Psalms 47

Clap your hands, all you nations. Shout to God with the voice of triumph! Shared with both camps: all peoples—not Israel only—are summoned to clap and shout triumph to God.

Join the worldwide clap and shout. Give loud joy to God; refuse a praise that stays silent while the nations are called.

Calvin: Clap your hands, all ye peoples; shout unto God with the voice of triumph—not ordinary blessings but such as fill the whole world with incredible joy; the language fits the kingdom of Christ, under whose authority rebels become willing subjects who can truly leap for joy.

Answer Christ's kingdom with open triumph. Clap because the blessing is for the peoples; refuse a joy that never breaks into praise.

For the LORD Most High is awesome. He is a great King over all the earth. Shared kingship with both camps: the LORD Most High is terrible to enemies and great king over all the earth—not of Israel only.

Fear the Most High as universal king. Yield him the whole earth; refuse a God whose reign stops at one border.

Calvin: Jehovah is high, terrible, a great King over all the earth—titles that strengthen the godly until Christ's advent; his majesty quells the world's rebellion; under David's type the kingdom of Christ is extolled so the faithful keep clapping until the Redeemer comes.

Hold the Most High as great king over all the earth. Fear his majesty; refuse a local kingship that never reaches the nations.

He subdues nations under us, and peoples under our feet. Wesley: Subdue—He speaks this in the name of the whole church, to which all particular believers were to submit themselves in the Lord.

Read the subjection as the church's place under the Lord. Submit in the Lord; refuse a conquest story that never bows believers themselves.

Calvin: He hath set in order the people under us—advantageous, joyful, desirable subjection, not destruction; under David's figure, grace to come; subdued nations associated in the joy; willing obedience of the heart under Christ's word, not forced tribute as under Solomon.

Receive subjection as gospel joy, not slavish fear. Expect willing nations under Christ; refuse a triumph that never asks hearts to yield.

He chooses our inheritance for us, the glory of Jacob whom he loved. Selah. Wesley: Chuse—He will appoint and bestow upon us. Inheritance—The presence and worship, and blessing of God. This God had chosen for the Israelites and resolved to chuse or set apart for the Gentiles. Of Jacob—Of the people of Jacob or Israel, who actually enjoy God's presence in his sanctuary. Loved—Not for any peculiar worth in them, but for his free love to them, as he declareth, Deut 7:7,8.

Receive the heritage as God's presence, worship, and blessing, given by free love. Pause at Selah; refuse a pride of Jacob that claims worth instead of love.

Calvin: He hath chosen our inheritance for us, the glory of Jacob whom he loved—special grace to Abraham's seed; chosen is emphatic: not dealt with as other nations; free and unmerited favor; all merits in man annihilated; if the patriarch's glory depended on God's good pleasure, none may arrogate anything as his own; the grace toward his chosen is not extended to all in common but distinguishes a few from the mass.

Ascribe the heritage wholly to electing love. Boast only in being chosen; refuse every claim of peculiar worth.

God has gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet. Wesley: God—This is meant literally of the ark: but mystically of Christ's ascension into heaven, as may be gathered by comparing this with Eph 4:8, where the like words uttered concerning the ark upon the same occasion, Psal 68:18, are directly applied to Christ's ascension. Shared with both camps: ark going up and Christ's ascension echo together.

Shared with both camps—hear the shout and trumpet as ark and as ascended Christ. Praise the One who has gone up; refuse a ceremony that never looks to heaven.

Calvin: God is gone up with triumph, Jehovah with the sound of a trumpet—allusion to the Law's solemn assemblies and the ark as pledge of presence; under that shadow, another going up more triumphant—Christ ascended far above all heavens (Eph 4:10), obtaining the empire of the world. Wesley says as much: literal ark ceremony and Christ's ascension belong together.

Shared with both camps—let trumpet praise follow the ascended King. Hold ark and ascension as one testimony; refuse an empty sound that never confesses his empire.

Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! Fourfold call: praises to God and to our King—the very Lord who has gone up.

Multiply praise to God our King. Answer the ascent with song; refuse a silence after the trumpet.

Calvin: Sing praises—drawn from God's going up as present King; the faithful are not acting blindly like those who howl before idols; they know he is as present as if his royal throne were visibly among them.

Sing because the King is truly present. Praise with certainty; refuse empty ritual that never knows whom it addresses.

For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with understanding! Wesley: The king—Not only ours, but of all the nations of the world. Sing—Not formally and carelessly, but seriously, considering the greatness of this king whom you praise, and what abundant cause you have to praise him.

Sing with serious understanding to the King of all the earth. Weigh his greatness; refuse formal careless praise.

Calvin: God is King of all the earth—Jews retain primogeniture while Gentiles join as associates; the kingdom more magnificent at the Messiah's coming than under the Law's shadows; sing praises with understanding (maskil)—not mere sound of tongues dissolving in air, but intelligent worship so God's name is not profaned.

Confess the worldwide King and sing with understanding. Join heart to voice; refuse a melody that never knows what it sings.

God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne. Wesley: The throne—Heaven is often called God's throne, whence God is said to behold and to rule all nations; of which general dominion of God, he here speaks. And Christ sits at his father's right-hand, for that purpose.

Look to the holy throne where God and the seated Christ rule the nations. Rest under that dominion; refuse a reign confined to one people.

Calvin: He hath obtained the kingdom over the heathen; God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness—new manner of reigning at Christ's coming, empire stretched beyond Judea's bounds; throne as temple-seat from which gospel dominion flowed, or as heaven from which he shows near power so men acknowledge him Governor.

Confess God reigning over the nations from his holy throne. Expect Christ's worldwide sway; refuse a kingdom that never leaves old borders.

The princes of the peoples are gathered together, the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God. He is greatly exalted! Wesley: The princes—The Gentiles, who were divided in their principles, and interests, and religions, are now united and gathered together to Christ, laying their scepters at his feet, and jointly owning his worship and service. Of the God—He doth not say the people of Abraham, lest this should be appropriated to the Israelites; but the people of the God of Abraham who worship the God of Abraham, whether they be Jews or Gentiles. The Shields—The princes or rulers, called shields (Hosea 4:18), protectors of their people—the Lord's, at his disposal in hearts and kingdoms. Exalted—By this means God shall be greatly glorified.

Welcome princes gathered as worshipers of Abraham's God, Jew and Gentile. Own that shields belong to him; refuse a people-of-Abraham claim that shuts out the nations.

Calvin: Princes of the peoples gathered to the people of the God of Abraham—aliens grafted into Abraham's family so the kingdom extends; gospel does not remove Jews from the covenant but joins Gentiles to them; not bastard Jews cut off by unbelief, but the holy root and remaining branches; Church unity is unfeigned obedience to the word; shields of the earth are God's—princes he may engraft, or his many bucklers preserving the world.

Seek a place among Abraham's God-people by faith's graft. Yield scepters to him; refuse a gathering that will not obey the word.