The Messianic Kingdom (Psalm 47:6-9)
Last time we saw the setting of Psalm 47 was the rejoicing in Jerusalem’s deliverance from Sennacherib by the Angel of the Lord (Christ) to fulfil God’s covenant with Israel. This was a type of Messiah’s future Coming to deliver His people, so inspired by the recent victory, the Psalm prophesies the future triumphs of the Messiah, when He (1) ascended to heaven and received all authority, having accomplished His mission in His 1st Coming (v1-5), and (2) when He will come again and enforce His authority by establishing His Kingdom over all the earth (v6-10). Sennacherib’s invasion typified antichrist’s invasion of Israel in the Tribulation (the time of Jacob’s Trouble), when Israel called on God in faith for deliverance (see Ps 44), asking God to deliver them so all the kingdoms of the earth will know that He alone is the true God (2Ki 19:19, 2Chr 32:20). In response to this prayer, God sent Christ (the Angel of the Lord), who destroyed the enemy armies (32:21-22), and the God of Israel and Israel herself were exalted in the eyes of all the nations, through His demonstration of power (v23). In the same way, in the Tribulation, Israel will call on the Lord in faith to deliver her, and in response Christ will return and destroy the antichrist armies, delivering Israel. At this time, He will establish His Messianic Kingdom on earth and be exalted above all nations as King of kings - the King of all the earth (v2,7), and Israel will be restored and exalted as the chief nation. Ps 46, set at the same time, introduces prophetic themes which Ps 47 develops, including His deliverance of Israel by destroying the invading armies at Armageddon and the kingdoms of the world (v5-8), and then establishing His Kingdom of peace over the whole earth (v9), ending with Christ calling all the nations to submit to Him (v10), with Israel given special honour (v11). Psalm 47 expands on this vision of the Messianic Kingdom, especially the place of Israel and the Gentile nations. Having describes Christ’s triumphant Ascension and Coronation in v5, the prophecy then jumps to His 2nd Coming, when He enforces His authority and establishes His Kingdom (v6), resulting in a call to all His subjects to praise their King, who is also God, in view of His exaltation as King of the earth (v9b): “Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!” (v6). This is parallel to the call to triumphant praise (v1) after His exaltation at His Ascension (v5). It is a fitting command in light of the glory of the King of all the earth. The 4-fold repetition expresses the exultation at that time, and emphasises the importance of praise exultation and endorses singing, which brings unity. In Ps 46:7-11, all the people of the earth were called to behold His great deliverance of Israel at the 2nd Coming and stand in awe before Christ and submit to Him. Now, in Ps 47:6-7, God says to them: ‘Rejoice and praise your King, for the King of Israel is also the King of all the earth’: “For God (Christ) is the King of all the earth” (v7a, parallel to v2). We should praise Him for His reign over all, including our life. v7b: “Sing praises with understanding.” God wants our worship to be intelligent, not mindless (Mark 12:30). Ps 47 shows us how we are to praise God: (1) cheerfully (v1), universally (v1,7), vocally (v1), frequently - we can’t praise Him too much (v6), and intelligently, knowing and proclaiming the reasons for our praise (v7). Paul used the Septuagint translation of this phrase in v7b, when he wrote: “I will also sing with the understanding” (1Cor14:15). This understanding is further revealed in v8: “God reigns over the nations; God (Christ) sits on His holy throne.” It is a holy throne, as He is holy and reigns in holiness. Also, it is Christ’s own uncontested throne, belonging to Him alone, over the whole earth (Rev 3:21, Matt 25:31). His perfect holiness qualifies Him to reign with unlimited authority.
After the 2nd Coming, Christ will reign as King of kings from David’s throne in Israel over all nations in the Messianic Kingdom (v8). So, Israel will be the chief nation (v3), and will possess her whole Promised Land (v4), but the Gentile nations will also be included in God’s Covenant people (without having to become Jews), v9a: “The princes of the peoples (plural) have gathered together, (even, as) the People (singular) of the God of Abraham” (thus giving the other side of the picture in v3-4). Describing the Gentile peoples as part of the Covenant People of the God of Abraham, means they are sons of Abraham, under the Abrahamic Covenant and Blessing (at the start of the Millennium, they will all be saved - they are the sheep who inherit the Kingdom of Matt 25:34), as confirmed by v1. It doesn’t say ‘the God of Jacob’ because they do not become Jews...
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7 июл 2024
