Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb19961020.htm
PSALMS: DIARIES OF GODLY OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS Psalm Forty-Seven: Rejoicing In God's Supremacy Over What Troubles Us (Psalm 47:1-9)

1. Introduction
1. The Apostle Paul commands the believer to rejoice evermore in the Lord, 1 Thessalonians 5:16.
2. However, there are times when we may not feel like being so joyful as we feel oppressed or discouraged!
3. Psalm forty-seven explains why and how the believer can rejoice in the Lord at such times!
2. Rejoicing In God's Supremacy Over What Troubles Us, Psalm 47:1-9.
1. The psalmist encourages the nations to praise the Lord, Psalm 47:1.
2. He then offers some great reasons why they should do so as follows:
1. God is sovereign over all nations, including the Gentiles, Ps. 47:7a-8a,9.
2. Because He is thus sovereign over all nations, He rules over all the world's princes who defend their various nations so that all protection from war for all Gentiles is in God's hands alone, Ps. 47:9b,c:
1. The term "shields" in verse 9c is a figure put for the princes of 9a who protect their various nations, cf. J. A. Alexander, Psalms, p. 213.
2. Thus, God alone has control over the protective powers of the world so that He alone is ultimately responsible for which nation on earth escapes or succumbs to the ravages of war, Ps. 47:9b,c,d.
3. This Lord rules on a holy throne, one that is free from sin as He is righteous and equitable, Ps. 47:8b.
4. God is also very loving toward His people, Israel, Ps. 47:4b.
5. Having loved His people, having been upright and just in dealing with them and the Gentiles and their various causes, and having sovereign control of world history, God has blessed His people, Israel:
1. God has blessed Israel by subduing ungodly nations under her feet in her conquest of Canaan, 47:3.
2. He has blessed her by giving her the Holy Land as her inheritance from Him, Ps. 47:4a.
3. Accordingly, God should be praised by the nations as He is sovereign over them to His glory:
1. God must be praised with shouts of joy, Ps. 47:1b,5a.
2. He is to be praised with the triumphal gesture of the Ancient Near East's clap of hands, Ibid., p. 212, 1b
3. He is to be praised with the sounding of the heralding trumpet, Ps. 47:5b
4. He is to be praised with songs of worship, Ps. 47:6,7b.

Lesson: (1) The believer can afford to rejoice evermore though things may look bleak or oppressive to him in the meantime, for (a) God is sovereign over all peoples and events in history, including the worst things that can occur between relationsh ips (war), and (b) He is just and loving so as to use His great sovereignty to provide victory in conflicts and give us an inheritance of blessing no matter how tough things get to the contrary. (2) The believer should praise God with all the decently acce ptable expressions of joy and triumph that his culture can provide, whether it be shouts of joy, claps of the hands in triumph, or the use of voices or instruments in making music.

Application: (1) If we are distressed over anything and cannot temporarily "feel" like rejoicing in the Lord, it is caused by our viewing what ails us as being greater than is our God in some respect: (a) we may worry that an entity bothering us is more powerful or sovereign than is God! (b) We may worry that God fails to love us enough to care about helping us out! (c) We may feel that God is incapable of rescuing us from attacks by others or by other nations. (d) We may worry that God cannot pro vide us with the material provisions we need unlike He did for Israel in giving her the Promised Land! (2) We thus need to get another view of how great is our God in comparison to the minute problem that we face to get over the "spiritual blues"! (3) God accepts praise to Him that utilizes any means culturally meaningful that portrays genuine appreciation of Himself, Ps. 47:1b, 5a; 47:1b; 47:5b; 47:6,7b.