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
loud voice." As they marched to war, verse 21 says that Jehoshaphat,
"Appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise Him for the
splendor of His holiness as they went out at the head of the army,
saying: Give thanks to the Lord, for His love endures forever." As
they marched into battle singing, the Lord gave them the victory over
this far superior enemy. It was such a total victory they called the
place the Valley Of Beracah, which means the valley of praise. They
went there to praise God, then went back to the temple in Jerusalem
to praise Him more with harp and lutes and trumpets. From then on
Jehoshaphat had peace on all sides.
What was the secret weapon that gave them victory over a
superior foe? It was praise. This made them superior, for praise is a
weapon far more powerful than the weapons of warfare made by
men. Praise puts God on your side, because you are on God's side. I
suspect that you could study the wars of history and discover that the
side which most often won was the side with the greater number of
praisers of God. When Israel lost a battle it was because they had
ceased to praise God.
Since physical warfare is not a regular part of our lives as it was
with God's Old Testament people, we need to apply this to the
warfare of the spirit. We wrestle not against flesh and blood but
against spiritual powers and forces of darkness. In the whole armor
of God, that Paul urges us to put on, only one is for an aggressive
attack on evil, and that is the sword of the spirit which is the Word of
God. It is by the Word that we take the offensive, and a large part of
that sword is praise. By praise we can fight our way out of battles
with evil, and by praise we can push back the forces of evil, and
overcome the territory they hold.
Why should we bother to teach children Christian songs at a early
age? It is because the Bible tells us it is a child's first weapon against
evil. Psa. 8:2 says, "From the lips of children and infants you have
ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the
avenger." A little child singing puts a muzzle on the skeptic and the
critic, and forces them into silence.
Satan trembles when he hears
The songs of children strike his ears.
The power of music kept the demons out of king Saul, who was
otherwise under their control.
Psa. 52 is all about the two kinds of praises: Those who praise
themselves and boast of their evil. They end in everlasting ruin. The
others are the praises of God. They will go on flourishing in the house
of God praising Him forever. Praise is the weapon that overcomes all
the forces that pull us away from God; especially pride. The praises
of God conquer pride and avoid the fall it leads too. Praise is our
weapon of victory. Let it get rusty and you are bound to be wounded
by one of the many foes of the Christian life.
By praise we bind the enemy. In verse 8 of our text it speaks of
binding their kings and nobles. By our praise we bind the powers of
Satan. We are no match for the unseen forces of Satan. He has so
many advantages over us, but we have a weapon that negates all his
advantages, and that is the weapon of praise. Wiersbe says we have
neglected our greatest weapon for overthrowing empires and
changing the world, and the sad part is, we are content to do so.
Praise is like any other weapon. You have got to train, practice, and
learn how to use it. But since we have not been trained, we don't want
to bother. If someone came around offering to teach anyone how to
use a bazooka, most of us would past, for we don't see any relevance
to knowing how to shoot it. So it is with praise. It is a powerful
weapon of spiritual warfare, but we do not see its relevance, and so
we don't bother with the discipline of training. The result is we go
marching into life's battle without our sword, and it is no wonder that
we seldom take over territory under the control of evil forces.
Neh. 8:10 says, "The joy of the Lord is your strength." This
means the lack of joy is your weakness. When you are not in a spirit
of joyful praise, you are vulnerable to enemy attack. Why do
Christians get down and depressed, and even have total breakdowns?
I do not want to be simplistic as if there are not dozens of different
factors, but the bottom line is, they are unarmed. They are fighting
enemy forces without the weapon of worshipful praise. Study any
period of great revival in the history of the church and you will find a
revival of praise, and an outburst of new songs. William Taylor
wrote, "He who has a new song in his mouth is ever stronger, both to
suffer and to labor, than the man who has a dumb spirit and a
hymnless heart."
Whatever you do, praising God will make you do it better. Praise
God at work, and you will enjoy your work better, or tolerate it
better. Praise God in your home, and you will have a better home
life. Praise God as you drive, and it will not be the torture it is for
those who only gripe and complain about all the idiots on the road.
Praise is your weapon to counteract all the ways Satan tries to defeat
you in the Christian life. Without praise you are like fish in a barrel
to the enemy of your soul. This Psalm says song and sword go hand in
hand. Worship and warfare are not world's apart. They are side by
side, and you need the one to deal with the other. You need the song
to do well with the sword.
Praising God is the most practical activity there is, for it is the
source of your strength. The praise Psalms are our weapons, for
Heb. 4:12 says, "The Word of God is living an active, sharper than
any double-edge sword." I have had New Testaments with the Psalms
in them, but never realized I was carrying my sword when I had it,
for I had no idea of the power of praise.
I was fascinated by Judson Conwell's book Let Us Praise. As a
pastor he got all excited about a ministry of demon exorcism, and he
began to focus on casting out demons. He had services on Sunday for
this purpose, and he noticed he was becoming so demon-centered that
Christ was put on the back burner. He came under the conviction of
the Holy Spirit that he was to praise Jesus, and not get his focus on
demons. It was hard to break the pattern, but he finally did, and
when he began to focus on praising Jesus he found he and his church
stopped having so many problems with demons.
Satan is very subtle. He can get us so involved in battles of all
kinds that we are actually more under his control than that of Christ.
The thing we need to ask about all we do is this: Is this helping me to
keep my eyes on Jesus, and, is it motivating me to sharpen my focus
on praising and exalting His name? Satan would love to see us
fighting so many skirmishes with various demons of evil that we have
no time or energy for praise. He is winning, no matter how many
minor victories we may win, if he can keep us from our big gun and
most powerful weapon-the weapon of praise.
Praise keeps us power oriented, but lack of praise leads us to be
problem oriented. When we do nothing but focus on problems we
tend to be led downward to pessimism and discouragement. Many
Christians even get depressed in prayer because their prayer is
almost totally negative, and dealing with problems. We need to
balance out prayer with praise so we do not become problem
centered. The praise-centered Christian is the most victorious
Christian.
In Dostoevski's The Brother's Karamazov, Ivan imagines he sees
the devil, and a conversation takes place in which the devil says, "If I
could praise God, I would cease to be the devil." I don't how
theologically correct that is, but it is true for men. If they praise
God, they will cease to be devil-centered and self-centered, and
become God-centered. The key to change of character and attitude is
the power of praise. Probably the greatest power of praise is the
power of it to please God. Look at verse 4 which says, "For the Lord
takes delight in His people. He crowns the humble with salvation."
Praise pleases God, and He in turn blesses those who praise, and this
leads those who praise to have all the more praise. The next verse
says, "Let the saints rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their
beds." Not all of life is a battle. Sometimes we just relax on our beds
and rejoice in the good life of being a child of God, and an object of
His delight.
As Americans we have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness, but this means to most people the pursuit of pleasure,
which does not lead to happiness, except during the moments of
pleasure. Real happiness is found in one's awareness that he is
honored by God. God delights in him, and loves him as His child.
This is an honor that never gets on the great TV award shows. It
never gets a large gold or silver trophy, but it is life's greatest honor,
and it goes to those who praise God and rejoice in Him, and ever sing
new songs of joy. This is the life-style that pleases God, and the
reward is His delight and salvation. Happiness is not something you
pursue as much as something you get as a by-product of pleasing God
by being a praiser.
If God is happy with you, because you are happy with Him, you
are on the highest level of happiness. Spurgeon said, "The thought of
the Lord's taking pleasure in us is a mine of joy never to be
exhausted." In Psa. 147:11 we read it again: "The Lord delights in
those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love." Just as
we delight when our child or grandchild will leap to us from a table in
full confidence that we will catch them, and not let them fall, so God
delights in us when we trust and appreciate Him. The happiest
children in this world are those whose parents delight in them, for
delighted parents are loving, caring, forgiving, and generous in their
giving. So the happiest Christians in this world are those in whom
God is delighted. This Hebrew word for delight is used frequently to
refer to God's pleasure.
If you get a great deal of pleasure out of one, two, or three
children, or grandchildren, think of the pleasure God gets out of
hundreds of millions of children who praise Him. And why do they
praise Him? Because as verse 4 says, "He crowns the humble with
salvation." The KJV has it, "He beautifies the meek with salvation."
The idea of beauty is more accurate for the Hebrew word here is paar,
which means, to make beautiful. It is used in Isa. 60:13 to refer
to the beauty of the temple. "The glory of Lebanon will come to you,
the pine, the fir, and the cypress together, to adorn the place of my
sanctuary..." Adorn is the Hebrew word paar. God is pleased by
trees, plants, and flowers that beautify the environment where He is
worshipped. Beauty, worship, and salvation are all linked in the
Bible, and we add to the beauty with voices of praise. The flower
praises God by being beautiful, and we praise Him by beautiful
sounds.
Beauty is to characterize all that is involved in worship. God is
beautiful in His splendor and holiness, and the sanctuary is to be
beautiful; the music is to be beautiful, and the people are to be
beautiful. There will be nothing ugly in heaven, and the closer we can
get to total beauty in time, the closer we get to heaven. The same
word paar is used two others times in Isa. 60. One refers to the
temple and the other to the people. In verse 7 God says, "I will adorn
my glorious temple." In verse 9 it says, "He has endowed you with
splendor." Splendor is the same word as, to beautify, to adorn, and to
crown. We could do further studies of this word, but the point is
clear: beauty is important to God, and one of the most beautiful
things in life is victory over evil. The beauty of praise leads to the
beauty of victory over evil.
There are some who take praise as their spiritual weapon very
seriously. Most of us would be inclined to see prayer as our weapon.
This is certainly valid. Al Trefetheran gave me a missionary letter
that told of a medical missionary in Africa who had to travel by
bicycle for two days to get medical supplies. This meant he had to
camp in the jungle overnight. To make a long story short, there was
a group of young men who knew he had money and medicine. They
were going to rob him and kill him. But as one of them told the story
later, they backed off when they saw him surrounded by 26 armed
guards. The medical missionary was all alone and could not
understand this providential protection until he came home to
Michigan. There he learned that on that very night he was camping
his church called for a special prayer time for him, and the number of
men who came together for that time of intercession was 26.
Amazing, yet more in line with our experience and familiarity with
the power of prayer.
Similar miraculous intervention is happening because of praise.
Michael Colem and Ed Lindquist founded Hosanna Music a few years
back and discovered the Christian world is thirsting for praise songs.
They now mail praise cassettes to hundreds of thousands all over the
world on a regular basis, and they learn of the power of praise as a
weapon in spiritual warfare. For example, Don Moen, director of
Integrity Music, was the leader of a young musicians group travelling
on a bus across Poland to the Soviet Union. The were carrying 24
master cassettes of the New Testament, and 3 high speed duplicators
to copy tapes and distribute them to underground Christians all over
the Soviet Union.
The penalty for trying to smuggle this into Russia was an
automatic 10 years in prison. But they felt compelled to take the risk
to get the word of God to people. They had wrapped all in packages
and spray painted them black. When the bus neared the border Don
went to the front of the bus and led them in praise with every song
they could remember. They exalted Jesus as Lord of all and sought by
praise the power of his protection. When they came to the border
they were ordered out of the bus and two guards began to search
everything. The older guard was in charge, and a younger guard, who
seemed to want to find something to please his superior. When he
came to the transformer where they had hidden the tapes, he was
going to take it apart. Their hearts sank, but the older guard yelled at
him that he was taking too much time. The older guard actually
apologized for the younger one. The young one stopped, and the
group was convinced that their worship and praise was the weapon
that defeated the plan of Satan at that point.
Praise is a form of prayer for it is not just horizontal music which
talks about God. It is vertical music which talks to God. When we
sing to exhort or encourage, or to evangelize, that is horizontal music
directed at people. But in praise it is God who is the audience, and we
are singing to Him. When we praise God we are no longer mere
spectators in the battle of life. We are soldiers who are making a
difference in the power level of the kingdom of God. Without praise
we are unarmed, but with praise we are ready both to stand and
defend the faith, and to attack and take territory held by the enemy.
Praise is both a defensive and offensive weapon.
Words are weapons for good or evil. Jesus said in Matt. 12:34,
"For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks." If the heart
is full of awful crud, the mouth will bring forth evil, complaining,
gossip, and foul words. If the heart is full of gratitude, awe, and joy in
the Lord, the mouth will overflow with praise. Praise is an external
symbol of the inner life. You reveal the state of your heart by your
words. If you are always gripping and complaining, people will know
what your heart is like, and God knows you are fighting life's battles
with a dull sword. You are as ineffective as one trying to slice cheese
with a golf club. But if praise flows from your mouth you reveal a
heart filled with love, joy, and peace in the Lord. Your sword is like a
laser beam able to cut through solid steel, and you are a weapon that
God can use to defeat the schemes of principalities and powers.
There is power in praise that we cannot measure, for we can never
fully know how God uses praise for the conquering of the forces of
darkness.
Praise brings us into the presence of God, and in His presence
there is power. Don Moen wrote this song:
I just want to be where you are,
Dwelling daily in your Presence.
I don't want to worship from afar,
Draw me near to where you are.
I want to be where you are,
Dwelling in your Presence;
Feasting at your table,
Surrounded by your glory,
In your Presence,
That is where I always want to be.
Heaven is the final fulfillment of this desire, but praise is the
present experience of this desire. Praise takes us into God's presence,
and in that presence there is power. May God help us to keep this
weapon clean, oiled, and very active, that we might experience in the
daily battles of life, the power of praise.
