Psalm 47 - Kings of the earth

Read: Psalm 47 vs 1-9

There is a lot of news in the world. Bad news, good news, fake news, local news, world news. We also live in a time when there an increasing number of ways to get our news, phones, apps, social media, news channels as well as the more conventional ways of newspaper, radio and TV bulletins.  

The Bible is a book of news. The word ‘gospel’ means good news, an announcement of something that is true and life changing, a declaration of something we wouldn’t otherwise know. The Bible is full of good news.

As a new day begins switching on Psalm 47 is like switching on our radio, or picking up our phone, and discovering that there are some really big, true, good, things to know. News not of something past, but of something present, news not of something distant but of something personal.

This Psalm prepares us with a summons to clap our hands and to shout to God with cries of joy. Verse 2 gives us the reason for why this response is appropriate; the LORD m=Most High is ‘awesome’, He is the great King, and His greatness stretches ‘over all the earth’. The tone of this Psalm is praise. In case we miss it verse 6 repeats the phrase ‘sing praises’ four times. Why? Why should we praise God when there is so much evil, so much pain, so much brokenness all around us? We praise because He is the ‘King of all the earth’ (vs 7), He reigns (vs 8) and today He is on His throne (vs 8).

There is lots of news that Psalm 47 doesn’t include and we already know a lot of that news. In fact as we have been learning the Psalmists neither deny or overlook the bad news, the hard stories. However Psalm 47 gives us a place to start. When we hear the gospel then we are ready to hear the other news in context. When we know that ‘God reigns’ (vs 8) then we’re ready to get up and at it, stepping in to another day.