Description
This psalm calls the people of Israel to praise God with their mouths while holding a double-edged sword in their hands with which to inflict God's vengeance on enemy nations and their kings.
Commentary
This psalm calls the people of Israel to praise God with their mouths while holding a double-edged sword in their hands with which to inflict God's vengeance on enemy nations and their kings. Should we just understand this psalm within an Old Testament historical context, or should we also attribute it to a future end-time context? In Old Testament times, God called the people of Israel to act as agents of his judgment against enemy nations (e.g. Deuteronomy 20:17). In the New Testament, Jesus proclaimed the 'year of the Lord's favour' (Luke 4:19, Isaiah 61:2), meaning that today we live in a time of God's amnesty. Sinners can repent and turn themselves in to receive a no-quibble guarantee of God's forgiveness. So in this present age, God's people are commissioned with the Gospel to be agents of God's mercy and love, not of his judgment. At the second coming, the amnesty will come to an end when Jesus proclaims the 'day of vengeance of our God' (Isaiah 61:2). At that time, will Jesus execute his judgments alone, or will his people receive a commission to participate with him?

Psalm 118:10-13 seems to describe the people of Israel fighting alongside Jesus for the defence of Israel under enemy attack. Also, several passages seem to indicate that Jesus will muster an army of believers, possibly of resurrected and raptured believers, at his second coming (search Tags: Jesus musters an army).
Tags
Places: Israel, Zion
Symbols:
Tags: Israel fights alongside Jesus, Jesus musters an army, Day of Judgment, Agents of judgment, Jesus rules as king
1 Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song! Praise him in the assembly of the godly!
2 Let Israel rejoice in their Creator! Let the people of Zion delight in their King!
3 Let them praise his name with dancing! Let them sing praises to him to the accompaniment of the tambourine and harp!
4 For the Lord takes delight in his people; he exalts the oppressed by delivering them.
5 Let the godly rejoice because of their vindication! Let them shout for joy upon their beds!
6 May the praises of God be in their mouths and a two-edged sword in their hands,
7 in order to take revenge on the nations, and punish foreigners.
8 They bind their kings in chains, and their nobles in iron shackles,
9 and execute the judgment to which their enemies have been sentenced. All his loyal followers will be vindicated. Praise the Lord!
(NET)