Psalm Chapter 47

Psalm 47: The Coronation of the King of All the Earth

One does not usually think of clapping as a theological act, but the sons of Korah apparently did. "O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph." This is not polite applause — it is the roar of a stadium when the true King takes His throne. And the scope of this coronation is staggering: not king of Israel only, but King of all the earth. The heathen, the nations, the princes of the peoples — all are gathered, whether they know it yet or not, under the sovereignty of the God of Abraham. "God is gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet." There is something almost reckless about the joy here, as if the psalmist has glimpsed, for one dazzling moment, the final scene of history and cannot contain himself. Four times in the space of a single verse he cries "Sing praises" — as though once or twice were not nearly enough. And then the most telling phrase of all: "Sing ye praises with understanding." Even ecstasy must be intelligent. The heart may leap, but the mind must know why it leaps.

00:00 Clap Your Hands, All Ye People
01:00 The King Over All the Earth