Psalm 47:1-9 NKJV
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
47 Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples!
Shout to God with the voice of triumph!
2 For the Lord Most High is awesome;
He is a great King over all the earth.
3 He will subdue the peoples under us,
And the nations under our feet.
4 He will choose our inheritance for us,
The excellence of Jacob whom He loves. Selah
5 God has gone up with a shout,
The Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises!
Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
7 For God is the King of all the earth;
Sing praises with understanding.
8 God reigns over the nations;
God sits on His holy throne.
9 The princes of the people have gathered together,
The people of the God of Abraham.
For the shields of the earth belong to God;
He is greatly exalted.
Of this psalm Martin Luther writes, “The 47th psalm is a prophecy of Christ, that He shall rise up and become king over all the world without a battle, simply through shouts, songs, and trumpet calls, that is, through the joyful preaching of the Gospel, just as the walls of Jericho fell by trumpet blasts and shouts, without any weapons at all” (Reading the Psalms with Luther, p. 116).
To be sure, almost the entirety of the Psalter is ultimately about Christ. And He will most certainly reign as “King of kings and Lord of Lords” (Rev. 19:16). This will take place when He comes again in His glory on the Last Day to receive His holy bride, the Church, to Himself; then He and she together will celebrate the feast of the Lamb in His kingdom which has no end. All Christians get to look forward to this eternal celebration through faith in Christ.
In the meantime, we daily deal with our sinful nature, that Old Adam which clings to us like a cocklebur sticks to a dog’s tail. We struggle and strive and fight against sin. But we do so not by our own reason or strength, but by the power of the Holy Spirit working in us through God’s Word and Sacraments. We look forward in faith to the fulfillment of all God’s promises which Christ Himself accomplished by His all-atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world.
Christ is the “Word [who] became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn 1:14). He has given Himself to us in Holy Baptism where He put His Trinitarian Name on and in us to give us forgiveness of sins, rescue from death and the devil, and eternal salvation. He comes to us bodily in His Supper for forgiveness, life, and salvation. He strengthens and keeps us “firm in His Word and faith until we die” (from Luther’s meaning to the Third Petition).
For all these reasons we joyously clap our hands, shout to God with the voice of triumph, and praise our good and gracious God for all His love and mercy.
Let us pray: Thank You, Lord Jesus, for all Your love, benefits, and mercy. Amen.