This morning we are going to look at Psalm 47. This psalm has been categorized by some as one of several “psalms of the Lord’s kingship” or “enthronement psalms”; that is, it specifically deals with the acknowledgement of God as King.

One of the things I find particularly interesting about this one is that, while the majority emphasizes God’s universal reign as king over all the earth, there’s a little segment in the middle that is focussed more on Israel, and what God has done and will do for them, which adds a neat twist for us as New Testament believers.

Ultimately my hope for today is that as we spend time reading and learning more about the God we worship—his identity, his kingship, who he is and what he’s done—that in turn we will better understand what it means to worship him, properly, as the King of all the earth.

SERMON MANUSCRIPT

We’re going to be taking another brief pause in our study through Colossians today. And as has been the case the last several times I’ve preached here, we are instead going to spend our time this morning looking at a Psalm.  I’ve been drawn to preaching through assorted Psalms for a number of reasons. Pragmatically speaking, each of the Psalms I’ve preached exists as its own sort of self-contained unit, so I don’t have to spend a ton of time reintroducing the context or reminding where we were last time. Additionally, we’ve been spending a lot of time in the New Testament as a church, so I like to take the opportunity to go the Old Testament.

But I think one of the greatest reasons I’ve found myself drawn to the Psalms, and maybe this is me projecting, but I feel like traditionally in my experience, many of us in the church are familiar with reading Psalms, perhaps meditating on or memorizing Psalms, and turning to the Psalms when we are looking for encouragement. But I feel like it’s not very often (again, at least in my experience) that we take time to really study them for the purposes of application, beyond the usual “oh this one is so nice and encouraging”, etc.

So following that theme, this morning we are going to look at Psalm 47. This psalm has been categorized by some as one of several “psalms of the Lord’s kingship” or “enthronement psalms”; that is, it specifically deals with the acknowledgement of God as King.

One of the things I find particularly interesting about this one is that, while the majority emphasizes God’s universal reign as king over all the earth, there’s a little segment in the middle that is focussed more on Israel, and what God has done and will do for them, which adds a neat twist for us as New Testament believers.

Ultimately my hope for today is that as we spend time reading and learning more about the God we worship—his identity, his kingship, who he is and what he’s done—that in turn we will better understand what it means to worship him, properly, as the King of all the earth.

We’re going to start by reading through the psalm in its entirety, and then, rather than breaking it down verse by verse, we’re going to focus on some themes that are emphasized throughout. First is the theme of remembering what God has done for his chosen people, then understanding more of who he is as king of all peoples, and finally the demonstration for how he ought to be worshiped.

Remember

As I mentioned before, there is a section in the middle of this Psalm that focusses a little more specifically on Israel, and I want us to begin there today. That is to say, it serves as a great starting point for appreciating God as King of all people if we take a moment to acknowledge what it meant for him to be King of his chosen people.

As we return to verse 3, we see a classic example of why context is always so important and why it’s dangerous to just apply any given Bible verse as a promise or truth statement to ourselves.

He subdues peoples under us

And nations under our feet.

Psalm 47:3 NASB

Now unless some of you here are secretly war heroes and conquerors, clearly the “us” in view doesn’t mean all of us. But I’m sure even many of the kids who just left wouldn’t have to think too hard to come up with plenty of times up to this point in the Bible when a statement like this would apply to the Israelites. Leaving Egypt in Exodus, Jericho (or really, the majority of the book of Joshua as the people arrive in the promised land), Gideon, Saul (at times), Jonathan, David.

That was part of the covenant at Mt. Sinai, was it not? That if the people obeyed, God would bless them. That if they trusted him, he would go before them. Time after time throughout the Old Testament we see God doing just this: subduing nations under the feet of Israel, even in situations where victory seems impossible.It didn’t matter how many kings the other nations had, or how “great” they were, how large or powerful their armies, as long as the Israelites were led into battle by God.

Even when the Israelites told God that they wanted an earthly ruler, that person’s job was to follow and point the people towards trusting in their true heavenly King. That’s why it’s only a few chapters into Saul’s reign in 1 Samuel that we read that God has ditched him and moved on to “a man after his own heart”, because Saul allowed the people to rely on him rather than God—a choice which had disastrous results. But when God’s people trusted and obeyed him, what they witnessed was a conquering King, a powerful King, a victorious King.

Verse 4 reminds us that he was also a giving King, a promising King, a loving King to his people.

He chooses our inheritance for us,

The pride of Jacob whom He loves. 

Psalm 47:4 NASB

Now given the language of conquest immediately before, the “inheritance” in question probably has to do, at least in part, with the Land—an inheritance that is still awaiting it’s ultimate, complete, and final fulfilment. But we know that God’s beloved, chosen people have many promises they are anticipating.

What I really like here is the idea of God “choosing” the inheritance, which points to a trust in his sovereignty. That is to say, what they anticipate as their inheritance is not up to chance, or fate, or who has the bigger army. It is chosen and decided by God. If he says it, that’s what it is. Again, we see here a display of recognition of God’s power, his faithfulness, his plan and purposes. The author of this psalm looks at what God has done and is doing, and uses that as fodder to trust what he will one day do.

And this is where these verses become relevant for us as well, because you might be sitting here today and wondering “if these verses are about Israel, why should I care?” That’s a important question, and a common one. One that most of us have probably asked many times when it comes to how we understand the relevance of the Old Testament. How can something not written specifically to us still be something that is useful for us? What’s the point of reading and learning about the Law when we are reminded time and time again that, because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we are not under the Law? What’s the point of studying the promises to and victories of Israel when we are not Israel?

Well, this passage is a perfect example. A sort of microcosm of demonstration, showing how something written to some can be useful to all. Because if the psalmist is going to call all peoples (which includes us) to recognize and worship God as the King of all the earth (where we all live), is it not helpful for us to learn from those who have firsthand experience trusting, following, serving, and worshiping that very King?

And this is how many of us treat almost anything in our life, is it not? When we are approaching a medical procedure, we find it helpful to talk to someone who has had the procedure done. Some of us take that even further and when we find out the doctor or surgeon’s name, we look them up online to see what others have to say about them. Whether it’s restaurants or vacations, products or services, jobs or experiences, most of us want to hear from someone who’s been there, done that. Check the reviews, ask around, talk to your friends.

The words of these two verses, written by Israelites, originally for Israelites, obviously would have been extra special to the original audience as it called to memory battles their ancestors had actually been a part of and promises their people were still waiting for. But that doesn’t mean they have to be any less impactful for us now, who can read these words even as non-Israelites and still be inspired to trust in the same powerful and faithful God they trusted in. To worship more the Lord they worshiped. To know more the King they knew.

Understand

And with that all in mind, let’s continue on to the next theme we’re going to focus on in this psalm, which has to do with understanding not just what God has done, is doing, and will do for Israel, but who he is as King of all people. There are a number of verses and references throughout that acknowledge his identity, either through a name/title, or through a statement about him, so let’s look at them.

Verse 2 starts us off with a few.

For the LORD Most High is to be feared,

A great King over all the earth.

Psalm 47:2 NASB

LORD here is from the covenantal, proper name of God, which we might refer to as Yahweh in English. I’m sure many of you know this, but for those who don’t, any time you see the word Lord written like this in your Bible, with the sort of “small capitals”, it’s standing in for the name of God. Flip to Psalm 110 briefly and you’ll see the difference, where the first one is God’s name and the second is the word for a lord or ruler or master.

“Most High”, the superlative. The Lord isn’t just a bit higher than the rulers of this world, he is highest. The most high. He is “great king”, which was a term that rulers liked to apply to themselves, but here the author is applying it to God. And “over all the earth”, which points to the breadth and depth of his reign and authority.

So to make sure we’re not confused as to who the author is referring to: Yahweh, the LORD, Israel’s God, is the highest above all others, not just a normal king but a great one, who reigns over all nations and peoples of the earth. And all that from just one verse!

Verse 7 repeats the idea that God is King of all the earth, and you’ve probably heard it from here a hundred times, but when thoughts and ideas are repeated, clearly it’s important. Lest someone say that God is just Israel’s God, or just Israel’s king. No. He’s everyone’s king.

Verse 8 continues:

God reigns over the nations,
God sits on His holy throne.

Psalm 47:8 NASB

Again, no room for confusion here. Reigning over nations. Seated on his throne (and his holy throne at that!)

Verse 9 refers to him as “The God of Abraham” and acknowledges him as owning or being in command of “the princes or nobles of the people” and “the shields of the earth”. That title “God of Abraham” draws my mind back to the covenant God made with Abraham, where, among other things, he promised Abraham’s descendants the Land, and also promised that “in you all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Genesis 12:3c), which again, points to his reign over all people and all nations.

Why does this all matter? Why so much emphasis and repetition? Because if the author of this psalm is going to call for, or even demand proper worship of the King (which we’ll get to in a moment), it’s essential that we know and understand who that King is. Why does he deserve our worship? How does he compare to the other kings and rulers of this world? Isn’t he just the one the Israelites worship with poetry and song? No. He is king of all peoples and nations, king of all the earth.

Imagine for a moment that you are walking through a parking lot and you see a group of smiling, laughing people with coffee cups in their hands, and as they’re passing by they tell you “Hey, just so you know, that new café over there is giving out free coffees to everyone today!” You likely wouldn’t respond with “Oh that’s great for you that you got a free coffee” or “What’s your point, why does that matter to me?” No, you quickly realize that they are passing on the news so that you can benefit from it too!

It’s not a perfect analogy, but consider it for a moment. The author of this psalm has experienced the blessing of being under the kingship of God as an Israelite, and shares important details about that experience and the king himself so that others, who are ultimately under the reign of the same king, can also benefit from it.

It’s why when we, as New Testament believers, truly experience the grace and freedom found in believing in Christ for eternal life, we want to share that news with others so that they can experience it too! So that together we can, as David wrote, “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8a).

So we’ve remembered the Israelite’s experience, we’ve understood more about the King; what does it look like to actually worship him?

Worship

Now, of course, worship is more than just things we do, but it’s also a posture of the heart. And one small part of a sermon is not enough to truly explore the depths of what worship is or isn’t. And so the instructions, commands, and demonstrations in this psalm are clearly not intended to be an exhaustive description or definition of worship, but they certainly give us some insight.

Again, there are several throughout the verses.

Let’s finally go back to verse 1.

Clap your hands, all you peoples;

Shout to God with a voice of joy.

Psalm 47:1 NASB

It starts with an imperative, a command. Clap your hands and shout with joy, both expressions of celebration, exuberance, praise. Using our outward voices and bodies to express an inner reality of delight.

If you thought the repetition before was a lot, I invite your attention back to verses 6 and 7, where the command to sing is repeated 5 times!

Sing praises to God, sing praises;

Sing praises to our King, sing praises.

Psalm 47:6 NASB

The one in verse 7 is unique, “Sing praises with a psalm of wisdom” and could be referring to a specific type of psalm, but more likely is referring to the idea of worshiping not just with our hearts but with our minds.

One commentator I read connected this verse to something Paul says in 2 Corinthians 14:15, “So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding.” Worship, even worship through song, is more than just an emotional experience, but it can be a mental and intellectual one too. Too often we want to pit those two things against each other, but worshiping God involves our whole self. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind” (Luke 10:27).

So there’s a few commands: clap and shout with joy, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing! But there’s more here too:

Verse 2 tells us that the LORD Most High is to be feared, an expression of reverence and acknowledgement of who he is as God, so far beyond us in power and perfection.

Verse 5 tells us that:

God has ascended with a shout,

The Lord, with the sound of a trumpet.

Psalm 47:5 NASB

. . . which is possibly a reference to 2 Samuel 6:15, which uses the exact same Hebrew phrase, describing the moment when David has the ark of the covenant brought up into Jerusalem “with a shout and the sound of a trumpet”.

Again, it’s another demonstration of joy and celebration! David throws a party, dancing in the streets just because God’s presence is entering the city. We have God’s Spirit in us, we should be dancing and partying all the time! (Don’t tell the Baptist church I grew up in I said that!)

Going back again to verse 9, and these statements about “the princes of people assembl[ing] as the people of the God of Abraham”, which points to submission, even of those with power and control. All leaders of all peoples submitting before the King, serving as a shield under him, for “he is highly exalted”.

We might say that, based on the words of this psalm, an important part of worshiping God as King of all the earth starts by seeing him rightly, in that role, and then treating him in accordance with what he deserves! Joy, celebration, singing, reverence, submission, exaltation. Again, not an exhaustive list, but a great place to start.

Conclusion

I was reminded this week by one of those Facebook memories posts about the time in my second year of University when I dramatically failed one of my philosophy midterms. 40%. Terrible. Doesn’t sound quite as bad when I tell you that the class average was only 49%, which would seem to suggest that, for one reason or another, the majority of the class didn’t know what or how to study for that exam. So when it came to the final, the professor tried a different tactic, and gave us a list of every topic that would or could be on the exam, so we could study more effectively. I remember that final clearly, because it was scheduled for 8:30 in the morning, and I was so nervous about failing or sleeping in that I shifted my sleep schedule in the days ahead so I could stay up all night studying and write the exam at the “end” of my day rather than the beginning (this is merely a description of what happened, not at all a suggestion or endorsement). I walked in, sat down, wrote the exam, and ran out of things to write in 20 minutes. I handed the test to my prof who gave me sort of a pitied look, and I went home to get some sleep. I got a 92% on that final.

Why? It wasn’t that I had gotten smarter. I definitely didn’t get more sleep. The difference was that I knew what was expected of me, so I could actually do it. The author of this psalm, whether they realized it at the time or not, have given us something of a study guide (again, not a perfect analogy, but go with me here).

If I had taken that list of topics from my professor and ignored it, or distrusted it, it would have been foolish, and I most likely would’ve failed that exam, and in turn, the class. But because I took the information I was given, from someone who knows better, and actually learned from it and applied it, I was able to do far better than I ever could have through my own ideas or inclinations.

In the same way, if we ignore the information given to us in psalms like this, about the God we worship and how we ought to worship him, written by people who know better, inspired by the very spirit of the God we are seeking to worship… I mean at that point, we basically deserve to fail, right? Or instead, if we take what we’ve been given as the blessed gift that it is, and learn from it, apply it, do it—well we actually have an opportunity to do what is expected of us, the way it ought to be done.

Put simply, having read and learned from this Psalm, the call is for us to Worship the King!

Remember his power, faithfulness, and promises as demonstrated with his chosen people. Understand more about who he truly is, his identity and character. And allow all of that to fuel your worship of him in the way he deserves to be worshiped: Singing and joyful celebration with reverence and submission.

If that feels like a lot, maybe this week just start with one of them, maybe the one that comes hardest to you.

Maybe you’re here today and you never sing to God, even in private, let alone in public. Maybe you skip the corporate singing, or just mouth the words. If that’s you, in a moment when we sing together, maybe take a chance and a step of obedience and sing to the King!

Maybe the idea of joyful celebration sounds hard. Maybe you’re in the midst of particular season of grief or suffering. I’m not going to tell you to magically “get over it”. But if that’s you, maybe ask God what it looks like to still experience his promised, supernatural joy in the midst of your suffering.

Maybe you don’t fear the Lord. You don’t revere him. You view him as a divine genie in a bottle who exists to serve you, and prosper you, and meet your needs. You don’t care what he has to say about sin or morality or obedience or anything. If that’s you today, I encourage you to take a good, hard look at the God of the Bible and determine whether you’re actually thinking of the same person. Do you acknowledge him as King?

And in the same vein, maybe you struggle with worshiping God in submission, truly giving yourself over to him: your dreams, desires, ambitions, purpose, time. What better time than right now to lay your life at his feet. To say “here I am, send me”. Whatever the case, we’ve been given an opportunity to better worship the one who deserves it. Let’s pray for his strength to do that well, and then sing, sing, sing, sing, sing!

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