Psalm 47
Sunday, 4 October 2020
He chose our inheritance for us, the glory and pride of Jacob, whom He loves -Psalm 47:4 Amp
Psalm 47 is a psalm of triumph, a call to exalt the Lord, celebrating His greatness. The Psalm conveys to us three aspects of God: the Presence of God, Power of God and Personal relationship with God.
The Psalmist is so confident about the choice of the loving Lord. As he understood and acknowledged it, he went joyfully to the presence of God—knowing now that he had become the inheritance of this great God. In Ephesians 1:4-5 it says that in Jesus Christ our great King, we were chosen—in Jesus Christ we are the chosen inheritance of God.
He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world
He chose us in Him that we would be holy and blameless before Him
He chose us in Him as sons
Presence of God
The background of this Psalm is seen in 2 Kings 18:13 – 19:37. 2 Kings 18:13 says: “In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and seized them.” When King Hezekiah realized the hopeless situation he was in, he went to the house of the LORD and prayed (19:1). He humbled himself before the Lord and sought His help and God declared in 19:34: “For I will defend this city to save it for My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.” –hence King Hezekiah understood that God is an ever-present helper for His inheritance.
Today God’s presence is ever available for us in Christ Jesus. In Matthew 1:21, it was told to Joseph about his betrothed, Mary: “She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus [the Greek form of the Hebrew Joshua, which means Savior], for He will save His people from their sins [that is, prevent them from failing and missing the true end and scope of life, which is God]. And in Matt. 1:23 ‘… they shall call His name Emmanuel—which, when translated, means, “God with us.”’
Power of God
Psalm 47: 8: “God reigns over the nations, God sits on His holy throne.”
In 2 Kings 19:37 we read that God heard King Hezekiah prayer and delivered him for the enemy by sending an angel. When his people humble themselves and come before God, he is faithful to protect his chosen inheritance—because our God reigns!
When we read from 1 Peter1: 3-5 through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ …we are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Personal Relationship with God
In Verse 9 we read of the God of Abraham. God chose Abraham to prepare the way for the Messiah. God promised that in Abraham’s offspring all the nations of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 22:1–18). The reference to Abraham’s “offspring” in this passage is to Jesus Christ. Paul explained this in Galatians: 3:16 [AMPC]: “Now the promises (covenants, agreements) were decreed and made to Abraham and his Seed (his Offspring, his Heir). He [God] does not say, And to seeds (descendants, heirs), as if referring to many persons, but, And to your Seed (your Descendant, your Heir), obviously referring to one individual, Who is [none other than] Christ (the Messiah).
Paul says that God chose us in Jesus Christ for us to enjoy the gift of salvation—that is eternal life. God no longer wants us to live under sin’s power which leads to eternal separation from God. Before we existed God chose us in Jesus Christ we are to be holy and blameless. Jesus said in John 10: 27-28: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.”
My dear brothers and sisters, today God’s Presence is available for you, God’s power is available for you, and God’s personal relationship is available for you, in Jesus Christ. Today Jesus wants to call you “my sheep and my inheritance.” Would you pray thus?
Prayer: LORD Almighty, I want to experience Your presence, power and relationship in my life. Thank You for choosing me as Your own. In Jesus name, Amen.