O, Praise the King Exalted! (Psalm 47)

Many psalms in the Bible are written about kings and kingdoms. Yet ultimately, all of them point to Jesus Christ as our Messianic King of kings. The psalms teach us how to praise our exalted King and also how to live as subjects who proclaim his glory to the world around us. Psalm 47 has prompted the praises of God’s people throughout history.[1] As David danced when he returned the ark to Jerusalem, the sons of Korah sang as they composed this psalm, and as Israel continued to wait in worship for a king like David who would reign for all eternity. So also, Christian churches throughout history have sung this Psalm to remember the ascension of Jesus Christ and to anticipate his glorious kingdom at the second coming.[2] Psalm 47 repeatedly emphasizes “going up” (vv. 5a, 9d; see 46:10). So, we will picture it as royal steps leading upward to a throne.

All Peoples Praise (vv. 1-2)

Psalm 47 opens by calling all peoples to praise the Lord: “Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! For the LORD, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth” (vv. 1-2). As worship leaders in Israel, the sons of Korah, exhort all peoples around the world to clap their hands and shout loud songs of joy to their resplendent God. Such praise is universal: “All peoples . . . All the earth.” Praise for the God of the universe must be universal in its scope—not just from Israel, but from every created being. So, each one of us is called to worship our Creator—not just to watch the praise of others, but to clap our own hands and to raise our own voices. The sons of Korah are not just putting on a performance, but inviting all peoples to worship with them.

True praise also resounds with joy. “Shout to God! Get loud with gladness! Make some noise!” This word for “joy” describes a cry of triumph or jubilation after hope seems lost. It is also physically expressive: “Clap your hands. Lift your voices. Get into it” (e.g., Isa 55:12). True praise turns physical as the movements of our bodies match the exultation of our hearts.

Most importantly, true praise is directed to “the LORD,” Yahweh, the eternal God, the beginning and the end, the God who always was, always is, and always will be. Praise him for he is “the Most High,” El Elyon, above all other gods, more powerful than the idols of the nations. Praise him for he is “to be feared,” awesome in nature, reverently obeyed and joyfully worshiped. Praise him because he is “a great king over all the earth” (Ps 47:2). Yahweh deserves our praise as humble subjects, for he alone is our Creator, our Redeemer, and our King. As he commanded in Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

When you truly know the Lord exalted, your praise of him will also be personal, joy-filled, and physically expressive. When you truly tremble before the Lord as your eternal Promise-Keeper, the majestic World-Sustainer, and the Sovereign Ruler of all the earth, then you will praise him as your King. You will praise him even if no one else around you is. So, how’s your praise life?

• Does it naturally flow from a heart of joy?
• Do your actions and expressions rightly reflect the passion you feel within?
• Do you clap your hands? Do you lift your voice? Are you eagerly bursting to shout aloud?

Psalm 47 calls us to praise the Lord as he deserves. One way we do this practically is to forget about ourselves for just a moment and meditate on God: eternal, infinite, all-powerful, Most High. As we come before God in worship, we picture him as he describes himself in Scripture: the only true King in all the earth.

God is King (vv. 3-4)

Psalm 47 then brings forth reasons to praise the Lord, for “he subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet. He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves” (vv. 3-4). This remembers Israel’s past conquest of the Canaanites under Joshua. God gave the victory and subdued their enemies beneath their feet (Josh 6-12). God gifted them the land as Israel’s “heritage”—their inheritance—“the pride of Jacob” (chs. 13-21). The psalm also remembers David’s retaking of the land after it was lost in the days of the judges. When David took the throne, he conquered all the nations surrounding Israel to solidify their stronghold (2 Sam 8-10). He defeated the Philistines, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Edomites, the Amalekites, the Syrians, and all the peoples in the land who did not worship Yahweh (8:11). Yet David conquered only by the strength of God who subdued the peoples and made them Israel’s servants. God took the land by force and returned it to his children. And God continues to love his people in this day when Psalm 47 is written. He fights their battles with the Assyrians now in power and David long since dead. He defeats their enemies and grants them victories even as they’re threatened by a lengthy exile (e.g., 2 Kgs 19). No matter what else is happening in the world, God chooses their inheritance and gives them every good gift because he loves them (see Ps 20:1; Deut 4:31-32; Mal 1:2-3).

Selah, at the end of verse 4, is a musical notation for worshipers to pause and remember how much God loves them. For if God subdues our enemies and delivers us from troubles and grants us our inheritance, then he alone is the One whom we must worship. If our good fortune is solely dependent on God’s favor, then he alone deserves our praise (Deut 7:7-8). God loves the little guy. He chooses the weak. He saves the helpless, redeems the slave, and grants victory to losers. God does all the work himself, so that he alone receives our praise. He did this for Israel and will do this for us as well. He promises to us every good gift in the heavenly places not because we are wise or deserving or good enough to earn his favor, but because we are not (Eph 1:3-4). God chose us because he loved us (v. 5). He saved us by his grace (2:9). He has granted new life and made us “his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works” (v. 10). So, let’s pause and remember just how much God loves us. Selah.

O, Praise the King! (vv. 5-6)

At the climax of Psalm 47, God takes his throne as King: “God has gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!” (vv. 5-6). Mighty Yahweh ascends his throne amidst the shouts of joy and the blowing of the ram’s horn. This celebration alludes to the return of the ark in 2 Samuel 6. For Eli’s worthless sons had not worshiped God in the way that he deserved (1 Sam 2:12-17). In fact, they foolishly brought the ark of the covenant into battle as a good luck charm against the Philistines. The ark was captured and Eli’s sons were killed (1 Sam 4). Samuel, the prophet, sought to lead God’s people into proper worship (7:3-17). Yet the ark was not in its rightful place. It should have been in Jerusalem, the city of God, atop Mount Zion. It should have been in the tabernacle, the house of God, where Yahweh would meet his chosen people. It should have been in the Most Holy Place within the tabernacle, where only the High Priest was allowed to enter once a year. For the ark of the covenant symbolized God’s dwelling place. So, David brought the ark of God back to Jerusalem with dancing, shouts of joy, the blowing of the shofar, and sacrificial thank offerings (2 Sam 6:12b-15).[3] David and the people of Israel returned the ark of God to its rightful place—to the holy of holies in Jerusalem. And they did so with much fanfare, rejoicing, sacrifice, and dancing.

Yahweh’s triumphal ascension prompts a fourfold exhortation: “Sing praises to our King!” (v. 6). The superscription announced, “A Psalm of the Sons of Korah,” but “to sing praise” turns the word for “psalm” into a verb. Four times, we are commanded to “psalm” the Lord whether with voices or with instruments. The staccato chant expresses urgency: “Sing to God. Sing! Sing to God. Sing! Don’t delay. Don’t pause. Don’t wait to see how your situation turns out. Instead, praise the Lord with anticipatory faith as he proclaims his glory.” Our worship must be active, upward, and apparent. It cannot simply be a secret we hide within our hearts. So, those with voice to sing, must sing. And those who play an instrument, must play. If we have any life or breath, then let us praise our King! Worship him as Elohim, the God of power and of might. Worship him as Yahweh, the God of faithful, steadfast love. Worship him as King, the only One to rightly sit upon his throne. Turn your gaze and meditate on his goodness. List his many attributes from Scripture and start each day with adoration. Come to worship already full with who God is and what he’s done, then let it out in praise to God. Come to worship, bringing God your very best—your heartfelt adoration of who he truly is. Then, “Sing to God. Sing! Sing to God. Sing!”

God is King (vv. 7-8)

Psalm 47:7 approaches God as King from the other side of his throne: “For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm!” Once more, we are called to psalm a psalm. The verb depicts the active urgency of our praise, while the noun describes the content. We must praise with both passion and intellect—heart and mind—spirit and truth (John 4:24). For joyful praise will lead to wisdom until our song rises both from an exultant heart and a biblically-ordered theology (1 Cor 14:15).[4]

We worship God as King over all that he has made and over all that he preserves within his sovereign hand: “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created” (Rev 4:11). “God reigns over the nations. God sits on his holy throne” (Ps 47:8). He takes his seat above all earthly kings and presidents and powers. His kingdom rises above all nations. He is holy, set apart, unearthly other. Like the stone in Daniel 2, he crushes every world power with awesome might. So, to him “was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed” (Dan 7:14). The Lord reigns over Egyptians, Canaanites, Assyrians, Babylonians, Medes and Persians, Greeks, and Romans. Yet the word for “nations” here is not ammim as in verse 3 (perhaps referring to ethnicity). Rather, it is goyim, specifically referring to foreign nations placed throughout the world. Thus, Psalm 47 foretells that future day when both Israelites and non-Israelites, Jews and Gentiles, would worship Yahweh together. In verses 3-4, God subdued the nations, but here he draws them into worship. At one time, he stood only as the God of Jacob, but now he promises to reign over all who come to him through Israel. Upon his throne in heaven, he rules and reigns above all nations.

Such kingdom imagery reminds us of the messianic King foretold in Psalm 2. The nations of the world would be set against him, for sinners naturally rebel against authority (vv. 1-3). We desire to live our lives whichever way we please. Yet God just laughs and finds our efforts feeble (vv. 4-5). For Yahweh rules over every nation, dictatorship or democracy, because he’s always on his throne. His candidate is not an earthly king, but the majestic King of kings: “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill” (v. 6). So, God promised his Champion, our Lord Jesus Christ: “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations [goyim] your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession” (vv. 7-8). Christ Jesus is the King of all the earth, so we are either subjugated peoples or loyal servants (vv. 9-11). We’re either for him or against him. We either join his kingdom or watch him crush our own. For one day, every one of us will bow the knee (Phil 2:9-11). The only question is whether we do so willingly or by coercion. The wisdom in this psalm directs our worship: “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry” (v. 12). So, let’s worship Christ as King and call the nations to worship with us. Let’s tell our neighbors and our friends. Let’s raise our families in the Lord. Let’s go on missions, plant more churches, and expend our lives for the glory of the King. Our worship of King Jesus is the only thing that matters.

All Peoples Gather (v. 9)

We long for that final day when all the peoples will gather to worship God. As Psalm 47 concludes, “The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted!” (v. 9). These princes are the leaders of the nations now subdued. Their defensive armor is good for nothing but collecting dust in God’s heavenly storehouse. In fact, their “shields” could be synonymous with the kings themselves as we today might speak of royals as “the crown” (e.g., 89:18). So, the psalmist essentially declares, “The kings of the earth belong to God.”

God’s victory, however, is not for the sake of domination. Rather, he conquers so that the nations will see and savor his glory. He turns enemies into worshipers before his holy throne. For the Gentiles will not remain subdued, but instead will one day “gather as the people of the God of Abraham.” Then, all the peoples will become as one. Believing Gentiles will be made like Israel—no longer outsiders, but children of the covenant (Eph 2:11-22). And in some marvelous way, they will worship Yahweh with God’s people (Gen 12:2-3). Every believer, Jew or Gentile, has received a faith like Abraham’s through the work of Jesus Christ (Gal 3:7-9).

The prophecy in Psalm 47:9 continues forward to a coming day when our King will return again to “strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty” (Rev 19:15). He will set up his earthly millennial reign (Rev 20). And in that glorious kingdom, both Jews and Gentiles will gather together in worship of King Jesus. On that day, the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ (11:15). Here is the reason we proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ and fervently pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt 6:10). Therefore, be still, and know that Christ is God. He will be exalted among the nations, He will be exalted in the earth! (see Ps 46:10). He has gone up with a shout, he has announced his triumph with the sound of a trumpet (see 47:5). Our Lord Jesus Christ, “he is highly exalted!” (v. 9c). O, praise the King! O, praise the King of glory!

Life Application Study:

1. Consider God’s fulfillment of his promise to Abraham that both Jews and Gentiles would be welcome in his kingdom (Gen 12:1-3; Gal 3:7-9). How would this have sounded to a first-century Jew? How does it impact the church today?
2. Meditate on Ephesians 1-2 and consider how much God loves you by the riches of his grace. Do you worship him in humble weakness?
3. How’s your praise life? Does it naturally flow from a heart of joy? Do your actions and expressions rightly reflect what you feel within?
4. Do you ever clap your hands, lift your voice, or shout aloud? What will you change to praise the Lord with appropriate physical expression?
5. Why is it so important to think about God in worship and not yourself? Make a list of God’s many attributes and reflect on how each one leads you into praise.

Projects for Growth (Psalm 47):

1. Forget about yourself for a moment and meditate on God:
   • Worship him as Elohim, the God of power and of might (vv. 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9).
   • Worship him as Yahweh, the God of faithful, steadfast love (vv. 2, 5).
   • Worship him as King, the only One to rightly sit upon his throne (vv. 2, 6, 7).
   • Worship him as El Elyon, the Most High above all other gods (v. 2).
   • Worship him as highly exalted (vv. 5, 9; see 46:10).
   • Then, “Sing to God. Sing! Sing to God. Sing to God praises with a psalm!” (47:6-7)
2. Pray Psalm 47:
   • Lord, we praise you with body, voice, and soul (v. 1).
   • You are God Most High, the greatest King over all the earth (v. 2).
   • Your electing love makes straight the way before us (vv. 3-4).
   • May we sing your praises as you reign upon your throne (vv. 5-8).
   • Be highly exalted, O God, by all the peoples of the earth (v. 9).

[1] Psalm 47 was written by “the sons of Korah,” who were originally appointed by King David to lead music in the temple after the ark came there to rest (1 Chr 6:31, 37). As the people sang these songs in worship, they could reflect on God’s faithfulness throughout their history. Many scholars believe that Psalm 47 was sung antiphonally in a back-and-forth manner. The first choir sings verses 1-2 and the second choir responds with verses 3-4. The first choir comes back with verses 5-6 and the second choir with verses 7-8. Then, both of them would sing verse 9 in unison. (See J. J. Stewart Perowne, The Book of Psalms, 2 vols. [Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1966 reprint of 1878 edition], 1:386).

[2] Ascension Day is celebrated about forty days after the Crucifixion.

[3] The phrasing in 2 Samuel 6:15 and Psalm 47:5 are identical in the Hebrew.

[4] “Psalm” (maskil) in verse 8 is related to the word for skill or wisdom (sakal).