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1.
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Sing unto the Lord a new song. Every “new
song” in Scripture has resurrection and the “New Creation” as
its origin and theme (Psa. 33:3; 40:3; 96:1; 98:1; 144:9; Isa. 42:10). This
psalm, like 96:1 and 98:1 (and Isa. 42:10), describes the
“resurrection” of the nation, brought about through the destruction
of Sennacherib’s army. Then 200,000 captives (Taylor prism) rose to new
life from their “graves” in Babylon (Mic. 4:10). Contrast Psa.
137:3, which refers to this very captivity.
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And his praise (sing unto Him) in the congregation
of the saints. “Saints” can be either angels or Israel or
Christ’s redeemed. Here, certainly, the second of these (cp. v.
2).
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2.
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Let Israel rejoice in him that made him. Or, as in
Hebrew, “in those who made him”; that is, the angels whose
salvation (Isa. 37:36) had made Israel into a “new creation” (as in
Gen. 1:26). Compare Isa. 65:17,18 — where “a new heavens and a new
earth” = “Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a
joy”.
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Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King. What
“King”? In this place, surely the Lord of hosts (Isa.
6:5)!
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3.
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Let them praise his name in the dance, as did David (2
Sam. 6:14; cp. Exod. 15:20; Psa. 30:11; 87:7; Psa. 150:4, note). So why is there
such a strange lack of apparent joy in our worship? Are we really
so afraid that our worship will be confused with the frenzied foolishness of
the “Pentecostals”?
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5.
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Let the saints be joyful in glory, i.e., glorying in
the Glory of the Lord, manifested for their salvation (Isa. 4:5;
10:16).
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But why do they sing aloud upon their beds?
There are three possibilities:
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(a) Hezekiah’s bed of sickness (Psa. 77:2-6; Isa.
57:1,2);
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(b) Reclining upon “couches” (RSV) at a festal
meal, such as the Passover (cp. Matt. 26:30; Mark 14:26); or — less
likely —
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(c) A reference to a “palanquin”,
“litter”, or chariot of war (cp. context here; Song 3:7 has a
different Hebrew word for “bed” which is so
used).
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6.
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Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a
two-edged sword in their hand. Quite literally this was so in
Hezekiah’s day, as also may be seen in vv. 7-9. Isa. 49:2 (about Hezekiah,
primarily) and Heb. 4:12 (about Christ, the “Word”!) suggest
that this meting out of retribution is in fulfillment of a divine mandate. There
is no lack of evidence that in Sennacherib’s campaign neighboring nations
— especially Tyre, Edom and other Arab peoples — were willing enough
to be drafted into the invading Assyrian army for a chance to vent pent-up
hatred upon Israel. Now that the Assyrians were cowed and driven away home
— the few at least that survived the invasion (Isa. 37:37) — it was
not unfitting that the indignation of the Lord be measured out against these
others (see Isa. 11:14,15).
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7.
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To execute vengeance upon the heathen. The last duty of
Moses was to pronounce the vengeance of the Lord upon Midian (Num.
31:1-3).
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And punishment upon the people.
“Punishment” is s.w. Isa. 37:3, “rebuke the people”.
The Hebrew l’umim, in an appreciable number of passages,
applies particularly to Arab peoples (Gen. 25:3; 27:29; Psa. 47:3;
108:3,9,10; Isa. 17:12,13; 34:1; 60:2,6,7).
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8.
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To bind their kings with chains. The s.w. occurs in
Isa. 45:14 — regarding Arabs!
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9.
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To execute upon them the judgment written. Written
where? In Isa. 34 and 63:1-6. The first of these was a prophecy already uttered
and written by Isaiah even before God came to the help of beleaguered
Jerusalem.
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This honour have all the saints (vv. 1,5). The
vengeance and judgment are God’s, but to participate therein reflects
something of His honor upon the people who bear His Name.
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1.
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Saints now means the “New Israel”. And
congregation = ekklesia (the Greek for
“church”) in the LXX.
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A new song. In Psa. 40:3, this describes
Messiah’s resurrection. And in Rev. 5:9; 14:3, his saints glory in this.
The context of Psa. 33:3 suggests a New Creation surpassing all the wonder of
that described in Genesis 1 and 2.
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2.
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Their King is, now, the Messiah himself.
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4.
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For the Lord... will beautify the meek with salvation.
“Will beautify” is translated “crowns” in NIV! (cp.
Psa. 142:7). Everyone, therefore, who is interested in salvation should
be just as interested in meekness. Is this so?
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5.
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Now, more than ever, the saints are joyful in the
Glory of the Lord.
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6.
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The two-edged sword is clearly not literal regarding
the Messiah, since such a “sword” proceeds out of his mouth (Isa.
49:2; Matt. 10:34; Rev. 1:16; 2:12,16; 19:15). The point is: when Christ speaks,
it is done — surely and without delay — whether it be blessing or
judgment:
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“Those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign
over them, bring hither, and slay them before me” (Luke 19:27).
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So, as regards the saints, the two-edged sword is a vivid
figure for their declared message of the Word of God (Heb. 4:12; Eph. 6:12, 17;
1 Cor. 1:26-29; 2 Cor. 6:7). With a declaration of God’s word and power in
their lips, they will begin to pull down every stronghold of men’s minds
which they have set up as defenses against the truth and reality of God (2 Cor.
10:4-6). Thus they will conquer the world, not so much by swords, as “by
the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony” (Rev.
12:11). (Is such a sword “two-edged” because it contains both
Old Testament and New Testament? Or because it can either convert or condemn?)
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7,8.
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To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon
the people; to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of
iron (Rev. 2:25-27; 19:15,16; 2 Thes. 1:7,8). These are judgments especially
upon the Arab nations for the “holocaust” they have perpetrated
against Jewry.
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“Fetters of iron” is surely figurative in Psa.
105:22, where “binding” may possibly mean “instructing”
— such an interpretation would not be out of place here.
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9.
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To execute upon them the judgments written. Isaiah 34
and 63:1-6, and not a few other prophecies, will surely find a second and
greater fulfillment in this assertion of divine authority.
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