I. O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto ... - Douglas Chapel

God’s Rule Over the Nations
Psalms 47:1-9
October 24, 2010
Sunday School Lesson
Douglas Chapel Missionary Baptist Church
P.O. Box 604
969 Smackover Hwy.
El Dorado, AR 71730
Website: www.douglaschapel.org
Email: heglerdonnell@yahoo.com
Phones: 870-862-6318 church/ 870-862-1740 office/ 870-814-7770 cell
I. O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.
Vs.1---Psalms 47 is one of six Psalms that focus on the kingdom of
heaven or the future rule of God on earth. David challenges the people
to give a hand of praise unto God. The hand clapping was a sign of
celebration or praise. To clap hands is to say, “Job well done.” We are to
applaud God for His awesome person and His awesome work. Note who
the writer says should clap their hands; it is “all” people. David says that
everything that have breath should praise the Lord. David says the
people are to shout with the voice of victory. Imagine the Super Bowl or
NCAA Championship game when the clock runs out. The winning team’s
members and fans give a shout of victory or praise. The same is to be
true of the people of God. Each worship experience and the conclusion
of each day, or the conclusion of each battle should be a cry of victory
from the people of God. I believe collective worship is a perfect
opportunity for believers to shout victory together. This shouting can
come in the form of hand praise, verbal praise, or a combination of the
two. The key is to focus your praise on the person, promises, provisions
and power of God. Whenever an army would return from a victorious
battle, they would be greeted by shouting grateful people. If you are not
grateful it will be impossible to shout or clap in real praise.
II. For the Lord most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth. Vs.2--
-The “a” part of verse two shows that the shouting was because of the
person of God, He is terrible. The Lord “Jehovah” the Self-Existent One is
to be reverenced “terrible”. Certainly many believers neglect to
celebrate the person of God. We should become just as excited about
the person of God as we are about the things we receive from God. The
God of praise is the great King over the entire earth. God’s kingdom is

not limited to a region but expands the entire earth. God of the
scriptures is not just the God of the United States, as preached by the
Mormons and some other western culture religions, nor is His domain
limited to Jerusalem as was the focus of Judaism. David said the earth is
the Lord’s and all that dwell therein.
III. He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under our feet. He
shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom he
loved. Selah.vs.3, 4---David says that God would arrange “subdue” the
people under us and the nations under our feet “authority”. For the
children of Israel this meant an increase in territory. The original
promise to Israel was the land of Canaan and the God promised more to
David and Solomon, now He extends the dominion to the ends of the
earth. God would ultimately place man back in a position of
dominionship over the earth as He originally gave it to Adam and Eve
before the fall. The inheritance of Jacob was not based upon the
righteousness of Jacob but the righteousness of God himself. It is
important to note that he promise was given to Jacob “the grabber”
before he become Israel. As believers our inheritance is extended
beyond the earth. We have a citizenship in the third heaven with Christ
Jesus. This citizenship is based upon the love of God demonstrated in
the giving of His son on the cross and our acceptance of that love by
faith. We need to keep this in mind as a continuous thought, Selah.
IV. God is gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. Sing
praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises. For
God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding. Vs.5-
7---David in verses 5-7 gives the picture of a victorious King taking his
seat upon his throne because the victory has been won. This is a time of
great jubilee because the enemies have been put under foot. These
latter verses in this Psalm are a picture of the victorious Lord returning
to rule from his throne. Paul gives us a picture of this when he speaks of
the return of Jesus in 1 Thess. 4:16. When the trumpet of God sounds is
the signal that the King is coming to sit upon his throne on earth. Five
times in these verses the people are told to sing praises unto God. First
they are to sing praises to God because He is God. Second they are to
sing praises because He is our King. Third they are to sing praises
because He is king of all the earth and then finally we are to sing praises
because we truly understand His person and power. When Jesus returns

we shall truly know him for who He is. Every knee shall bow and every
tongue shall confess. Note: Singing praise is a future and present
assignment of the people of God. People of every generation and
nationality have expressed their joy and thanksgiving through music.
There is a distinctive sound between music of praise and music of
sorrow. You don’t even have to know the word to experience the mood
between praise and the blues. God’s children are not to be blues singers
but singers of victory.
V. God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his
holiness. The princes of the people are gathered together, even the
people of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth belong unto
God: he is greatly exalted. Vs.8-9---As David started this Psalm with
focus on the person of God, he ends the Psalm in the same manner.
These last verses are all about the person and power of God. First, God
rules over all men, saved and unsaved, saint and sinner. Second, God
judges all men upon His throne of holiness. Finally,” all” people fall
under God’s protection. David goes from the heathen, those outside of
the common wealth of Israel, to the rulers of the kingdoms of the earth,
princes of the people, and finally to the house of Israel, the people of
the God of Abraham. All fall under his shield, protection. Since God
protects all then He is to be exalted by all.