When reading the second half of Psalm 149 you may wonder what possible relevance this could have to us. Is it our job “to inflict vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples”? Before we can apply this to us now, we need to first understand what the psalmist was talking about then. The psalmist prays these words in the understanding that God’s ultimate desire is to purge the world of evil and injustice and to use his people to do this. This plan has not changed, although we now have more clarity about how this is to be done. Throughout his teaching and ministry, Jesus made it very clear that our real enemy is a spiritual enemy. He also demonstrated what was involved in fighting this spiritual enemy. Paul echoes this understanding when he says that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the…spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12). When Jesus spoke of “binding on earth” (Matthew 16:19), he was echoing the imagery of this psalm, and he is clearly speaking in spiritual terms. Psalms like this remind us that we are in the midst of a spiritual battle. This is no cause for alarm because Satan has been disarmed by Christ’s work on the cross. But we still need to take the victory that Christ won wherever God sends us through prayer and faithful witness. Wherever we shine light in love and grace, darkness is defeated. Darkness can never overcome light, so never fear the forces of darkness. Just focus on shining as a light.
Ask God to make you shine brightly in your circumstances.
Read Psalm 149.
