Psalm 149; Acts 19:21-41

Psalm 149
This psalm reminded me of the chorus we sometimes sing, "Praise Him in the morning; praise Him at the noon-time; praise Him when the sun goes down!" The psalmist is telling us to sing and praise God with exuberance in the "assembly of the faithful." This would be at church. The Lord delights in His people, v. 4, and this should make us rejoice! v. 5 In addition to praising God at church, we should praise Him at home., v. 5 And finally we should praise God as we go about our work. vv. 6-9. The psalmist in this example is praising the Lord in the battle. Our battles are different, but our God is the same, and we should honor and praise Him. "Praise the Lord!"

Acts 19:21-41
Paul caused a huge uproar in Ephesus concerning the idol Artemis (also called Diana), the goddess of fertility, without uttering a word of criticism against her. It started with Demetrius, a silversmith, who had a large business manufacturing silver shrines of Artemis. He feared losing business because Paul and the believers (here called the Way) believed and taught that idols were not gods at all. In reality, the trouble seemed to be more about money than about religion. However, the trouble nearly mushroomed into a full blown riot, until the mayor was able to quiet the mob.

It's interesting that Paul did not openly ridicule or attack or organize people against Artemis. He simply shared the truth of the Word, and people's lives began to change. It's possible that God used the riot to call even more attention to the Gospel. Sometimes difficulties can turn into opportunities!