Psalm 47 – Clap Your Hands!
Have you ever clapped your hands before an awesome sunrise? Or a magnificent display of multicolored fall leaves? I have. God is out-doing himself this fall in Michigan. The color outside of Clare, at Boyne Mountain, Deadman’s Overlook, and Treetops resort had me gasping in awe. The reds were popping against the clear sky, as good as anything in the New England states I would dare to say. What other response is there than to, as stated in Psalm 47 – clap your hands!
Psalm 47
Shout to God with joy! Psalm 47 – clap your hands proclaims. Why? Because God is awesome!
“Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. For the Lord Most High is awesome, the great King over all the earth.” (1-3)
The author goes on to repeat, sing praises, five times in two verses. I think he means it!
“Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise.” (6-7)
God is seen as a victorious king.
“He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet. He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom he loved. God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets.” (3-5)
“God reigns over the nations; the Lord is seated on his holy throne. The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham, for the kings of the earth belong to God; he is greatly exalted.” (8-9)
God as King
In Psalm 47 – clap your hands, God is awesome because he is a great king. What constitute greatness in a king? Is it victory in battle? David was a great warrior king, leading his troops in battle and being welcomed by a cheering throng. When the troops returned from World War II, there were parades and cheering and dancing in the streets. However, they left behind countries in ruins from bombs and many comrades were left behind in graves. During Old Testament times, kings might come home to shouts of praise and clapping of hands, leading captives from their homes as slaves.
Is this how our God is victorious king?
No, our God is the king of peace. God gains victory through non-violent means, overpowering us with love.
Psalm 47 – Clap your Hands
Psalm 47 – clap your hands, tells us God is king over all the nations. There is no winner or loser, no vanquished troops or enslaved captives, for all people are God’s children. Certainly, this is a reason to clap your hands, shout for joy and sing out praises to God. Our God is king over all the earth, all of creation. And so, all creation shouts out in glory.
In Isaiah 55 we hear how trees clap their hands – “The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” (Isaiah 55:12) (For more on the use of imagery in the Psalms, see Personification in the Psalms – Patricia M Robertson) Such is the greatness of our God. We have reason to rejoice and clap our hands at God’s goodness.
And so, sing out in praise at all God has done. The beauty of the earth, the wonders of humanity, and our awesome God who rules not as people rule, but as only God can rule.
(For another take on this psalm, see Psalm 47: What Does It Mean to Pray “Thy Kingdom Come?” – Patricia M Robertson)
This post is part of a series of blog posts on the Psalms. Sign up to follow this blog and receive a free copy of Still Dancing, the second book in my Dancing through Life Series. click here to sign up
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