Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph! For the Lord Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth. (Psalm 47:1)
Many Jewish commentators consider this psalm to be a sequel to the previous one in which God destroyed the nations’ ability to make war. An era when men no longer learn nor yearn to make war speaks of the time when the Messiah rules the nations from Jerusalem. As it is written, “You shall break the nations with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel” (Psalm 2:9) “and the Lord shall be King over all the earth” (Zechariah 14:9). In that day, those who are gathered unto Him will clap their hands in unity and shout to the Lord in celebration of His deliverance and sovereignty over the earth.
Let’s add another layer to this: the Hebrew word translated as “shout” is related to the word that describes the loud blast one makes with the ram’s horn or shofar. In other words, the shout of triumph uttered by the people of God will be as the sound of the shofar, a sound that is very often associated with the coronation of a king. This is, in fact, what the sons of Korah are describing in the verses above — the coronation of King Messiah. And in that vein of thought, it is important to note that, in that day, He will not appear to the world as a meek and timid lamb but as a roaring lion. He will be recognized as the Lord Most High, the One who is to be feared and to be revered because of His awesome might and power.
At this point in history, we can only imagine what this day will be like — or perhaps we can’t truly imagine it because we have never experienced anything close to it. Not since before the fall of man has anyone been in a scenario when everything in the Creation was as it should be. But there is coming a day when He will restore all things to the Creator’s intended purpose; a day when, “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat” (Isaiah 11:6). So no, we can’t really comprehend the magnitude of what will transpire when the Lord takes up His throne and subjects all the nations of the earth to His sovereign will — but that day is coming! Let us be preparing ourselves for that day by staying true to His will and serving Him with all our hearts. Our God is an awesome God.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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