A message preached by Pastor Andrew Ray as part of an expository series on The Book of Psalms taken from Psalm 47:1-9.

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For more information on this sermon, see the outline below:

I. INTRODUCTORY THOUGHTS

A. The Subtitle

1. The recipient of the psalm—“To the chief Musician”
2. The beneficiary of the psalm—“for the sons of Korah”

B. The Summary

1. The commands—This psalm contains three commands all of which point to the worship of God.
a. Clap
b. Shout
c. Sing
2. The cause—The remainder of the psalm is focused upon the explanation of why God is to be praised. Certainly the explanation is not all-encompassing, but was specific in order to convey an intended message.

II. THE GREAT INHERITANCE (Psalm 47:1-5)

A. The Call to Praise (Psalm 47:1)

1. The practice of praise
a. O clap your hands
(1) Various forms of the word clap (clap, clapped, clappeth) are found nine times in nine verses of scripture.
(2) Each time it is an action done with the hands.
(3) To clap one’s hands means to smite them together, and was most frequently an expression of praise, joy, or approval. This could also be done in a sense of mockery.
b. Shout…with the voice
(1) Various forms of the word shout (shout, shouting, shouted, shouteth, shoutings) appear sixty-seven times in fifty-three verses.
(2) The word is intended to demonstrate the manner in which one speaks. It is often not intended to be an insubstantial cry, but the manner in which words and phrases are spoken.
c. Note: While neither of these are set forth as practices of worship in the church, if they were done in the spirit in which they were prescribed in the Old Testament they would not be deemed sinful.
2. The persuasion of praise—“with the voice of triumph”
3. The participants of praise
a. The giver of praise—“all ye people”
b. The recipient of praise—“unto God”

B. The Cause for Praise (Psalm 47:2)

1. The person—“the LORD”
2. The prestige
a. Most high
b. A great King over all the earth
3. The persuasion—“the LORD most high is terrible”; Although the word terrible has been much modified in its present use, the simplistic meaning suggests someone or something that is able to bring terror. God is associated with this term on numerous occasions (Deuteronomy 7:21; Deuteronomy 10:17; Nehemiah 1:5; Nehemiah 4:14; Nehemiah 9:32).

C. The Conditions of Praise (Psalm 47:3-5)

1. Israel’s exaltation (Psalm 47:3-4)
a. The subduing of the people (Psalm 47:3; Isaiah 49:22-23)
(1) He shall subdue the people under us.
(2) He shall subdue the nations under our feet.
(3) Note: While some of these truths could have been partially fulfilled in times past, the ultimate fulfillment will not come until the millennial kingdom.
b. The inheritance of the people (Psalm 47:4)
(1) The personalization of the inheritance
a) He shall choose our inheritance for us.
b) He shall choose…the excellency of Jacob.
(2) The preference of the inheritance—“whom he loved”
(3) The ponderings of the inheritance—“Selah.”
2. God’s exaltation (Psalm 47:5; see 2 Samuel 6:15; 1 Chronicles 15:28)
a. God is gone up with a shout.
b. The LORD is gone up with the sound of a trumpet.
c. Note: The wording associates this with the ark of the covenant’s ascension to its proper place in Jerusalem. The ark represented God’s presence and Jerusalem was its intended place. In like manner, Christ will ascend to His throne in the rightful place of Jerusalem.

III. THE GREAT VICTOR (Psalm 47:6-9)

A. The Call to Praise (Psalm 47:6-7)

1. The practice of praise (Psalm 47:6-7)
a. Sing praises x 4 (Psalm 47:6)
b. Sing ye praises (Psalm 47:7)
2. The persuasion of praise—“with understanding” (Psalm 47:7)
3. The participants of praise (Psalm 47:6-7)
a. The giver of praise (Psalm 47:6-7)
(1) Our (Psalm 47:6)
(2) Ye (Psalm 47:7)
b. The recipient of praise (Psalm 47:6)
(1) To God
(2) Unto our King

B. The Cause for Praise (Psalm 47:7-8)

1. The person—“God” (Psalm 47:7-8)
2. The prestige (Psalm 47:7-8)
a. He is King of all the earth (Psalm 47:7).
b. He reigneth over the heathen (Psalm 47:8).
c. He sitteth upon the throne of His holiness (Psalm 47:8; see also Matthew 19:28; Matthew 25:31; Luke 1:32).

C. The Conditions of Praise (Psalm 47:9)

1. Israel’s exaltation—The princes of the people (the people of the God of Abraham) are gathered together.
2. God’s exaltation
a. The shields of the earth belong unto God. Note: The point is that all kingdoms will come under Christ (Revelation 11:15).
b. He is greatly exalted.