The Reign of God

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Psalm 47

Within the last 2 weeks we have seen violent protests from both the Left and the Right.  With unprecedented crackdowns on free speech as a result.  Yesterday, the country of Iran fired long range missiles which touched down a few miles from a commercial ship in the Indian Ocean further stoking the flames of potential war.  A member of United States congress is accused of having an immoral relationship with a spy from another country.  On Friday, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake shook Indonesia, killing 34 people and injuring 600.  Every day, people in the US are denied vital medicines and healthcare because “Big Pharma” has made them inaccessible.  Opioid addiction is an epidemic.  Radiation has been discovered in rice growing near Tokyo.  All of this is occurring amidst the chaos and confusion of the Covid-19 pandemic.

And yet, Psalm 47 makes an outrageous confession in verses 7 and 8:

“For God is the King of all the earth… God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.”

This confession is outrageous because the daily news seems to make the claims of this Psalm to be a total lie.  The entire earth is constantly being tossed to and fro with controversy, crisis, conspiracy and catastrophe and God is King of all the earth?  If God is King of all the earth then why do we have such chaos and confusion?

Psalms 46, 47 and 48 are what is known as “Songs of Zion”.  The ancient world is much like our modern one in that people were keenly aware of the many phenomenon which constantly threaten our very existence.  And when the world was in complete disarray the people of Israel looked at the mighty city of Jerusalem with its gate, walls and Temple and they knew the Lord was keeping them safe.  These “Psalms of Zion” were written to commemorate the faithfulness of God in keeping His people in Jerusalem secure.  See Psalm 46:4, 47:5 & 8 and 48:2.  

Let us come to see that God is sitting upon His holy throne as King of all the earth and He is reigning over every nation since the beginning of time until this moment whether we believe He is or not.       

Humanity will either acknowledge God’s righteous reign over them or they won’t.  Either way, God is King and this Psalm seeks to strengthen our faith in Him as such.        

1. The Lord Most High—In ancient Canaanite religious thought, “El” was the supreme deity of the pantheon.  We meet Melchizedek, the priest-king of Salem who served El Elyon “The Most High God” whom Melchizedek said was “Creator of both Heaven and Earth” in Genesis 14:19.  The Jewish people believed only Yahweh is El Elyon.
   1. From the Psalms, here is what we learn about Yahweh Elyon “The Lord Most High”
      1. The Lord Most High gave the Law at Mount Sinai—Psalm 97:9
      2. The Lord Most High is the One and Only Elyon—Psalm 83:18
      3. The Lord Most High is the Beginning, the Center and the End—In Psalm 7 the beginning, center, and end form an artistic whole with the several designations for the Lord—Yahweh, Elohim, El, Elyon: O LORD [Yahweh] my God [Elohim], I take refuge in you; save and deliver me from all who pursue me... God [Elohim] is a righteous judge, a God [El] who expresses his wrath every day… I will give thanks to the LORD [Yahweh] because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD [Yahweh] Most High [Elyon]. —PSALM 7:1, 11, 17
      4. The Lord Most High Dwells Upon the Mountain—Psalm 46:4 
      5. The Lord Most High is the Rock and the Redeemer—Psalm 78:35
      6. The Lord Most High was the Only God to Whom the Israelites Were to Offer Sacrifices—Psalm 50:14
      7. The Lord Most High was the Only God to Whom the Israelites Were to Sing Praises—Psalm 92:1
      8. The Lord Most High Alone Heard and Answers the Prayers of the Israelites—Psalm 57:2
      9. The Lord Most High’s Acts are from “of old”— Psalm 77:10
      10. The Lord Most High’s City is Zion and its Citizens Have Their Names Recorded, Live Securely and Have a Glorious Future in that Celestial City—Psalm 87:5
      11. The Lord Most High Provides Protection for His People—Psalm 91:1
      12. The Lord Most High is a Great King Over All the Earth—” For the LORD, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth.”— Psalm 47:2
   2. Application:  Psalm 47 begins with solidifying that the God of Israel is Yahweh Elyon “The Lord Most High” and He is in sovereign control over everything which takes place on the Earth.  Do we really believe that?
      1. When Emperor Nero Burned Christians Alive God was Reigning
      2. When the Spanish Inquisitions were in full swing God was Reigning
      3. When Adolph Hitler began the Holocaust and World War 2 God was Reigning
      4. When Jan Huss was burned at the stake God was Reigning
      5. When Joe Biden Becomes the 46^th President of the United States God is Reigning **This Great Psalm calls our attention away from all the drama and chaos on the Earth to the One Who Is the True King…
2. The Reign of God—One of the striking features of God’s kingdom is that He sets up kingdoms and dethrones them. The average life span of a world power is 200 years. Nations that were once great world powers are now a mere shell of their former selves. Even the United States is in severe decline.  “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people” (Prov. 14:34).  When world leaders and nations blaspheme the Lord Most High He brings them low. 
   1. The Tragic Fate of Belshazzar.  Belshazzar was the son of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.  Bel defiled the vessels which had been taken from the Temple in Jerusalem.  One night during a drunken stupor, Bel took the vessels from the house of God and profaned them.  In the midst of the party a finger appeared and wrote MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN meaning “numbered, numbered, weighed, divided”.  In other words, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting.  God would divide the kingdom of Belshazzar and give it to the Persian Medes— (Dan. 5:18, 20–22)
   2. Application:  When Daniel speaks to Belshazzar he says that “El-Elyon” The Most High God would overthrow the Kingdom of Babylon, Belshazzar would be killed and Darius the Mede would reign in his place.  The title of “The Most High God” is significant because God is to be feared and He raises up kingdoms and He dethrones kingdoms.  God is sovereign over them all determining their course and end.  “The Most High God” is the King of all history!  
3. His Coming Kingdom—Verses 7-9 move into what Dereck Kidner says is a prophecy and I agree.  Verse 9 has not occurred yet.  But, we can hurry the final reconciliation of all things by being active in the promotion of the gospel.  We can pray the words which Christ prayed “your kingdom come”.
   1. An Arrow or an Olive Branch—The Great Seal is the official crest of the United States.  The Eagle has an olive branch in one hand and arrows in the other.  The face of the Eagle is turned towards the olive branch suggesting the main desire is for peace not war.  God is very much this way.
      1. Psalm 2—In Psalm 2, the nations oppose the Lord and His Anointed.  They say in verse 3 “Let us break their chain.… and throw off their fetters” the Psalmist warns the nations at the end of the Psalm by saying “Be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth.… Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way”.  Psalms 2 and 47 remind us there are 2 kinds of compliance with the righteous reign of God.  Willing, joyful compliance on one hand, then forced unwilling compliance on the other hand. 
      2. The Great Commission—
      3. The Abrahamic Covenant—This Psalm leaves us with the promise God made to Abraham when God said “in you shall all nations be blessed”.  “The promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. As it is written: ‘I have made you a father of many nations’” (Rom. 4:16–17).  

Conclusion:  There is only one way to become part of God’s kingdom, bring yourself under God’s rule and reign through faith in Christ the “King of kings and Lord of lords”—Revelation 19:16