "O our God, will you not judge

them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking

us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you."

God promised to be with them and so in verse 19 we read that the

Levites, "Stood up and praised the Lord, the God of Israel, with very