← The Psalm world
Illustration for Psalm 149: Sing a New Song to God

Psalm 149

Sing a New Song to God

PraiseJoy

Sing to the LORD a brand new song! Let God's people dance and make music with tambourines and harps. God takes pleasure in His people and crowns the humble with victory. The praise of God's people is like a powerful sword in their hands.

  1. 1Hallelujah! Sing to the LORD a new song; sing His praise in the assembly of the faithful.
  2. 2Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the people of Zion be glad in their King.
  3. 3Let them praise His name with dancing and make music to Him with tambourine and harp.
  4. 4For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He crowns the humble with salvation.
  5. 5Let the faithful exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their beds.
  6. 6May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands,
  7. 7to inflict vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples,
  8. 8to bind their kings with chains and their nobles with iron shackles,
  9. 9to carry out the sentence written against them. This is the glory of all His faithful people. Hallelujah!

What it means

God doesn't just put up with His people — He actually delights in them. That's worth a brand-new song, and even a happy dance.

A little prayer

Lord, I'll sing You a new song! Thank You that You take delight in me — that makes me want to praise You with all my heart. Amen.

Memory verse

“For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He adorns the humble with salvation.”

Psalm 149:4 (BSB)

It says God enjoys people, which is not what most people expect God to do.

Talk about it

Questions with no single right answer — for a family table or a Sunday-school circle.

  1. The psalm says God takes pleasure in His people. What does it feel like when someone is pleased with you?
  2. It says to sing a new song with dancing and tambourines. Is worship allowed to be loud?
  3. It says God crowns the humble with victory. What is a humble victory?
  4. What would you dance to?

Try this

Make a noise

Everyone picks something to bang, shake or strum, and you play one verse of the psalm together. It will be awful. Do it twice.

You will need: Anything that makes a noise.

Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB)