We have an awesome God who is worthy of our loudest praise! Psalm 47 exhorts us to lift up our Heavenly King through music and praise.
Structure
Psalm 47 is usually divided into 2 parts based upon the "selah" which occurs at the end of verse 4. Although the division after verse 4 is certainly possible, I will continue to follow Dr. Labuschagne's structure.
Dr. C.J. Labuschagne divides the psalm into two mirrored sets of 5 verse lines each with the first section further divided into 2 verses + 3 verses and the second into 3 verses + 2 verses. This structure is further supported by the fact that the middle two verse lines summarize the whole psalm:
God has ascended amid shouts of joy,
the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets.
Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises. Psalm 47:5-6
Applause Please!
The psalm begins with two verses encouraging us to shout for joy and applaud our awesome King. To emphasize His greatness the poet uses the name “Elyown YHWH,” normally translated as “Most High God.”
Why should we praise our God? Because He has proved He is King over all.
- He subdued nations before Israel when they conquered the promise land, showing that He could depose any earthly king whenever He desires.
- He gave Israel a land, showing that all the land on earth is His to give to whomever He pleases.
So, shout and blow the shophar (ram’s horn blown as a wind instrument) as He ascends to His throne!
God has ascended amid shouts of joy,
the Lord amid the sounding of shophars. Psalm 47:5
Notice how noisy this praise is: shouting, clapping and blowing horns. Worship at times should be quiet and reflective, but we should also be willing to celebrate our God with loud and exuberant praise.
Sing Praise
The second section begins with three verses exhorting us to sing praises to God our King. We are told to sing praises 5 times in just two verses!
Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises.
For God is the King of all the earth;
sing to him a psalm of praise. Psalm 47:6-7
Never underestimate the power and importance of singing praise.
The psalm concludes with two verse lines reminding us that all the kings and nobles of the earth belong to God.
Application
Our God is an awesome God and King. Lift him up with songs of praise!
This post is part of a series on the Psalms.
by Jerry Wyrick, President of Worship Arts Conservatory