“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” (Psalm 47:6,7).
TEXT — Psalm 47:1-7
Message
The Duke of Wellington, the British military leader who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo, was not an easy man to serve under. He was brilliant, demanding, and not one to shower his subordinates with compliments. Yet even Wellington realised that his methods left something to be desired. In his old age, a young lady asked him what, if anything, he would do differently if he had his life to live over again. Wellington thought for a moment, then replied, “I’d give more praise”. (Bits & Pieces, March 31, 1994, p. 24).
The book of Psalms is Israel’s songbook covering different themes as we have in our modern hymn books today. The forty-seventh Psalm, in particular, calls all people to worship and praise God because He is King over the universe. The song’s lyrics enjoin everyone to praise God cheerfully, openly, with enthusiasm and understanding. It also states the reasons for praising the Lord. We should praise Him because of His majesty, dominion over the universe, and all He has done for us. Significantly, the Israelites sang this Psalm at the beginning of their new year, expecting more incredible blessings and a better life.
This Psalm is Messianic. It predicts the ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven after His victory on the cross. It looks ahead to when Jesus will set up His millennial reign on earth, and all people will be subject to Him. Thus, the call to praise is not only because of what God has done in the past but in anticipation of Christ’s universal dominion in the millennium. The song envisions a time when all nations will worship the Lord, as indicated in the book of Revelation.
However, in the meantime, God is preparing the ground for the coming Kingdom. He is taking out a people for Himself from all tribes and languages of the earth. Are you one of the people God has taken out of this polluted world? To praise God meaningfully, you must first become His willing subject. Only those who submit themselves to the authority of Christ can truly call Him Lord and sing His praise effectively. Additionally, you must earnestly delight in and look forward to His coming Kingdom. Then, you should do all you can to make others submit to the lordship of Jesus, the coming King
Thought for the day
It is a mockery to praise God with your lips while you reject His control over your life.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
