Word Path: The Forty-Seventh Psalm – A Contemplative Reading.
The Forty-seventh Psalm – A Reflection – Soundtrack
Monsignor Joji Vadakara, Vatican City
Titled A Psalm of the Sons of Korah for the Choir Leader, Psalm forty-seven is a psalm calling all nations to acknowledge the universal authority and rule of the Lord God of Israel. God gives the Promised Land to the chosen people of Israel because He is the ruler of the entire universe. As a continuation of Psalm forty-six, which proclaims that the Lord is the protector of the people of Israel, Psalm forty-seven presents an idea that this God has authority over all nations. The psalmist calls everyone’s attention to the omnipresence and sovereignty of the Lord from the background of God’s mercy and care for his creation, mankind, throughout history. The psalmists also illuminate that God’s choice of the people of Israel as his own people is a precursor to his choice of the nations of the whole world.
God’s sovereignty and nations
Verses one through four of the psalm are an invitation to praise God, the King of all the earth, with clapping and rejoicing. The very first verse, “Shout, you peoples, shout for joy before God” (Ps. 47, 1), makes clear the purpose of this psalm. This invitation of the sons of Korah from the Levites is not a call to the people of Israel or to God-believing men only, but to all the peoples of the earth. Applause is not only an outward expression of inner joy but also a universal language beyond languages. The psalm’s invitation to shout for joy before God invites all to a public declaration of faith in the Lord, the God of Israel.
The second verse of the psalm is the answer to the question of why we should praise God: “The Lord is awesome; he is the king of all the earth” (Ps. 47, 2). The psalm reminds us that the Lord, the God of Israel, is the king of the whole earth, so that all its peoples should be looked upon with reverence and awe. The concepts of God that existed at that time were only related to certain regions and certain peoples. But the fact that the God of Israel is the Creator of the universe and the King of the whole earth makes clear why the world must bow to Him. In the first part of the fifteenth chapter of the Book of Exodus, in the song that Moses and the Israelites sing in praise of the Lord (Exodus 15, 1-18), we can see God’s omnipresence and His kingdom that conquers the whole world and lasts forever. We also read in the ninety-fifth Psalm, verse three, “The Lord is the most high God; the King over all the gods.”
In the third and fourth verses of the Psalm we see the special love and concern of the Lord for Israel, even when he was the ruler of the whole world: “He has given us victory over the nations; he has made the nations under our feet. He has chosen our inheritance; the pride of Jacob, whom he loves.” (Ps. 47, 3-4). It is the Lord who chose Israel as his people and gave them victory over others. He subjugates the nations because they stick to him. For Jacob, God also chose the Promised Land as an inheritance for his people, Israel. His choices are the best and are for the good of the people.
God of Israel, king of the nations
The fifth verse of the psalm speaks of God ascending as King not only of Israel, but of all nations, and of all nations bowing down to Him as their King. Verse 5, “And the Lord God ascended with shouts of triumph and with the sound of trumpets,” has been attributed many meanings. One of these is a picture of the king coming down among his people, conquering the nations for them, choosing and giving them their inheritance, and ascending back to his throne. But at the same time we can also see here a concept of God coming down from heaven to earth and returning with salvation as a blessing to his people. The sound of trumpets heralded the triumph. The psalmist presents God with shouts of praise and joy, with trumpets of victory.
In the sixth verse the psalmist calls us to praise God, who has brought them victory and ascends to his throne as King of all nations: “Sing to God; give thanks; sing praises to our King; sing praises” (Ps. 47, 6). We can hear a tone of authority in the psalmist’s call to praise God. This is clear from the fact that the psalmist asks to praise God four times in this verse alone.
Beginning with a repetition of the idea of the king of the whole earth seen in the second verse, the psalm ends with a picture of the day when all nations will bow down to the Lord, following the example of the people of Israel: “God is the king of the whole earth; praise him in psalms. God reigns over the nations; he is on his holy throne. As the people of the God of Abraham are the princes of the nations. gathering together; the shields of the earth are subject to God; he is great” (Ps. 47, 7-9). Here the psalmist shares not only a statement that the God of Israel is the King of all nations, but also a conviction that he reigns over them with authority. The holy throne of authority over all the earth belongs to the Lord of Israel. The princes of the nations, representing all those under them, come before the God of Israel to acknowledge and praise Him with God’s people. It is God who provides a shield of safety for the earth and its inhabitants.
Psalm in life
Summarizing the forty-seventh psalm, which includes the call to praise and acknowledge the Lord, the God of Israel, as King and God, we can recognize that this is an invitation to all of us. Psalm forty-seven reminds us that all of us, along with the people of Israel, have a duty to fear, honor, and worship God, and to sing praises to Him. To God, who has chosen us as his people and guards us with the shield of protection, let us sing praises in loud voices, accompanied by trumpets and clapping. It is a good and loving God who chooses our inheritance and gives us the land as an inheritance. May we always maintain an attitude of thanksgiving and worship, with the conviction that we are a people specially chosen and preserved by God, who reigns supremely and omnipresently over the nations.
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2023-11-07 13:15:41
