Sing to the Lord a New Song

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1. Observe

   What forms does praise take (vv. 1-5)?

   • Silent only
   • A new song; assembly of saints rejoicing; dance; tambourine and harp; singing for joy on beds — sung, instrumental, danced, communal, and intimate
   • Only one form
   • None

2. Observe

   What is the "written judgment" and the honor of v. 9?

   • Personal vendetta
   • The divine decrees of judgment recorded in Scripture against the nations and rulers opposed to God; the honor is that the saints participate in executing this judgment — recognized as a privilege of God's people
   • Random violence
   • No judgment mentioned

3. Interpret

   How does praise function as spiritual warfare?

   • Praise is unrelated to warfare
   • Warfare is only physical
   • Praise declares God's reality against the lies of the enemy, advances God's reign by glorifying his name, defeats demonic oppression that cannot stand worship of the true God, strengthens the worshiper's soul for resistance, and aligns the believer with the eschatological victory of Christ; this is why Scripture treats praise as a weapon (the sword from Christ's mouth is the word that judges); praise and warfare belong together because true worship is itself an act of cosmic warfare
   • Praise is only emotional

4. Interpret

   What does it mean God "takes pleasure" in his people?

   • God merely tolerates
   • God is indifferent
   • That God actually delights in his people — they bring him joy, not just satisfaction; this is the same parental delight in a child, the same intimate pleasure that scripture depicts of God rejoicing over his people with singing (Zeph 3:17); it changes worship from anxious performance to glad response, because the believer is approaching a God who already takes pleasure in them, not a God who must be impressed; this reorders the entire posture of devotion
   • God only judges

5. Apply

   What inhibits whole-body worship, and what would embodied worship look like?

   • Bodies are sinful
   • Embodiment is unimportant
   • Inhibitions include cultural reserve, fear of looking foolish, theological assumptions that worship is purely mental, lack of practice; embodied worship might include lifted hands, kneeling, standing, dancing in private if not publicly, singing aloud rather than silently, swaying with music, prostration in personal prayer, walking while praying; the body's involvement integrates the whole person and prevents worship from being a head-only exercise
   • Only mental worship counts

6. Apply

   What new thing deserves a new song?

   • Nothing
   • New songs are unnecessary
   • Most believers can identify recent specific acts of God — a new freedom, a recent answered prayer, a fresh insight, a new chapter of life, a deliverance from temptation, a healed relationship; writing a new song (literal or figurative) means putting words to the specific new act in praise that captures what God has just done, not recycling old language; the act of articulating the new keeps worship alive and personal
   • Old songs are sufficient

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