Clap! Shout! Sing!

If you have your Bible (and I hope you do—I mean that. I really hope you have your own copy of the Bible you can hold and turn pages in and follow along). If you have your Bible, and hopefully you do, please turn with me to the Book of Psalms.

As you are able and willing, please stand for the reading of God’s Holy Word:

Psalm 47 NIV

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm. 1 Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. 2 For the Lord Most High is awesome, the great King over all the earth. 3 He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet. 4 He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom he loved. 5 God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets. 6 Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. 7 For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise. 8 God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne. 9 The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham, for the kings of the earth belong to God; he is greatly exalted.

May God add His blessing to the reading of His Holy Word!

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This—Psalm 47—is a call to worship. A call to worship with ample reasons why the people should worship. In two sections, there is a call for worship followed by causes for worship.

The background to this psalm is unknown. We don’t know for sure what, if any specific event, was the motivation for this kind of praise.

The Bible tells us of real people who had real experiences with a real God. It tells us how God invades the lives of people in order to show them who He really is.

There’s one story in the Bible many people tie to this psalm. An event that happened 700 years before Christ.

At that time, a fellow named Hezekiah was king of Judah. And the entire known world lived under threat of the Assyrians. Hezekiah had watched the Assyrians invade the northern kingdom of Israel. And now the Assyrians set their sights on the southern kingdom of Judah.

Right outside the city of Jerusalem, there were 185,000 Assyrian soldiers ready to attack (that’s the whole population of Springfield, and then some, armed and ready for battle, waiting to fight).

The Assyrians were brutal warriors, but they were also gifted at taunting their enemies. They sent messengers to Jerusalem to taunt the people and to tell them it was useless to listen to King Hezekiah or to ever think that their God could save them.

They mocked the people, their God, and their king. They assured the people that no king, or any god had ever saved people from the power of the king of Assyria.

Isaiah 36:18–20 NIV

18 “Do not let Hezekiah mislead you when he says, ‘The Lord will deliver us.’ Have the gods of any nations ever delivered their lands from the hand of the king of Assyria? 19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they rescued Samaria from my hand? 20 Who of all the gods of these countries have been able to save their lands from me? How then can the Lord deliver Jerusalem from my hand?”

At this, Hezekiah, king of Judah, prayed to God. He asked the LORD to save them for the sake of His own name so that all peoples might know that their God is in fact God over all things.

That night, the angel of the LORD went into the Assyrian camp and killed the 185,000 Assyrians troops who were about to invade. The king of Assyria went home, and while he was worshiping his “god”, his own son killed him.

Hezekiah and all the people saw God reveal Himself as the all-powerful sovereign King over the whole earth.

Many think it’s likely that both Psalm 46 and Psalm 47 were written in response to God’s mighty display of victory, power, and sovereign control over the Assyrians.

Whether that particular story is what’s behind Psalm 47 or not, this psalm celebrates the sovereign rule of the King of the universe. In response to who God is and what God has done, the psalmists call the people to worship.

We can read the psalm and catch the general impression pretty easily. Its a psalm of praise. That’s clear. Even though it’s pretty clear-cut, I think it’s good to ask a couple of questions about the psalm to see what it wants from us.

We’re going to ask, “Who? What? Why?”

WHO? ALL NATIONS

There’s a surprise in this psalm, straightforward as it seems. The command to clap and shout with joy is not addressed to Israel or Judah. Look at verse 1. Psalm 47:1 “Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.”

All you nations, all peoples, all ye people, all you peoples, everyone.

The significance is that this word—nations/peoples—refers to Gentiles, pagans, those outside the covenant.

But they are to shout to God, Yahweh, the LORD Most High. Verse 1 is a command for all nations to celebrate and praise this God.

This is a rather shocking command.

There are quite a few places in the OT where God is addressed as the God of Israel almost exclusively. That is, He is addressed as if He is the Jews’ God, not one of the gods of the nations around Israel.

But the God of Israel is not one of many. He is the only God.

“The psalmist refuses to accept the idea that different peoples have a right to different faiths.” -Derek Kidner

Put plainly, the psalmist would say they don’t. There is One God. No matter how offensive that sounds to our pluralistic society, it’s the truth.

There is a God you should enthusiastically worship. Who is it? Our God. The God of the Bible. The Triune God—Father, Spirit, Son.

Here in Psalm 47, the Gentile, non-Jewish, pagan nations and peoples are called upon to worship the LORD.

This, in light of what the LORD has done in their sight.

Whether it’s the Hezekiah story where the LORD struck down 185,000 of the Assyrians, or any other story of God’s great power—the nations who witness what God has done are commanded to worship Him.

And it makes sense that they would.

Psalm 47:1 “Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.”

That’s who this half of the psalm is speaking to. But what is is after?

WHAT? WORSHIP

At the outset of the psalm we have some verbs calling us to action. Clap. Shout. This is the call to worship. The people being addressed are to clap their hands and shout to God with cries of joy.

This call to worship is here to bring about the peoples’ celebratory praise of God.

I know we don’t praise the LORD like this; we’re a fairly conservative and reserved bunch of people. We’re much more likely to cheer and scream for our favorite sports team. Or maybe a favorite musician or band will get us on our feet.

Just Thursday, Meghann and went to see Yo-Yo Ma in concert with the KC Symphony. After a perfect 28-minutes of Yo-Yo Ma playing a cello suite by Shostacovish, the entire audience jumped to their feet and applauded. The best cellist in the world warranted the applause of 1,500 people for what was probably 5 straight minutes. My hands started to hurt.

The psalmist is here, in light of everything God has done, calling for applause.

I’m not sure we think about praising the LORD in this way. Not to the same degree.

In February, on Super Bowl Sunday, Ericka sent me a meme that said, “You should be as excited about church as you are about the Super Bowl…So, when your pastor makes a point this Sunday, pour Gatorade over his head.”

Now, of course, I don’t expect that. Nor do I want that. And it’s not the same kind of emotion. There’s a lot that happens at football games and concerts that wouldn’t be appropriate in a worship setting.

The gathered assembly of the church is to be orderly and edifying (see 1 Corinthians).

"Orderly” is not to say our praise to God shouldn’t be accompanied by applause, by shouts of joy.

It should be more celebratory and less stoic than it typically is.

Psalm 47:1 “Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.”

That’s what the psalm is looking for. But why?

WHY? BECAUSE OF WHO THE LORD IS AND WHAT HE HAS DONE

The rationale for verse 1—Psalm 47:1 “Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.”—comes in verse 2.

Psalm 47:2 “For the Lord Most High is awesome, the great King over all the earth.”

The LORD is awesome; He is to be feared. He inspires awe. No doubt after He showed His power over the Assyrians, they were awed. Any left to tell the tale would be sore afraid.

Think of all the other great stories of God’s power and might, His awesome works. Think how the LORD’s destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah would inspire fear and awe. The 10 plagues. The parting of the Red Sea. The destruction of Jericho.

The LORD is awesome.

But keep reading: The LORD is the great King over all the earth.

The Assyrian King, Sennacherib, wrote this about himself: “Sennacherib, the great king, the mighty king, king of the universe, king of Assyria, king of the four quarters of the earth…” Dude thought pretty highly of himself.

The psalmist, indeed the entire Old and New Testaments counter Sennacherib’s assertion (and every other similar sentiment).

The truth is the LORD Most High is the great King over all the earth. Him, and no other. Not Sennacherib. Not Nebuchadnezzar. Not Pharoah. The LORD Yahweh is King.

In the time of the early church, the common declaration of the day was “Caesar is Lord.” The early Christians were fearless, and their allegiance was to Jesus alone. At great risk to their lives, they declared not that Caesar was Lord (that was a non-starter for them; they would simply never).

Those early Christians declared boldly, counter-culturally, “Jesus is Lord.” Jesus, and Jesus alone.

The people of all nations are to give the LORD praise because of who He is—He is awesome, the great king over all the earth.

Because of who He is and what He has done. The evidence that the LORD Yahweh is the awesome, great King over all the earth is in verses 3-4.

What has the LORD done? He has revealed to the people that He is the sovereign King of the world. He’s put the nations under Israel’s feet.

The LORD has given Israel their inheritance. This, in part, refers to the the conquest and allotment of the Promised Land (we’ll be studying this on Wednesday nights as we look at Joshua).

The basic lesson of verses 3-4—what the LORD has done—is on His provision for His people. What He’s done for them is cause for worship—not only from them, but from all nations/peoples. As they see what the LORD has done for His own, they should stop and give Him praise—clap and shout for joy.

The LORD’s love and care and provision for His people should lead all nations/peoples to adore Him as well.

You would think the nations, especially those who have sought to crush God’s people, would eventually get the point. They’d see how the LORD loves and cares and provides for His people, and you’d think they’d be tempted to adore Him as well.

Or, more currently: the nations and people who don’t know the LORD, but see that there’s something about His people—shouldn’t they be in awe of God?

Shouldn’t they think about how Christ’s Church is alive and well, sustained by God in this dark world. You’d think this would inspire awe in them. And maybe fear for ever setting themselves against the LORD and His people.

Why should the peoples worship the LORD? Because of who He is and what He has done.

Look with me at verse 5, the hinge of the psalm:

Psalm 47:5 NIV

5 God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets.

The people had just seen some supernatural salvation the LORD accomplished on their behalf, and in response, they are clapping and shouting, praising the LORD.

Verse 5 depicts God as the mighty conqueror who has ascended His throne. God is King and has always been King; but here His Kingship is celebrated anew for what He has done.

Who is addressed in verses 6-7?

If verse 5 is the hinge (and it seems to be), there’s a shift in the “who” of the psalm.

Whoever is addressed is told to sing, and sing, and sing, and sing. And then to sing once more.

The mention in verse 6 of “our King” points to who this is. This command is directed to God’s people.

WHO? GOD’S PEOPLE

Sing, sing, sing, sing, sing. The realization that God is King, King over all the earth is more than enough reason for God’s covenant people to give Him praise, to sing praises to Him.

Not only (v. 1) are all nations/peoples to praise Him. But His own people are certainly meant to praise Him.

Brothers and sisters, listen to the logic of this psalm. If we realize and grasp the significance of God as King of all the earth, it should ignite our praises.

God is King. No other. When we believe God is King—all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present, sovereign, just and kind—when we believe He is KING, it changes us.

We don’t live and die with every political season. We don’t despair regardless what befalls us, for GOD IS ON HIS THRONE. He is victorious. He is awesome.

He subdued the nations under His peoples’ feet, but, in Christ, He has conquered sin and death. In Christ, our inheritance is kept in heaven for us. It can never perish, spoil, or fade. In Christ, we have life everlasting—life with God forever and ever.

Notice verse 9. This is stunning. It speaks of the fuller “who”—the congregation of God. Psalm 47:9 “The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham…”

It’s not just the people of the God of Abraham who assemble, but also the nobles of the nations. Those who once gathered in rebellion against the great King now gather to worship Him.

This is jaw-dropping. And yet, in a way, not at all surprising. God promised to Abraham that all the peoples on earth would be blessed through him. All the peoples.

So it is. Some of those who didn’t belong to God’s people now do belong to Him. And they’re gathered to worship Him.

These are Gentiles. Non-Jews. Pagans. Outsiders to the covenant. And they’re gathered to worship. It’s like Jesus said when speaking about His people, His sheep:

John 10:14–16 NIV

14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.

Who is in view here and in this psalm? All of God’s people—Jew and Gentile alike. As verse 8 says: God reigns over the nations.

WHAT? WORSHIP

Just as all nations/peoples were called to clap their hands and shout for joy, now there’s a call to sing. Psalm 47:6 “Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises.”

If you’ve ever wondered why we sing when we gather together, just turn to the psalms. Sing, sing, sing, sing, sing.

Joyful worship is the order of the day. Not only for the people of God in the OT, but for us today.

Let’s think about why?

WHY? BECAUSE OF GOD’S SALVATION

The response of the people of God here in the time Psalm 47 was written was praise for what God had done.

If it wasn’t salvation from the Assyrians, it was salvation/deliverance from some other enemy. It was salvation and deliverance from a foe they couldn’t begin to defeat themselves.

God intervened. God subdued their enemies. God is the One to be feared, awesome and mighty is He!

Our story, brothers and sisters, is the exact same. Ours is an enemy we could never defeat in our own strength. Our God has saved us from our enemy, Satan. He rescued us from sin and death. In the death of Jesus, the wrath of God we deserve was satisfied. Jesus’ righteousness became ours.

The proper response to our salvation by the sovereign King of the universe should be worship. Personal and corporate expressions of joyful worship.

This is not only pleasing to the Lord; it’s also a great testimony to a lost world.

You understand, don’t you, what impact it has on people to see your car in the parking lot of the church building, knowing that you and your family have prioritized this day to worship the LORD?

The world needs to see by means of our joyous worship that it's good to know King Jesus.

Do you know how uplifting it is for your brothers and sisters in this place to see you worship? To hear you sing? To see you, to gather with you, to rejoice alongside you?

God’s people worship—clap, and shout, and sing—because of His salvation.

>>Psalm 47 celebrates the sovereign rule of the King of the Universe. As NT believers, we know this King is Jesus. In a very real way, Psalm 47 is actually celebrating the sovereign rule of Jesus over the whole earth.

As was read at the start of worship this morning:

Colossians 1:16–17 NIV

16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Jesus is King and He deserves our worship, and the worship of all people.

We must go and tell. We must share and announce, proclaim and preach that Jesus is Lord and King until all nations/people worship Him for who He is and what He has done.

As God’s people who belong to Him in Christ, we must be all the more committed to worshipping the LORD, for His salvation especially.

Clap and shout and sing. Sing, sing, sing, sing, sing. He is worthy of all our praise. He deserves the praise of all the peoples.