A Praise Examination
1. O clap your hands all you people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.
2. For the Lord Most High is terrible; He is a great King over all the earth.
3. He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under our feet.
4. He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom He loved. Selah.
5. God is gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
6. Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises.
7. For God is the King of all the earth: you sing praises with understanding.
8. God reigns over the heathen: God sits upon the Throne of His Holiness.
9. The princes of the people are gathered together, even the people of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth belong to God: He is greatly exalted.
Psalm 47
Who wouldn’t praise a God like that?
The greatness of God is truly worthy of our praise. The writer of Song 47 describes The Lord as the Only One worthy of Praise. Why? God is the Lord Most High and He is Great King over all the earth (vs. 2). God has subdued the enemy and all the nations under our feet (vs. 3). God Almighty has chosen the inheritance for Israel. He is the Excellency of Jacob, whom He loved (vs. 4). Just in case the Gentiles should feel they have no reason to praise and honor God, the psalmist proclaims, God is not only the God of Jacob but is also King of all the earth (vs. 7). God reigns over the heathen and sits on the Throne of His Holiness (vs. 8). As a matter of fact, the introduction of the psalm has universal application. Clap your hands all you people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph There is no one like God because He alone is God. Why wouldn’t we praise Him and honor His Holy Name?
One reason for not praising God is due to traditions. Traditions are learned practices that inhibit praise. Tradition can be the enemy of praise if we don’t examine ourselves to see whether we are in the faith. I can’t assume that the praise of yesterday will apply today. In other words, we fail to praise God, because our traditions teach us to select days and times to honor God. This contradicts the true spirit of praise. In Psalm 34, it tells us to bless the Lord at all times and His praise should continually be in our mouth. God is just that God and who wouldn’t praise a God like that.
Another reason for not praising God is self-glorification. This happens when we claim credit for the Lord’s work. There are people who actually believe the reason for their success is their own wisdom and strength. They don’t see a reason to give God praise. Those individuals don’t understand that if it had not been for the Lord who was on our side, we would be lost and undone. Psalm 47:9, states that the shields of earth belong to the Lord. Whatever it is that people claim to make them strong in themselves is actually given by God. The righteous understand that everything belongs to God. That is what this Psalm is all about. It helps us examine and reflect on the Truth that God is God, the things that God has done, and the Mercy that God has given. The praise examination helps us assess who gets the glory for the good things that impact our life.
This simply means, it is good to examine the purpose for praise. What are we trying to do? We must examine to whom are we giving praise. Who gets the credit for gifts and blessings? Lastly, we must examine how we give praise. Is God pleased with the praise I offer? Is there something missing in my praise?
The Model for Real Praise
Psalm 47 is called a song for the sons of Korah, and it is both instructional as well as inspirational. Just as a point of reference, the sons of Korah were descendants of Korah who led a rebellion against Moses in the wilderness. That certain Korah, incited the camp against Moses and Aaron by claiming that they were bullying the congregation and trying to get all the glory for themselves with authority over Israel. The long story short, they were consumed by God as the earth opened up and swallowed them alive for their brashness and lack of reverence for God’s leaders. (see Numbers 16). If Korah and others had simply praised God, they would have understood how God had appointed Moses and Aaron to lead them through the wilderness rather than complaining. That same rebellious spirit exists in grumbling and mumbling Churches today. Folks are still brash and disrespectful of leadership because they don’t understand and apply real praise to their life. As a matter of fact, our society is filled with the sons (descendants) of Korah who utterly refuse to give God praise and honor what God is doing. Praise will help you understand God’s will. Praise will help you also to put up with the things you don’t understand. As a matter of fact, praise, from which the name Judah arises, came as a result of a situation that a woman in the Bible did not have any control over.
Leah, who was married to Jacob, was unloved and unappreciated. She had given birth to three sons under the impression that she would gain the love and respect of her husband Jacob. By the time she conceived and gave birth to the fourth son, she had learned something. She had learned praise. She named the child Judah saying, “Now will I praise the Lord.” Gen. 29:35. Like Leah, we also must learn to let it go and just praise the Lord. Our world would be better if we would just let it go and just praise the Lord. You can’t make people love you so let it go and just praise the Lord who does love you. You can’t fix everything in life, so let it go and just praise the Lord. So, what if God appointed Moses and Aaron and not you, just let it go and praise the Lord. Praise the Lord anyhow. Praise the Lord in spite of.
Praise the Lord anyhow, but don’t praise Him anyway. There is a certain way that we should praise the Lord because God will not accept just anything that we might call worship. This Psalm list three things that embody praise: 1) clapping the hands, 2) shouts of joy, and 3) singing to the Lord. We worship the Lord by clapping of our hands. O clap your hands all you people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph. Clapping the hands is quite common in our culture. We clap for dignitaries. We clap for celebrities when they sing or act. We clap for sports teams. We even clap when someone performs an extraordinary feat. Why in the world do we find it hard to clap for God’s Glory? Think about it, you use your hands for a lot of things that make no sense and at times are used to commit evil. It should not be unreasonable to use those hands to recognize the Creator of hand and everything else. Use your hands for praise by clapping them to honor God.
Psalm 47 also tells us to shout to God with joy. Shout unto God with the voice of triumph. It also tells us why we should shout. For the Lord Most High is terrible; He is a great King over all the earth. That shouting is a war cry or rallying cry. The children of God are given victory not by our power but through God’s presence. I know this seems so inappropriate in Church, because some like to have quietness and calm. That too has its place, but when we are doing battle against the enemy of our soul, we need a war cry from God and that is the purpose for our praise. The enemy shouts insults, doubts, and fears at us, but we shout for joy in the Lord. Do not be silent in this fight for the faith. Give a war cry that shows your strength comes from the Lord. God is gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. If the Lord is leading you into battle with a shout, then shout with the Lord and sound the trumpet of victory. Amen!
Then there is the singing of praises. The children of God are instructed to sing songs of praises to our God. As a matter of fact, this Psalm admonishes the believer to sing to God with a voice of triumph. Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises … For God is the King of all the earth: you sing praises with understanding. We are singing these songs in light of the unchangeable fact that God is King of all the earth and His dominion is everlasting.
It is reported that John Wesley was on a voyage to America when the ship encountered a storm. While other passengers, including himself were shuddering in fear, Wesley heard the voice of singing. There were Moravians on board the vessel and rather than be taken with fear, they resorted to singing. This became such an inspiration to Wesley, that he set out to writing hymns of “heart worship” for the Wesleyans and ultimately the Methodist Church. Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises … For God is the King of all the earth: you sing praises with understanding. If God is good, then sing about it. If God has delivered you, then sing about. Sing because you’re happy … sing because you are free. Sing praise to God Almighty.
Rules of Praise
Let me close with these few rules of praise that we will explore over the next several sermons. These are rules of praise.
The first rule of praise is simply, God cannot be manipulated through praise but will always be honored through genuine praise. Never should we attempt to con God and gain His favor with praise because it is useless and fruitless. You already have God’s favor in Christ Jesus and praise helps us to explore and appreciate what is already given.
The second rule helps us check our praise level. The lack of praise is a clear sign of a lack of awareness of God’s Goodness. Do you understand how much God has given to you and do you fully appreciate all that He means to you. You cannot reach that level of awareness by depending on the choir to sing it to you. This must be your song.
The third rule has to do with the rebellious attitude that comes from a worldly mind and the old nature. Refusal of praise ignores the work of God in one’s life and therefore forfeits the blessing that comes through praise. There are attitudes that can block your praise, but the controls are on the inside. It comes through your own mind. You must examine your mind and ask yourself, why am I holding out on praising God?
The fourth rule helps us move toward a strong relationship with God through our praise. The presence of praise indicates a healthy relationship with God despite the problems of life. If I don’t praise Him, who will? If I can’t praise Him in a valley, I won’t do well on the mountaintop. Praise God for who He is. Then praise God for the great things He has done. Then praise God for what He means to you. Then praise God because He can never stop loving you. His love is everlasting just like His truth. They endure forever. Wow! That’s God!
The fifth rule applies to recognizing God’s Presence. True praise recognizes God’s presence, respects God’s provisions, and reveals God’s power. There is power in Praise. Vs. 5, God is gone up with a shout. Re-read this wonderful Psalm and then start praising God for each verse. That will start you on your journey to understanding the spirit of worship and praise. Then you and I can sing praises with understanding.
Does your praise match God’s Goodness?