Sing praise to God, sing praise;
sing praise to our king, sing praise.
For the king of all the earth is God;
sing hymns of praise.
(Psalm 47:7-8)
Praise Jesus! He is our good and all-powerful King, omnipotent, sovereign over all things, and a just and holy ruler. He has chosen us out of love and grace despite our many sins. Jesus has defeated evil and will return to allow the dead to rise and live with Him in heaven. Our hope and deliverance is with Jesus. Let us recognize and praise Jesus, the glory of God for redeeming and uniting us to be with Him.
In the realm of the divine, a chorus rings,
"Praise Jesus!" the creation sings.
Our King, all-powerful, good and true,
Omnipotent, sovereign, His grace we pursue.
Chosen by love, by grace we stand,
Despite our sins, by His command.
He, the holy ruler, just and pure,
In His kingdom, we are secure.
Evil defeated, the victory won,
By Jesus, God's own precious Son.
He will return, the dead shall rise,
To live with Him in heavenly skies.
Our hope, our deliverance, in Jesus we find,
His love and mercy, forever entwined.
Let us recognize, let us praise His name,
The glory of God, forever the same.
Redeemed, united, in His love we bask,
To be with Him, our eternal task.
So let our voices in unison sing,
"Praise Jesus, our Savior, our King!"
Dear Heavenly Father,
We come before You with hearts full of praise. Praise to Jesus, our good and all-powerful King. He is omnipotent, sovereign over all things, a just and holy ruler. We are in awe of His majesty and power.
We thank You for choosing us out of love and grace, despite our many sins. We are humbled by Your mercy and Your forgiveness. We acknowledge that we are sinners, and yet You have chosen us to be Your children.
We celebrate the victory of Jesus over evil. He has defeated the powers of darkness and brought us into Your marvelous light. We eagerly await His return, when the dead will rise and live with Him in heaven. Our hope and deliverance is with Jesus.
Help us to recognize and praise Jesus, the glory of God. Let our lives reflect His love and grace. Let our words and actions bring honor to His name.
We thank You for redeeming us and uniting us in Christ. We were once lost, but now we are found. We were once divided, but now we are one in Christ.
We pray all these things in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.
Background and Learning Lessons
Psalm 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9 is part of the Book of Psalms in the Bible, which is a collection of religious songs, prayers, and other compositions. This particular Psalm is a song of praise, celebrating the reign of God over all the earth.
The authorship of this Psalm is attributed to the sons of Korah. The Korahites were a group of Levites, who, according to the Bible, served in the tabernacle and later in the temple. The sons of Korah mentioned here were likely Levitical singers involved in the temple ceremonies.
This Psalm is believed to have been written to celebrate a great victory of a king. While some believe it may have been occasioned by the victory of a king such as Jehoshaphat (as in 2 Chronicles 20:15-23), there is a consensus that it prophetically refers to the ascension of the Messiah to His throne and celebrates His reign over the whole earth.
In later Jewish usage, Psalm 47 was utilized as part of the New Year’s service. It is also used in the liturgy of the Ascension of the Lord in the Christian tradition.
The verses you mentioned (2-3, 6-7, 8-9) specifically exalt God’s majesty and His sovereign and universal dominion. They call on all peoples to clap their hands and shout to God with cries of gladness, acknowledging His rule over all the earth. The Psalm ends with a recognition of God’s reign from His holy throne and the assembly of the leaders of nations as His people. The shields of the earth belong to God, further emphasizing His supreme authority and reign.
There are several lessons we can learn from Psalm 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9:
Omnipotence: Praise Jesus for being your good, all-powerful King. The psalmist urged all the people of the Earth to celebrate God, the King of the Earth1. This teaches us to recognize and praise the omnipotence of God.
Sovereignty: Praise Jesus for being sovereign and defeating evil. The psalmist prophesied that the Messiah will one day subdue the evil nations. This reminds us of God’s sovereignty over all things.
Grace and Love: Praise Jesus for choosing you out of love and grace despite your many sins. As a measure of God’s grace and love, the psalmist praised God for selecting the people of Jacob to be His chosen people. This teaches us about God’s unconditional love and grace.
Deliverance: Praise Jesus for His deliverance. The psalmist praised the Messiah for His triumphant arrival with the blowing of the shofar (a trumpet). This foreshadows when Jesus will return and allow the dead to rise and live with Him in heaven. This teaches us about the hope and deliverance we have in Jesus.
Glory: Praise Jesus for His glory. The psalmist repeated five times his command for the people of the Earth to praise God for His glory. This teaches us to recognize and praise the glory of God.
Holiness: Praise Jesus for being a just and holy ruler. The psalmist praised the Messiah for ruling the nations from a holy throne1. This teaches us about the holiness of God.
Redemption: Praise Jesus for redeeming and uniting His lost sheep, both Jews and gentiles, to be with Him1. The psalmist prophesied that the Messiah would one day unite the gentiles and Jews in a holy assembly before God. This teaches us about the redemption we have in Jesus.
These lessons from Psalm 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9 remind us of the importance of recognizing and praising the omnipotence, sovereignty, grace, love, deliverance, glory, holiness, and redemption of God.
