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Psalm 150 is not a command that every Christian dance, any more than Psalm 69 is a commandment for Christians to curse their enemies. Consider Psalm 69:27-28:
“Add iniquity unto their iniquity: and let them not come into thy righteousness. Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.”
Christians are not supposed to pray like this. See Luke 9:54-56.
Most of the things Israel did, in fact, we do not do today in the church age. This includes circumcision of baby boys, sacrificial offerings, temple worship, dietary restrictions, sabbath laws, religious festivals, multiple tithing, and many other things.
We draw spiritual lessons from every part of the Old Testament, but we determine what part of the Old Testament to keep by comparing it with the New Testament. The believer’s way of life is found in the New Testament faith.
And there is no instance of dancing in the New Testament churches. Nowhere in the Gospels do we find Jesus dancing. There are no examples of the apostles dancing. There is not one example of dancing in the first churches. New Testament believers are commanded to sing spiritual songs, but we are not commanded to dance.
The dancing in the Old Testament was associated with God’s kingdom (Psa. 149:3-5). When Jeremiah described God’s New Covenant with Israel and the establishment of the kingdom of God on earth, he mentioned dancing two times:
“Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry. ... Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow” (Jer. 31:4, 13).
The reason dancing is not mentioned in the New Testament churches is probably because this is the period of Christ’s rejection and exile. The Bridegroom is away in a far country (Mat. 9:14-15).
At the Last Supper the Lord Jesus said, “But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom” (Mat. 26:29).
When the marriage of the Lamb comes, then will come the time to “be glad and rejoice” (Rev. 19:7). And I have no doubt that the joyful dancing referred to in Psalm 149 and 150 and Jeremiah 31 will begin then! Even so, come Lord Jesus!
When the kingdom of God comes again to this earth at the return of Christ, we will dance, but it will not be rock and roll dancing.
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