LET ALL SAINTS BE JOYFUL IN GLORY

This penultimate psalm sounds all the high notes of praise. It is a psalm of victory and joy, it is truly a “new song”. The Lord is given the praise due to Him, “Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise in the assembly of his saints”, v. 1 R.V. The reason is threefold—He is the Maker, the Ruler, v. 2, and the Beautifier of Israel, v. 4. Israel’s songs were accompanied by the pipe, the timbrel and the harp, v. 3 marg.; our melody today is “in our hearts”, Eph. 5. 19, showing how we must understand Israel’s earthly worship compared with ours.

The nation’s joy arose from the fact that “the Lord taketh pleasure in his people”, v. 4. This pleasure is expressed in the Lord correcting Israel’s undesirable appearance in their failure, for “he will beautify the meek with salvation”, v. 4. Spiritual beauty is in the eye of the divine Beholder; only what He delights in feasts His eyes. We are made acceptable in the Beloved. Those whom God has beautified are saints, v. 5; they do not need to be beatified (made saints) by men.

The saints have an obligation, “Let the saints be joyful (exult, R.V., rejoice exceedingly) in glory”, v.5. The source of their joy is glory, that is, the fact that God has demonstrated His greatness. After all, this is why God created Israel (see our Introduction on page 166), and now in this final mention of glory in the psalms we see spiritual Israel living up to their divinely given responsibility, cf. Rev. 19. 1. This exercise is not just to be in public, but also in private, “let them sing aloud upon their beds”, v. 5. Here is no mere public show, but a true joy that echoes through day and night.

Verse 6 breaks the normal parallelism in a striking way; whereas the “high praises (hymns of praise) of God … (is) in their mouth”, a “twoedged sword” is in their hand, v. 6. As well as God’s worshippers, they are God’s warriors; this is the honour of all His saints, v. 9.

Today we also are worshippers and warriors. We “worship the Father in spirit and in truth”, John 4. 23, and “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God”, 2 Cor. 10. 4. Our twoedged sword is the Word of God, Eph. 6. 17; and this is “a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart”, Heb. 4. 12.