Saints taking up arms - Ruminating in the Word of God.

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Psalm 149:6-9,

"May the praise of God be in their mouths
and a double-edged sword in their hands,
to inflict vengeance on the nations
and punishment on the peoples,
to bind their kings with fetters,
their nobles with shackles of iron,
to carry out the sentence written against them.
This is the glory of all his saints.
Praise the Lord."

These saints in this psalm are presented to us as combatants. As they
praise God, they take up arms to carry out "vengeance", "punishment"
on "the peoples". These enemies have a sentence written against them
and it is to the glory of the saints to take up arms and carry out
this vengeance.

This reminds me of the prophecy concerning Jesus Christ as he carries
out God's vengeance upon his enemies. "I saw heaven standing open and
there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and
True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing
fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him
that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in
blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were
following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white
and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike
down the nations. 'He will rule them with an iron scepter.' He treads
the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe
and on his thigh he has this name written: King of Kings and Lord of
Lords." Revelation 19:11-16.

Perhaps these saints in Psalm 149 are these, the "armies of heaven" in
Revelation. In any event, there are those who constitute the enemies
of God who will one day be vanquished by God's people.

When all here seems to be going "to hell in a handbag", we, as God's
people can take comfort in knowing the end of all things as it has
been given us. God prevails, God's people prevail. No one is capable
of standing against God and his people. God pronounces his sentence
against his enemies, and it will be carried out.

These saints are not the picture of milk toast, mild-mannered, meek
and soft-spoken folks given to pleasantries. What we have here are
God's people who take up arms against God's enemies after he has
pronounced his sentence upon them.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com