He’s My King!
Psalm 47
Introduction:
Psalm 47 = beautiful hymn of praise – 9 verses long.
Theme = God is our King (v.6) – “King” = 3x’s [vv.2,6,7]
Don’t know the name of the human writer or penman but we do know from its divinely inspired title… song was delivered to “The chief musician” = led the worship of Jehovah in the Temple… “for the sons of Korah” = not the writers of the Psalm but they were the singers.
Ps. 47 = sang by worshipers in the Jewish synagogues on Rosh Hashanah, Jewish New Year’s Day.
Reminder = Israel who their true King is – Hezekiah may have been their earthly king when this Psalm was written… God was their Heavenly King.
Israel = nation to be ruled by God!
Psalm 33:12 – “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.”
Blessing = not just for Israel but for any nation, people, person who makes God their Lord!
Look at this Psalm in several different ways…
1. Historically
Psalms 46,47,48 = form a trilogy of Psalms exalting the greatness of God.
Psalm 46:1 – “God is our refuge, and strength, a very present help in trouble…” v.10 – “I will be exalted”
Psalm 48:1 – begins, “Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised…”
Psalm 47:1 – bursts out in jubilation, “O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.”
v.6 – “…sing praise unto our King”
v.7 – “For God is the King of all the earth.” = not just the King of Israel but the entire earth.
Psalm 47 = sequel to Psalm 46.
Psalm 46 = Psalm of waiting – Note: v.10 – “Be still”… waiting on God’s deliverance.
Setting: Psalms 46,47 – 2Kings 18,19
Assyrians had besieged he city of God… inhabitants of Jerusalem were hemmed in on all sides… tents, banners, flags of the Assyrian armies stretched as far as eye could see… Rabshekah delivered the infamous letter with the terms of surrender… Assyrians so sure of victory that even Israel’s God couldn’t deliver her.
Hezekiah = took letter in Temple and spread it out before God… recognized that there was a greater King… greater than Hezekiah, Pharoah, Sennacherib… all human help was gone… none to save them… called upon their God for deliverance.
Imagine = anxiety, fear, even panic that must have gripped God’s people.
Psalm 46:10 – God’s answer – “Be still and know”
God = does His best work during the waiting times of life.
**Waiting time is not wasted time!
Isaiah 30:18 – “And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.”
Isaiah 40:31 – “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
Psalm 46 = Psalm of waiting.
Psalm 47 = Psalm of praising.
v.1 – “clapping”
v.1 – “shouting”
v.6 – “singing”
v.7 – “praising”
Why? Waiting time is over!
Point: Waiting times lead to praising times!!!
God = the great King – moved on the scene!
Hezekiah, Isaiah, people = went to bed that night some resting and others wrestling… tossing from side to side… filled with anxiety and turmoil of what the next day would bring.
Day begins to dawn the watchers on the wall are puzzled… no movement in the Assyrian camp… no bugles blaring, no cooking fires blazing, no men marching… all was still and quiet. Men are sent out to investigate… word comes back that they are all corpses… entire Assyrian army lay dead in their tents.
God = come down and delivered His people… angel killed 185,000 Assyrians in one night. God had given them the victory!! City erupts in celebration and jubilation to the God of Heaven.
47:1 – “the voice of triumph”
v.5 – “gone up” = God had come down… intervened in the situation… delivered His people… now “gone up” – ascended back to His throne in the Heavens!
vv.6,7 – sing praises
v.8 - “God reigneth”
v.9 – “he is greatly exalted.”
2. Prophetically
Psalm 47 = Royal Psalm – Messianic in nature… looks forward to the reign of King Jesus!
A. An Exalted King (vv.1,2)
v.1 – future day of rejoicing when the LORD their coming Messiah is crowned King!
v.2 – “LORD” = Jehovah – self-existent One, the Great I AM… remind you that the Jehovah of the OT is the Jesus of the NT.
Phil. 2:9-11 – “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
B. A Victorious King (vv.3-5)
Looks forward to a future day of deliverance for Israel… when not one nation but all nations have come against her… seems as if Israel will be annihilated from the earth… Lord Jesus comes in all of His glory… (Rev.19)
Touch down on the Mt. of Olives… fight battle of Armageddon… won with a word… a nation will be born in day!
Zech. 14:1-4, 9
C. A Reigning King (vv.6-9)
Singing to and praising the great King as He ascends His throne… rules and reigns over the earth for 1,000 years.
v.8 – “sit upon the throne of his holiness” = Christ’s throne is holy throne, and His rule will be a righteous rule.
v.9 - “shields of the earth” = ref to the kings of the earth… shield of defense unto their people.
Jesus = King of kings and Lord of lords!
3. Personally
Look: v.6b – “sing praises unto our King” = He’s my King!
17 yrs old, I Surrendered my life to Him. Greatest choice you will ever make in life is to crown Jesus as King of your life.
Q: Who is your king? Really only 2 choices – Christ or self.
If self is on the throne of your heart… then Jesus isn’t!
Remind = Jesus is a great King!
King of my life, I crown thee now!
Thine shall the glory be!
a. Surrender to God!
b. Let God choose!
Look: 4a
Israel = let God do the choosing. Yielded their will to His will.
We = all have choices to make in life… wiser if we let God choose for us.
Quote: “God always gives His best to those who leave the choice with Him.” – Jim Eliot
God doesn’t want our best… He wants us in His best!
Our God is a great King… knows the end from the beginning… knows what is best for our lives.
Quote: DL Moody once wrote, “One of the greatest lessons we can learn in the school of Christ is to surrender our will to God. Letting Him plan for us and rule our lives. I cannot look at day inot the future. I do not know what is going to happen. In fact, I don’t know what will happen before night. So, I cannot choose for myself as well as God can choose for me. And it is much better to surrender my will to God’s will.
Times God may choose for us what we would not choose for ourselves. Remember He is King!
God = always chooses perfectly.
c. Grow in His Love!
God = a great King but He is also a loving King. My King is also my Heavenly Father.
Look: v.4b – “whom he loved.”
Note: Psalmist used, “Jacob” rather than “Israel.”
God = doesn’t just love us at our best… loves us at our worst.
God = loves us with an everlasting love… knows no end.
Never a day when God started loving you… and there will never be a day when God stops loving you.
Jude v.21 – “Keep yourselves in the love of God.”
d. Don’t fail to praise Him!
Look: v.1, 6,7
