Wednesday 1 March 2017

Psalm 47 – Praising the Sovereign Lord continually

Psalm 47 is yet another composition of the sons of Korah, written for the choir director. Like Psalm 46, this one is also a song of triumph. It is essentially a celebration song extolling the Lord as King over all the earth.  There are two stanzas in this song. Verses 1-4 form the first and verses 5-9, the second. The first stanza praised God the victorious King, and the second praised Him for His sovereign and universal reign.

This Psalm begins with a call to praise the God of Israel. The reason for the call to praise Him is because He is a King who is worth venerating. He inspires awe and respect and is to be greatly admired. He had brought all the nations under subjection and redeemed Israel and had gloriously settled them in the land. He now rules over Israel and truly deserves all praise. 

In verses 5-9 we hear a renewed call to praise the God who is not only the God of Israel but also the God of all the nations. This time, the Psalmist refers to God’s rule as universal. His Kingship is not only confined to Israel. Verse 5 gives us the imagery of God as the Triumph King who had returned to His throne. It portrays Him as ascending His throne and resides with His people after a battle that He had won. It is a call to celebrate the presence of the triumphant King. Verse 9 explicitly tells us that all people, together with the nations of Israel, will acknowledge God and gather to honour Him. 

Through this Psalm, we catch a glimpse of the majestic God we worship and serve. He is the One Who now dominates and rules over the nations sovereignly. He had done great things and now dwells among His people. He will continue to bring victory to His people who will put their trust in Him. This song is an invitation for us to give honor to the Lord our blessed Redeemer. We are called to rejoice in His sovereign rule in our life. Though not everyone in the world will acknowledge His Lordship now, yet he undeniably rules the world. Paul tells us in his letter to the Philippians that one day, “Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God, the Father.” We should never stop praising Him now and forever, for He deserves all the glory. Hallelujah! Glory to our Lord God Almighty!

No comments:

Post a Comment