WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.400 Psalm 47, not a really long psalm. 00:00:05.540 --> 00:00:10.099 Luckily for you guys, that means I get to go through verse by verse and break it down. 00:00:10.480 --> 00:00:11.800 Can't always get to do that. 00:00:12.179 --> 00:00:18.160 I will do that, but it won't be as long and hopefully won't put you to sleep. 00:00:18.940 --> 00:00:26.539 But this is a psalm, whether written by David or written by the sons of Korah, 00:00:26.539 --> 00:00:35.920 which are a group of people who were, their job was to, they were the music ministry for the people of Israel. 00:00:36.259 --> 00:00:40.640 They were the ones who were responsible for calling them to worship, calling them together to sing, 00:00:41.019 --> 00:00:47.140 and then providing that in forms of songs or psalms or in their instruments that they played. 00:00:47.879 --> 00:00:54.759 So regardless of who wrote it, it was both for the same purpose, and that was to call the people of Israel to praise God. 00:00:56.539 --> 00:01:03.119 So in verse 1, clap your hands, all peoples, and shout to God with loud songs of joy. 00:01:03.839 --> 00:01:10.200 Just looking at clap your hands, you know, we commonly use that to express approval or applause for someone. 00:01:10.379 --> 00:01:14.920 And that's true, we are doing that, but this is kind of taking it to the next level. 00:01:14.920 --> 00:01:17.780 Not that level. 00:01:20.180 --> 00:01:29.799 Where clapping is just a natural and expressive way of rejoicing and showing gladness or excitement for someone. 00:01:30.099 --> 00:01:36.260 So you can just see that as we go through this psalm and why that's being done. 00:01:36.260 --> 00:01:42.460 God's people are called to clap their hands and to sing loudly and joyfully. 00:01:44.859 --> 00:01:54.360 And there should be times in our life, in our normal routine, where our praise and our worship to God is very celebratory. 00:01:54.359 --> 00:01:59.239 Not something that we just do because we're called to do it. 00:01:59.959 --> 00:02:03.200 Not just because we're approving of something that's being said. 00:02:03.299 --> 00:02:07.840 You know, we're not just clapping because something truthful was said at the pulpit or sung, 00:02:07.840 --> 00:02:14.979 but something that we can truly take joy in for the depth of what it actually is. 00:02:15.439 --> 00:02:21.060 We're taking delight and showing devotion to our King, which is God himself. 00:02:21.060 --> 00:02:24.699 And this is for all people, not just the Israelites. 00:02:24.900 --> 00:02:28.879 This was written to the Israelites, but it was also written to us as well. 00:02:28.879 --> 00:02:35.099 So the other thing about clapping is it transcends languages. 00:02:35.099 --> 00:02:39.500 It's something that everyone recognizes and understands so we can do it together. 00:02:40.800 --> 00:02:42.420 And then as we look at verse 2, 00:02:42.560 --> 00:02:47.580 For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared, a great King over all the earth. 00:02:47.580 --> 00:02:56.160 The Lord is to be feared because no one can resist his power or stand against his plans. 00:02:58.020 --> 00:02:59.320 He is feared. 00:02:59.320 --> 00:03:06.660 And if we look at verse 1, where we're called to shout to God with loud songs of joy. 00:03:07.120 --> 00:03:11.180 And then the second part of verse 2, a great King over all the earth. 00:03:11.180 --> 00:03:17.780 That fear to us is not a scary or dreadful thing. 00:03:17.920 --> 00:03:23.420 That fear for the Lord is for people or nations that are outside of his will. 00:03:23.760 --> 00:03:30.719 So for us, that fear is a good thing because that's a fear that's attributed to our God and to our King because of how great that he is. 00:03:30.719 --> 00:03:38.960 And then the second part of verse 2, he's a great King for those reasons and for many more. 00:03:39.039 --> 00:03:40.500 He's self-existent. 00:03:40.579 --> 00:03:42.460 He is the only God that's over all. 00:03:43.479 --> 00:03:48.680 His wisdom is not only greater than anything, but it's complete wisdom. 00:03:48.939 --> 00:03:51.280 There's nothing lacking. 00:03:51.280 --> 00:03:59.140 So add to that perfect, unmeasurable wisdom in which nothing is unknown by him. 00:03:59.800 --> 00:04:03.699 His power and his control over everything is complete and nothing is lacking. 00:04:04.199 --> 00:04:11.080 So when we think of a great King over all the earth, think of it in terms of over everything without anything left out. 00:04:11.620 --> 00:04:15.780 That's the kind of God that we serve. 00:04:15.780 --> 00:04:22.120 Verse 3, he subdued peoples under us and nations under our feet. 00:04:22.699 --> 00:04:31.800 Again, going back to his power, he can subdue, he can push down or bring up any nations he desires because that's his plan. 00:04:31.939 --> 00:04:33.860 His power is complete and unmatchable. 00:04:35.240 --> 00:04:39.759 So he can keep some nations subdued while he raises other ones up. 00:04:39.759 --> 00:04:51.599 The battles that he faces or his people face are not ours but his. 00:04:51.879 --> 00:04:58.259 The tribulations that we go through are also tribulations that he knows about and he's part of. 00:04:58.680 --> 00:05:04.120 So his unmatched power is a power that is available to us for anything that we have to go against. 00:05:04.719 --> 00:05:06.860 So all his victories are our victories. 00:05:06.860 --> 00:05:10.740 And so for that, we're able to clap our hands and we're able to rejoice. 00:05:12.139 --> 00:05:17.120 And then as we move to verse 2, he chose our heritage for us. 00:05:17.540 --> 00:05:20.460 The pride of Jacob whom he loves. 00:05:21.900 --> 00:05:28.300 Our heritage was chosen for us and he decided what that was going to be. 00:05:28.420 --> 00:05:30.960 He caused it to happen and then he gave it to us. 00:05:30.959 --> 00:05:36.959 If you remember the beginning of Ephesians that we looked at a couple weeks ago, verse 4 says, 00:05:37.120 --> 00:05:41.399 Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world. 00:05:41.839 --> 00:05:46.159 So he chose a great inheritance for Jacob because he loved him. 00:05:46.680 --> 00:05:51.479 And if we apply that spiritually, God chose a heritage for us from that. 00:05:51.560 --> 00:05:54.039 He gave us an inheritance because he loves us. 00:05:54.040 --> 00:06:00.980 And through Christ, we've been given that unmeasurable inheritance that is incorruptible. 00:06:01.100 --> 00:06:03.800 It's never going away and no one can take it from us. 00:06:04.040 --> 00:06:06.780 That's the inheritance that we've been given. 00:06:07.920 --> 00:06:13.160 And then at the end of verse 4, we have this silah, which is a pause. 00:06:13.360 --> 00:06:15.600 It's a break in the reading. 00:06:15.600 --> 00:06:18.800 If they're singing, it's a pause in the singing. 00:06:19.740 --> 00:06:22.600 And it's looked at like a holy meditation. 00:06:23.220 --> 00:06:28.520 A time where if it was in the middle of a song, the instruments would keep playing and we would just be silent. 00:06:29.540 --> 00:06:34.960 And the purpose of that is just to allow the spirit to talk to us. 00:06:35.220 --> 00:06:43.520 To allow the words of the truth that we just sang to start to expound on themselves and grow inside of us. 00:06:43.519 --> 00:06:47.699 So as we just sang it, then we allow those truths just to grow and work on our lives. 00:06:47.779 --> 00:06:51.839 Allow the spirit to speak into us from what we just sang. 00:06:52.339 --> 00:06:58.079 And that is most often done, best done while we're singing, by taking a pause. 00:06:58.539 --> 00:07:00.479 So that's what we do. 00:07:01.680 --> 00:07:07.319 So since we have a pause, I thought we could pause and sing the next song. 00:07:13.519 --> 00:07:15.519 Amen. 00:07:23.899 --> 00:07:27.139 We look back at verse 5 where we left off. 00:07:28.339 --> 00:07:32.939 God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. 00:07:32.939 --> 00:07:44.379 But a specific reason or event that this song was written for was when the Ark of the Covenant was being brought back to Jerusalem. 00:07:45.220 --> 00:07:53.920 So if you remember, the Ark served as the place where God would come down and make his presence with his people. 00:07:53.920 --> 00:08:05.460 So if we're thinking of the Ark coming back to where it belonged, then God is going back up to where he would dwell with his people. 00:08:05.600 --> 00:08:09.120 And he's going up with a shout and with a sound of the trumpet. 00:08:09.120 --> 00:08:19.319 We also have, we can easily get this imagery of a king and his people coming back from battle victoriously. 00:08:20.079 --> 00:08:26.699 And the people of the, you know, inside the castle or the town, wherever they are, they're just excited. 00:08:26.939 --> 00:08:27.800 And they're just happy. 00:08:27.899 --> 00:08:32.659 They're just shouting and clapping because of this victorious battle that's taken place. 00:08:32.659 --> 00:08:40.399 And even taken further than that, we can see, we can see a glimpse of when Jesus comes back. 00:08:40.620 --> 00:08:46.139 And when he appears with the, with the shout of a trumpet as he's defeating Satan. 00:08:46.139 --> 00:08:54.939 And he's taken his people back for the final creation of setting up his kingdom. 00:08:55.120 --> 00:08:57.179 So there's a, there's a lot of imagery there. 00:08:57.179 --> 00:09:02.779 But God being, coming back up with a shout and with the sound of the trumpet. 00:09:03.379 --> 00:09:07.739 And just the celebration and joy that, that, that comes with that. 00:09:08.179 --> 00:09:11.979 And then verse six, sing praises to God, sing praises. 00:09:12.399 --> 00:09:15.599 Sing praises to our King, sing praises. 00:09:16.139 --> 00:09:25.299 For only having nine verses in this chapter, it's one of the most strongly encouraged or pushed heavily. 00:09:25.299 --> 00:09:29.500 In the early Psalms to praise God, to sing praises to him. 00:09:30.639 --> 00:09:38.339 And being human, where we can easily fall back and kind of grow numb to spiritual things at times. 00:09:40.279 --> 00:09:47.959 It's repeated all through the Bible, time and time again, to sing praises to God, to lift up your voice, to praise him. 00:09:47.960 --> 00:10:05.879 And so we, we do that because in our dullness or in sin that we may have fallen in or in depression, there, there isn't any greater thing that we can praise. 00:10:05.879 --> 00:10:09.759 There's, there's, there's, there's no advantage. 00:10:10.059 --> 00:10:17.860 It's only failure if we look at the world or things that are sadding, making us sad and focus on them. 00:10:18.000 --> 00:10:24.059 The only thing that could truly lift our spirits and encourage us are the spiritual things, the things of God. 00:10:24.059 --> 00:10:31.359 And so we, we get an idea, we get a pretty good understanding why God continually calls us to praise his name. 00:10:32.239 --> 00:10:40.359 Not because he's, has an ego problem, but because he's God and there is no greater power. 00:10:40.559 --> 00:10:43.759 There is no greater God or thing to put our praise into. 00:10:44.119 --> 00:10:45.579 And so he calls us to that. 00:10:47.139 --> 00:10:50.619 Verse seven, for God is the King of all the earth. 00:10:50.620 --> 00:10:53.179 Sing praises with a psalm. 00:10:55.740 --> 00:10:58.019 He governs and rules overall. 00:10:58.139 --> 00:11:00.860 We talked about this a few verses back. 00:11:01.600 --> 00:11:03.659 We sing praises with a psalm. 00:11:04.320 --> 00:11:05.700 So here we kind of pick up. 00:11:06.899 --> 00:11:14.480 It's not just singing, although we do sing, but there's singing that's done with more thoughtful praise, 00:11:14.480 --> 00:11:21.620 more intelligent, directed praise toward God for specific things that he does. 00:11:22.639 --> 00:11:27.420 And we get that from him telling us to sing praises with a psalm. 00:11:27.500 --> 00:11:34.560 A psalm was written with, with very detail, with a lot of artistic talent. 00:11:34.940 --> 00:11:35.420 Right? 00:11:35.419 --> 00:11:38.639 And so those are the type of songs that God calls us to sing. 00:11:39.000 --> 00:11:43.319 Not just, you know, there may be those feel-good songs that are good. 00:11:43.459 --> 00:11:51.679 But he also calls us to directly praise him for specific things that he does or that he is to us. 00:11:53.240 --> 00:12:00.379 And then verse eight, God reigns over the nations and God sits on his holy throne. 00:12:00.379 --> 00:12:07.799 So we know that God reigns over all nations and over all people. 00:12:08.480 --> 00:12:17.539 And this means even the ones, even the most debased, sinful, God-hating, God-denying people. 00:12:18.659 --> 00:12:18.779 Right? 00:12:18.899 --> 00:12:24.120 So for those people, there's this secret rule that's in force, 00:12:24.120 --> 00:12:31.679 that there will become a time where they will see that God even rules over them. 00:12:32.600 --> 00:12:38.539 And for that, there is something that we can praise and take comfort in. 00:12:38.799 --> 00:12:44.399 Not because those people will be destroyed, but because we know that God is over everyone. 00:12:44.620 --> 00:12:52.560 Even those who are adamantly against him or just blatantly as sinful as possible towards God. 00:12:52.559 --> 00:12:57.500 We know where they stand in relationship to their creator. 00:12:58.759 --> 00:13:01.219 And God sits on his holy throne. 00:13:02.919 --> 00:13:07.579 Charles Spurgeon kind of breaks this verse out a little bit more. 00:13:07.679 --> 00:13:08.500 He says this, 00:13:09.039 --> 00:13:17.679 Unmoved, he occupies an undisputed throne whose decrees, acts, and commands are holiness itself. 00:13:18.319 --> 00:13:20.179 What other throne is like this? 00:13:20.179 --> 00:13:24.199 Never was it stained with injustice or defiled with sin. 00:13:25.000 --> 00:13:28.359 Neither is he who sits upon it dismayed or in a dilemma. 00:13:29.019 --> 00:13:35.779 He sits in serenity for he knows his own power and sees that his purpose will not miscarry. 00:13:36.779 --> 00:13:40.000 Here is reason enough for holy song. 00:13:40.000 --> 00:13:53.720 So just realizing God sits on his throne and what that means far above the earth, far above anything that we have control or power over. 00:13:54.720 --> 00:13:56.000 And then verse 9, 00:13:56.000 --> 00:14:13.460 So here we see kind of a prophetic look into the future as the princes of the people. 00:14:13.460 --> 00:14:16.080 That is Gentile princes. 00:14:17.280 --> 00:14:18.540 Gentile princes. 00:14:19.280 --> 00:14:22.700 Because they weren't the people of Abraham. 00:14:23.019 --> 00:14:24.560 They were as the people of Abraham. 00:14:25.000 --> 00:14:26.460 So we have Gentile princesses. 00:14:27.100 --> 00:14:31.440 People from all nations gather as God's chosen ones. 00:14:31.440 --> 00:14:36.140 It's almost as if from the beginning they were sons and daughters of Abraham. 00:14:37.080 --> 00:14:39.180 So they're speaking of us. 00:14:39.460 --> 00:14:44.200 Of the people who came out after the cross. 00:14:44.760 --> 00:14:53.860 We were made like the tribe, the family of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. 00:14:53.860 --> 00:14:56.720 It's as if we were part of that family back then. 00:14:58.320 --> 00:15:00.659 And he gathers us all together. 00:15:01.460 --> 00:15:03.840 The chosen family becomes God's family. 00:15:03.980 --> 00:15:07.200 Made up of people of all races and all nations. 00:15:07.360 --> 00:15:08.600 And that we are a part of. 00:15:10.159 --> 00:15:12.240 And then the last part of verse 9. 00:15:12.360 --> 00:15:15.060 For the shields of the earth belong to God. 00:15:15.600 --> 00:15:22.539 And there's kind of, there's two different ideas that I found with this verse. 00:15:22.539 --> 00:15:24.299 Two kind of different interpretations. 00:15:24.519 --> 00:15:25.339 But they're both true. 00:15:25.539 --> 00:15:26.899 So you can take whichever one. 00:15:27.799 --> 00:15:31.500 One of those is the shields of the earth could be speaking about rulers. 00:15:32.079 --> 00:15:34.000 Or people in authority. 00:15:34.519 --> 00:15:36.959 Whether in government or in the church. 00:15:37.679 --> 00:15:38.899 They belong to God. 00:15:38.980 --> 00:15:39.860 They're subject to him. 00:15:40.159 --> 00:15:42.079 And they have a duty to protect others. 00:15:42.079 --> 00:15:45.399 So the shields of the earth could be those people. 00:15:45.779 --> 00:15:46.980 Those rulers in authority. 00:15:48.059 --> 00:15:52.319 The other view is that it is God alone who defends. 00:15:52.320 --> 00:15:53.760 And preserves the world. 00:15:54.160 --> 00:15:56.000 From all the threats. 00:15:58.280 --> 00:16:01.080 Every danger that we could think of. 00:16:01.140 --> 00:16:02.400 That has to do with our existence. 00:16:03.000 --> 00:16:05.840 Whether it's other nations. 00:16:06.080 --> 00:16:06.920 Or sickness. 00:16:07.379 --> 00:16:08.560 Or death. 00:16:08.560 --> 00:16:10.800 Or name it. 00:16:11.260 --> 00:16:12.120 All of those. 00:16:12.220 --> 00:16:14.900 Those are all under God's authority. 00:16:15.260 --> 00:16:16.280 And God's command. 00:16:16.279 --> 00:16:21.539 And so it's understanding that our protection. 00:16:22.199 --> 00:16:22.939 Our shield. 00:16:23.360 --> 00:16:24.279 Is in God alone. 00:16:24.399 --> 00:16:25.980 So either one of those really fits. 00:16:26.299 --> 00:16:27.439 Whether it's people. 00:16:27.600 --> 00:16:30.779 We know that God puts those people in position of authority. 00:16:30.879 --> 00:16:31.759 He controls that. 00:16:31.759 --> 00:16:35.139 Even people who may not seem like they are following God's will. 00:16:35.279 --> 00:16:36.439 God still put them there. 00:16:37.059 --> 00:16:40.139 Or whether it's protecting us from just everyday things. 00:16:40.580 --> 00:16:42.860 Whether we walk out in the street and get hit by a car. 00:16:42.980 --> 00:16:45.980 Whether we die next year because of an illness. 00:16:46.279 --> 00:16:48.960 Those are all things that are under God's control. 00:16:49.879 --> 00:16:53.519 So just nine verses. 00:16:53.519 --> 00:16:55.720 But there's so much packed in. 00:16:55.799 --> 00:16:59.319 Because we see how much God is over all things. 00:16:59.679 --> 00:17:01.980 And sprinkled all through that. 00:17:01.980 --> 00:17:04.980 Is our command really. 00:17:05.720 --> 00:17:07.660 By God to praise him. 00:17:09.279 --> 00:17:12.759 And the benefits that come to us because of that praise. 00:17:12.879 --> 00:17:16.480 The benefits that we get to do. 00:17:16.619 --> 00:17:18.220 Because of who we are in Christ. 00:17:18.519 --> 00:17:20.039 That's why we get to praise him. 00:17:20.039 --> 00:17:25.659 So I hope that helped break down some of the verses. 00:17:26.299 --> 00:17:28.059 And just give you a little bit of encouragement. 00:17:28.059 --> 00:17:31.079 As to why God calls us to praise. 00:17:31.079 --> 00:17:31.619 And.