Psalm 47:1

Psalm 47:1

Intro

We have waded our way through some quite depressing Psalms, where the writers have blamed God for their circumstances and poured out their woes. In others there have been threats of dire judgement and the bitter, anguished outpourings of suffering songwriters. What a joy Psalm 47 is! This is a celebration of the reign of the God of Israel – over all nations. Many consider this to be an anthem sung at the annual Feast of the Tabernacles and it was probably part of some kind of procession. A noisy, exuberant, happy Psalm later adapted for singing in the synagogues at Rosh Hashanah – the Jewish New Year. It is used in the Christian liturgy to celebrate the Ascension of Christ. Isn’t it wonderful how this collection of God-given, holy songs fit every mood and every occasion. A reminder that our musical worship should be adaptable and suitable for the occasion, reflecting every emotion and circumstance. God understands! We do not have to be on our best behaviour all of the time!


Shout to God with cries of joy

V1        I remember a time when clapping in church was frowned upon. It was deemed to be the inappropriate habit of Pentecostals and the Salvation Army and others with “shaky” beliefs! It was definitely not for Parish Church or Chapel; the Lord God was to be worshiped soberly and sombrely, with organ accompaniment or better still, unaccompanied by worldly instruments. Then came the sixties and seventies and things began to change, instruments were accepted, and worshippers were no longer rigid automatons who did as they were told, some people even began to raise their hands or to clap them! Surprise, surprise it was discovered that such behaviour was sanctioned in the Scriptures and that our ancestors turned out to be a lively, expressive lot who loved to dance with joy before the Lord! 

Pious behaviour is good when it is honest, but we do the Lord God an injustice if we think that we need to behave one way in a building supposed to harbour His presence, and another way when out of it. God is everywhere, there is no hiding from Him, what we are in our hearts is what matters and that should reflect in our communal praise. I remember being terribly shocked when a Chapel preacher I knew, who was known for his strict sobriety, was seen joyously running across the pitch at Portman Road, Ipswich celebrating a win at a football match. I wonder if he ever celebrated before the Lord in a similar way? “Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.”

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