THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION

Psalms: God's Nurture Of The Inner Man In The Life Of Faith

XLVII: Anticipating God's Final Worldwide Messianic Kingdom

(Psalm 47:1-9)

I. Introduction

A. A theme that runs through the Hebrew Scriptures is the hope of God's coming, blessed Messianic Kingdom.

B. Revelation 5:1-10 with 1:4-6 and 19:7-20:6 teach that we believers in the glorified, post-raptured Church will participate in that era as the Bride of Christ in the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, so anticipating that kingdom is as much a hope for us as it will be for saved Israel. We thus view Psalm 47 that expounds on that hope:

II. Anticipating God's Final Worldwide Messianic Kingdom, Psalm 47:1-9.

A. Verse one in the Hebrew text comprises the introductory remarks in the English Bible (Kittel, Bib. Heb., p. 1015), so we stay with the verse numbering arrangement of the English Bible for clarity with this lesson.

B. We translate Psalm 47:1-9 as follows (Ibid.):

1. "All of you nations, clap your hands; shout to Elohim with the voice of joy:" (Psalm 47:1)

2. "For Jahweh the Most High is awesome, the Great King over all the earth," Psalm 47:2.

3. "He subdues nations under us, and peoples under our feet," Psalm 47:3.

4. "He chose for us our inheritance, the pride of Jacob, whom He loved. Selah." (Psalm 47:4)

5. "Elohim ascended amid shouts of joy; Jahweh amid the sounding of trumpets," Psalm 47:5.

6. "Sing praises to Elohim, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises," Psalm 47:6.

7. "For Elohim is King over all of the earth; sing to Him a psalm of praise," Psalm 47:7.

8. "Elohim reigns over the nations; Elohim is seated upon His holy throne," Psalm 47:8.

9. "The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the Elohim of Abraham, for the shields of the earth ["its protectors, here put for protection in the abstract" by the nobles in the previous clause, Joseph Addison Alexander, The Psalms, 1975, p. 213] belong to Elohim; He is greatly exalted," Psalm 47:9.

C. We note significant observations and applications of this psalm that edify believers today (as follows):

1. If we view this psalm in the light of the prophecy of Revelation, we note God will exalt Israel in her Messianic Kingdom following the Great Tribulation Period in an exaltation of great joy, Psalm 47:1-4.

2. Jesus Christ as God Incarnate, the Creator Elohim, will then ascend to His throne in that Kingdom amid much exaltation, praise and joy (Psalm 47:5-6).

3. As such, He will be King over all the earth (Psalm 47:7a), ruling all the Gentile nations (Psalm 47:8).

4. This reign will consist at its inception by even all the Gentiles being believers and hence people of God as Gentiles, for the nobles of the world's nations will be gathered as the people of the Creator God of Abraham in fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant that all the families of the earth would be blessed through Abraham and his seed, Jesus Christ, Psalm 47:9. This teaching dovetails with Paul's words in Romans 4:12 where Abraham is called the father of all who by faith believe in his God, be they of the circumcision (Jews) or uncircumcision (Gentiles), what Galatians 3:13-14 and Amos 9:11-12 also teach!

5. This view upholds belief in the literal fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant, which view leads logically to the dispensational, premillennial, pretribulational view of prophecy (J. Dwight Pentecost, Things To Come, 1972, p. 65-94), the view we hold at Nepaug Church. It asserts that the Church is raptured, being taken to heaven by Christ, which event is followed by the 70th prophetic week of seven years of Daniel 9, the Great Tribulation Period, followed by Christ's Second Coming to earth that introduces the literal thousand-year Millennial Kingdom that is followed in turn by the eternal state.

Lesson: May we adopt the dispensational, premillennial, pretribulational view of Bible prophecy, and accordingly look forward to the Messianic Kingdom. We can thus rejoice that God will literally fulfill His ancient covenant to Abraham to bless a truly saved nation of Israel, giving her the long-awaited Messianic Kingdom, and that we will be part of it as the glorified, post-raptured Church and Bride of Christ in joy, blessing and the glory of God.

Application: (1) May we interpret Scripture in a straight-forward manner, holding to the literal, grammatical, historical interpretation of Scripture that also leads us to hold to the literal fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant and thus to dispensational, premillennial, pretribulational theology. (2) May we anticipate the rapture and our involvement in Christ's Second Coming, Millennial reign and the eternal state so as to remain faithful to the Lord in our callings.