Ps. 149: Praise as a Weapon?

Psalm 149:6 "May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands."

So, another commandment to praise God. We've covered numerous times how wonderful it is and appropriate it is to praise God. David and the psalmists have issued several lists and given lots of reasons why God is due the praise of His saints.

The 149th Psalm takes a bit of a departure. This is the first time I can recall, or at least that I noticed that the praise of God could be a weapon. A double-edged sword. Created to cut down enemies. The praise of God accomplishes a few things here before unwritten.

• Inflicts vengeance
• Punishes the people
• Binds kings with fetters
• Binds nobles with shackles
• Carries out the sentence against them

Pretty interesting. Of course it couldn't be the actual praise of God that does all these things. Right? Could this be a case of morale? Even though Israel may be scuffling, struggling, they still cry out to God in worship. Would that serve to dishearten their captors or oppressors? Or is it a case of fulfillment of the covenant. Praising God reflects a close relationship between Israelite and God, resulting in or as a result of Israel keeping their end of the bargain. When this happened, God saw fit to crush Israel's oppressors...you know, inflicting vengeance, throwing off kings and serving as God's hand of punishment against those who did not follow God's law.

Praise the Lord and grab your sword!

Ne. 10: Post-Exile Oath

Nehemiah 10:29 "all these now join their brothers the nobles, and bind themselves with a curse and an oath to follow the Law of God given through Moses the servant of God and to obey carefully all the commands, regulations and decrees of the LORD our Lord."

Chapter ten begins with a long list of names. Which on the surface seems kind of useless to read. But then I imagined my own name. Where will my name be listed on the cosmic rolls? Which lists will I be a part of when all there is to say is said, and all there is to do is done? Which of those lists will I be proud to be a part of? Which of those lists would I be sad to be on? I can already think of a few of each. But the list here in chapter ten is of those who were bound to the oath they made to keep God's covenant. A pretty good list to be a part of, but those on this list will be held to account. I like that. Holding to account improves and strengthens integrity.

This reads a lot like Leviticus, with what was commanded of the Israelites in regards to marriage, giving, farming, offering and feasts. It's not too far off from what was read and commanded by the more Godly kings in Israel's past. But the vows seemed to be temporary, and where the vows were broken, the judgment was often swift and terrible.

God reveals a bit about Himself here. He always seems to say, "OK, you told me you were going to follow my commands, I'll hold you to that." Never does he get cynical and say, "Whatever, you always say you will follow my covenant, but then you always blow it." I would be tempted to do that constantly. But this shows God's perfect grace that I could never claim to duplicate or even comprehend.

2 Ch. 7: God Responds

2 Chronicles 7:12 "Then the LORD appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: "I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice."

 Fire from heaven has got to be an incredible sight to behold. Can you imagine? What was it, physically? Just a bolt of lightning? That's ok, I suppose. There's a certain power in lightning, but real honest fire from heaven? I imagine just a steady column of flame roaring down from the sky, deafening. Brilliant white flame, some touches of orange, a few feet across...I don't know. I could speculate all day long on what that might have looked like. But it was enough fire to consume the ridiculous amount of sacrifices the people had brought.

It was an amazing time of celebration. The trumpets were blowing, people were singing. Emotions had to be running high. Two weeks this party went on. I can only handle being around my fellow congregants at church for a few hours a week.

Back behind the scenes though, God confers with Solomon.

God tells Solomon that, yes, He will be a God of deliverance, of forgiveness, and will establish Solomon's kingdom. Conditional on keeping the covenant. So the big celebration and the song and dance going on is all well and good, but God's decrees must be kept. Otherwise the deliverance will turn to captivity. Forgiveness will turn to culpability. And the kingdom of Israel will be short-lived.

1 Ki. 9: Never Leave You

1 Kings 9:7 "then I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. Israel will then become a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples."

After Solomon recovers from his big national party, God meets with him. He actually appeared to Solomon previously at Gibeon. So, this was still a novel thing for Solomon. He was the king. God's anointed, and this was only the second time the LORD appeared to him. This isn't some social call. This isn't a pat on the back, its a sobering challenge. Again God tells Israel's leader to obey His commands and decrees. And I love that God says He Himself has consecrated the temple. God's presence in itself is reward. What a thought. Do you think that today? A reward? For what?

But along with all the nasty terrible stuff that could happen to Israel, like famine and war and death, God introduces a new concept.

He says that Israel will become a byword and an object of ridicule. How horrible that must have been to hear for Solomon. No one wants to believe that at some point their nation could be a joke, forgotten. It doesn't take a deep history scholar to realize that happened eventually, so someone somewhere along the line didn't get the memo, or refused to heed it. Currently, and I haven't seen the news lately, but there doesn't appear to be a descendant of the line of David on the throne in Israel.

In other news, Solomon, as a reward to Hiram, the King of Tyre who hooked him up with a bunch of cedar and stuff, gives him twenty cities. These apparently aren't good cities. Biblical ghettoes, as it were. Hiram knew what was going on, these cities were junk, and he named them as such. Even so, he still sent men with Solomon's to sea to get some gold for some reason.

Solomon continues building up the city, using laborers conscripted from remnants of the HACPHAJ, which Israel couldn't or wouldn't drive out.

Dt. 29: All Right, Sparky, Here's the Deal...

Deuteronomy 29:29 "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law."

God lays down the terms of His covenant with Israel here in Deuteronomy 29...pretty clearly and succinctly. It was kind of easy to piece it together myself, but I had the advantage of reading and knowing what happened with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph up to this point. The people of Israel had what mom and dad and Moses was telling them. Did anyone write it down? I don't know. Probably a few of them did. That's why this chapter is so important.

In spite of most of Israel seeing what has happened, and personally being witness to what God has done, Moses says "the LORD has not given you a mind that understands or eyes that see or ears that hear." What does that mean? That Israel could not grasp the meaning of these wonders? That Israel could not extrapolate what the prophecies meant? For the forty years they were in the desert, their clothing and sandals did not wear out. Can you imagine wearing that t-shirt you are wearing right now in 2048? Or still wearing those Chuck Taylors you bought in 1968? I can't. But Israel apparently thought nothing of this miracle.

So, what's the big deal? Why follow this covenant? Very simply to "prosper in everything you do (v.9)." That about sums up the American dream, does it not? Or at least the Earthling dream. If someone was willing to make a deal with me that I could prosper in everything I'd do, I'd say, "Show me where to sign, bub." Especially if all I had to do was pledge my undying devotion to a benevolent deity. This is for every Israelite...verses 14 and 15 say with everyone there, but also "with those who are not here today." Does that mean those who have died already? Or those who are yet to be born?

When you are trying to convince someone that your way is best, I suppose one way is to remind them just how bad off they were in Egypt. Slaves. They were slaves. Whipped and beaten. Other countries treated them like dirt. Serving other gods here is likened to a poison that needs to be rooted out (v.18).

Verses 19-21 place the focus on the person's heart. A person can confess anything with their lips, but God can see what is inward, what is inside the heart. So if a person thinks they can take this oath aloud, while inwardly presuming they can continue in their life's pursuit of sin, God will call "All the curses written in this book" to fall upon him. That's a serious offense...to not have heart and mouth in alignment.

God's anger at an abandoned covenant will be so severe, other nations will take note, and wonder just why it is God was so angry, he turned a land into salt and sulfur, a la Sodom and Gomorrah, and then maybe the not-as-famous, Admah and Zeboiim, which were routed when Abram rescued Lot in Genesis 14.

I find the last verse rather cryptic at this point in my reading. "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law." God has things that he keeps a secret...or chooses not to reveal...yet. What are these secret things? As people, we probably think we know all there is to know. Yet, with an eternal God, I could presume that the things we don't know are just as eternal. Ponderous. With the wealth of man's knowledge, and Wikipedia...God has hidden infinite wonders. But the little that God has revealed are enough to satisfy "us and our children forever." Ah, it's a wonder. To be able to be satisfied forever, and still have an eternity of unknowns.

Ex. 24: God's Covenant Ceremony

With a vivid description of what the covenant was going to entail in Exodus 23, chapter 24 was the actual carrying out of the covenant ceremony.

God has Moses bring Aaron, Nadab, Abihu (Aaron's sons/Moses' nephews) and seventy elders up to Him. Everyone but Moses, who was summoned up the mountain, had to worship at a distance.

Moses wrote down and reported God's commands and conditions in His covenant with Israel. The Israelites in one voice said, "Everything the LORD has said, we will do."

Then Moses builds an altar and pillars for every one of the 12 tribes, and had young Israelite men offer burnt offerings and sacrificed bulls as fellowship offerings to the LORD. I think young bulls are symbolic because they are young, in the prime of their life. Everything in life was ahead of them, and they were strong and virile, and had to give up a great deal, their life notwithstanding. Which I'm still not sure I can/will do. Ever. Fully. It's more than words, and thus far, I'm not satisfied personally with the lip service I've paid to God.

Anyway, half the blood is put into bowls for later, while the other half is sprinkled on the altar. Moses reads the covenant to the people...again. And they affirm it. Again, saying "We will obey."

Moses sprinkled the blood on the people, which is gross. And seemingly pagan, but it is God who has established using blood as a symbol...(sacrifices, circumcision, etc.). Blood was the seal at this point, that Israel was entering into a covenant with the LORD, according to His words.

So, the guys who we met earlier, Moses, Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders went up and...

"saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like sapphire, clear as the sky itself."

Amazing! They were able to look upon God, and God did not strike them down. Instead, they ate and drank with God! Can you just imagine that? Eating and drinking with God Himself. I wonder what the main course was...and the dessert...and the wine...which I personally have never developed a taste for, but it must have been pretty amazing. And what was that pavement? It was something like sapphire. And sapphire is pretty sweet (my birthstone).

What privelege to be able to look upon God. So significant is this, that the Bible records it, saying "God did not raise his hand against them."

Afterwards, God calls Moses up and gives him the tablets of stone, upon which were written God's commandments. The ten commandments? It doesn't say. I get the impression here it was all of the laws.

The Bible says in verse 16 that God was in a cloud on the mountain for six days. But to the Israelites, this cloud looked like a consuming fire. Maybe to be a warning to them not to approach the mountain? But to Moses it was the cloud, and Moses entered it, and stayed up there for forty days and forty nights. Sounds familiar...God's purification processes seem to last for forty days and forty nights.

Ex. 23: Thou shalt Celebrate.

In chapter 23, God reveals His commands regarding false witness, lying for someone, and mob justice.

Favoritism
Additionally, God commands not to show favoritism to a poor man in a lawsuit. Interesting. Is it not human nature to want to help the little guy? God is so justice-minded that he must remind us to be as well. Of course the poor people can milk the system to their advantage, playing on the sympathies of people. God warns us not to fall into this prejudice.

Helping Enemies
Return your enemy's ox to him if you find it, and help it up if it has fallen down under its load. Fascinating. An enemy is described here as someone who hates you. It says nothing about you hating them. So, fine. First instinct is to revel in an enemy's hardship. Second nature is to do nothing. The last thing I want to do is help someone who hates me. Forget that, brotha. God tells me to go against that instinct, and pitch in and help. Its about being good and kind, plus you buy goodwill.

Innocents
Do not put innocent people to death, because God will not acquit the guilty. Seems obvious. But in a twisted way, maybe you want to see the goody-two-shoes get their comeuppance. Am I right?

Bribes
Unacceptable in any form. What do bribes do? They twist words. They change stories. They blind those who can see.

Sabbath Laws
God says sow your fields and harvest for six years, and then during the seventh year, let the field go unused. That way the poor among you can use it, and the animals can eat what they leave behind. I'm sure there is some deeper truth behind that. Just sure of it. So work for six years...or 6/7ths of my time. The final 1/7th is for the poor. Is that a standard of charity?

But this field is allowed 1 year in every 7 to rest. Does the whole universe receive this rest? I thought it was for God and man. But here we have something like a field. Makes me believe this rest applies to all creation. Who are we to take rest away from the field?

Feasts
There are three feasts a year God commands His people to celebrate. A command to celebrate. This isn't just joy for joy's sake. It is joy in deliverance. In the way God revealed Himself in a very vivid way. The Unleavened Bread we've discussed. The Feast of Harvest was about the first fruits of the field. Remember Genesis 4 when God was not pleased with Cain's alleged sacrifice? It was never about the fruit. It was about the heart. There is also the Feast of Ingathering, which at first site, appears to be celebrating the exact same thing, but upon further review, the call on the field has been reversed. Harvest is first fruits, Ingathering is when you gather in the crops of the field.

No blood sacrifice is to be offered with anything containing yeast. And what does God have against yeast? What is the purpose of yeast? What is the nature of yeast that it shares with sin or impurity?

God Prepares the Way
Beginning in verse 20, God relates how this whole transaction of the promised land is going to go down. God is sending an angel to go ahead of the Israelites. And this is just awesome reading right here.

God tells the people not to rebel against the angel, because God's Name is in Him. God's Name is in this angel. This messenger. If the Israelites listen and do what this angel (God) says, God will be an enemy to their enemies. An opposer to those who oppose them. That's powerful stuff. Again, conditional on the behaviors and hearts of the Israelites.

God will bring them into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites. And God will wipe them all out. Man. Again, my questions about God's concern for human lives is raised. These were people too. Did God love these other people despite having his chosen people? Was there a chance to repent? Was the sole purpose of these people merely to test Israel's obedience and fidelity to God? And its easy here to project our emotions onto God, and audaciously say, "How could God do such a thing?" When I don't know. I can't answer that. Am I intellectually dishonest to not bother to question it further? Why keep attempting to understand in complete futility? Why not realize the mystery of Him? Why did I get off track?

God says He will keep the Israelites free from sickness, barrenness, and miscarriage if they stay on track and don't bow down to other gods. In fact, the command was to smash these idols to small pieces, eliminate them completely.

How will God do this? He will send a terror ahead of Israel that will spark these other nations to flee in confusion. Those who oppose Israel will be forced to turn their backs and run. I want that! Would my behavior reflect that, is the question...

God will send the hornet ahead to drive out three nations. Amazing. Just some bees. Probably some sort of supernatural mega bee though. I freak out of my mind when I see one harmless bumblebee.

The borders will be from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean (apparently also called the Sea of the Philistines), and from the desert to the Euphrates. Not sure what desert, but the point is, it was probably a lot of land. God will hand over these people, and God said make no deals with them or their gods. (Did other gods have some sort of a deal-making power?) If they are allowed to live in Israelite land, God knew that worship of their gods would soon follow so He wanted to make the covenant with them.