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O clap your hands, all ye people. Psalm 47 Messianic triumph predicted A. Maclaren, D. D. The psalmist looked far ahead. His immediate experience was as "a little window through which he saw great matters." The prophecy of the universal spread of God's kingdom and the inclusion in it of the Gentiles is Messianic; and whether the singer knew that he spoke of a fair hope which should not be a fact for weary centuries, or anticipated wider and permanent results from that triumph which inspired his song, he spake of the Christ, and his strains are true prophecies of His dominion. There is no intentional reference in the psalm to the Ascension; but the thoughts underlying its picture of God's going up with a shout are the same which that Ascension sets forth as facts — the merciful coming down into humanity of the Divine Helper; the completeness of His victory as attested by His return thither where He was before; His session in heaven, not as idle nor wearied, but as having done what He meant to do; His continuous working as King in the world; and the widening recognition of His authority by loving hearts. The psalmist summons us all to swell with our voices that great chorus of praise which, like a sea, rolls and breaks in music round His royal seat. ( A. Maclaren, D. D. ) The praiseworthy and the faultworthy in worship Homilist. Man is a worshipper. The deepest craving of his soul is for worship, and in true worship alone he can find the healthy excitement and the full and felicitous development and exercise of all his powers. I. The PRAISE-Worthy in worship. 1. Exultancy. "O clap your hands," etc.; "shout unto God." "Sing praises to God," etc. Among the reasons indicated in the psalm for this exultancy is His supremacy over all the earth.(1) His government of the world is founded upon the reason of things.(2) His government of the world is founded upon laws suited to the nature of His subjects.(3) His government of the world is exercised for purely benevolent ends.(4) His government of the world affords opportunities for rebels to be restored. 2. Enthusiasm. In worship all the faculties and susceptibilities of the soul are interested, and into it conscience pours its whole force. 3. Monotheism. There is one God, and one only, to be worshipped. The supremely good is to be loved supremely, the supremely great to be adored supremely, the supremely just to be obeyed supremely. 4. Intelligence. "Sing ye praises with understanding." Worship is not an unmeaning act, not a burst of blind passion; it is founded in the profoundest philosophy, it implies the grandest truths. II. The FAULT-Worthy in worship. 1. There is something like selfishness here. Worship may begin in gratitude, may spring from a sense of God's personal kindness; but it only becomes virtuous and noble as it rises into self-oblivious adoration. 2. There is something like revenge here. "He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under our feet." "God reigneth over the heathen." "The shields of the earth belong unto God"; i.e. the rulers of the earth are in His hand. ( Homilist. ) He shall choose our inheritance for us: the excellency of Jacob whom He loved. Psalm 47:4 He shall choose our inheritance for us E. Paxton Hood. How fond our children are, and the younger they are the more so, of saying, "I mean to be." And then each one tells what his or her choice is. A soldier, a farmer, a cottage girl, and so on. And we let them talk on. "We know the world is hard and rough, But time will teach that soon enough."Nevertheless, our path in life is chosen for us. We do not have our own way. There is sweet music in the words of our text. Livingstone, in his fever, far away from any tender hand or kindly care, in poison-haunted jungles of the African wilderness, borne in from day to day, his end seemingly very near, and left by his servants unconscious in his tent while they went to seek other aid; they found him when they came back on his knees by his bedside, but dead — so had he passed away and died in sight of his promised land. He had not received the promise, but he was satisfied, and crowned his life with a consecration of prayer. That was his way of saying, "He shall choose our inheritance for us." It is, if a funeral, not the less a triumphant song. Every life must be a triumph that passes out in prayer. Life's present discords will constitute its great harmony by and by. For — I. THE JOY OF LIFE IS TO FEEL THAT IT IS NOT A SCHEME OF FATALISM, a mere reign of law. "He shall choose our inheritance for us." This is a strange word to come from an Eastern psalmist, for such men were mainly fatalists, as they are to this day. But the Bible proclaims the freedom of man, and that the universe is governed, not by infinite chance, but by infinite choice. II. THE DIVINE CHOICE PROVES ITSELF BY DIVINE LOVE. "The excellency of Jacob whom He loved." Huxley tells us that man is justified by verification. But it is not only true that man is justified by faith, but God is also. Choice is another word for love. Love runs along the line of our lives, so that in the end God is justified by verification after all. Jacob was the proof of that love of His. God chooses for us, and His choice is love. Once upon a time in a family I know of there were four children, sons; their names were Little Faith, Don't-care, Honest Doubt, and Great-heart. One day their father called them to him and said, "Children, our family has a house called Beautiful, a great way off. I am going there now: you will attend to my estates down here, and you will follow me by and by; and to find your way take this map, study it — it shows you the way, follow its directions and follow me, and you shall safely arrive at the house Beautiful." Now, when the father was gone, the brothers began to talk over and to dispute about the father's will. Don't care said he was comfortable where he was; should take and stock a farm and lead a merry life; let them go after the house Beautiful who chose, he should not. Little Faith said he did not know however he should find the way. He could not understand maps. Honest Doubt said that, like Little Faith, he too was a bad hand at maps, and, though he knew father loved them, and his will was just, like him, yet he had so much doubt about the whole matter that, until he had more certainty, he could not believe. But Great-heart said, "Brothers, I mean to go; and, Little Faith and Honest Doubt, if you will go with me, any little help I can give you shall have. As to you, Don't-care, you always were a bad one. But, brothers, if the way seems doubtful, you know we can look on the map together, and you, Honest Doubt, will perhaps keep us from being deceived; and you, Little Faith, shall help to keep us prayerful and humble, so let us start and cheer each other." And they did so, and the last I heard of them was that on their way they were singing, "He shall choose our inheritance for us." And without fail those three brothers will reach the Beautiful Home. Then — III. THERE IS DIVINE CONSOLATION IN THESE WORDS. They are personal. For each one of us, be we who we may. ( E. Paxton Hood. ) Submission to Divine appointment Evangelical Preacher. I. GOD HAS THE RIGHT OF SUPREME CONTROL. He is our Creator, Benefactor, Lawgiver, Preserver, Redeemer and Judge. II. HIS CHOICE IS THE RESULT OF ETERNAL WISDOM. We cannot descry the future, but God sees the end from the beginning. We are fallible, but God never errs. Things with us are often bounded by time; God always includes eternity. III. HE LOVES ALL HIS SINCERE FOLLOWERS. IV. IT PRESERVES US FROM TAKING AN IMPROPER COURSE. Quietness and confidence in God is our best preservative in the path of integrity. When Israel lost their confidence, they swerved. V. IT IS THE HAPPIEST STATE OF MIND ON EARTH. Take a few cases — Bereavement ( Genesis 43:14 ); Affliction ( Job 1:21 ); Uncertainty ( Acts 21:13, 14 ); Death ( 2 Peter 1:14 ). VI. HE WORKS ALL THINGS FOR HIS OWN GLORY. Improvements — 1. Let the sinful wanderer adopt the sentiment, and from that day he will be blessed. 2. Let the Lord's own children learn to say, "Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven." "Thou shalt choose our inheritance for us." ( Evangelical Preacher. ) The providence of God Job Orion, D. D. I. WHAT THE TEXT EXPRESSES. 1. A belief of the providence of God. This belief is supported by the strongest arguments: by what we daily see of the instincts and appetites of living creatures; by the gravitation of matter, or the tendency of all heavy bodies to the earth; by many wonderful events, that happen contrary to what might be expected from the appearances of things; the discovery of secret wickedness, etc. 2. Providence has a peculiar concern for good men, and is exercised towards them with special care, tenderness and love. 3. Hearty consent to God's determinations. Not only a belief that He will choose for His people, but an entire, cheerful acquiescence in His choice. This temper includes the important virtues of humility, patience and contentment. It includes a frame of spirit suited to a persuasion of an over-ruling providence. This persuasion is expressed and strengthened by daily, fervent prayer; and there is to be nothing in the actions or words contrary to it or inconsistent with it: no impatience, fretfulness, or discontent allowed; no unlawful methods used to mend our circumstances, or extricate us out of any difficulty. And if the rebel heart is disposed to murmur, it must be checked and restrained by resolution, watchfulness and prayer. II. A RECOMMENDATION TO CULTIVATE THIS TEMPER. 1. We are not able to choose for ourselves. Our knowledge is limited to a few objects, and we see those imperfectly. We cannot look into futurity, and have many false biases upon our judgment. We have often found ourselves mistaken, and been forced to acknowledge, that we have made a bad choice. "If God would study a close, quick and certain way of being revenged upon a man, He needs but open His stores and bid him choose for himself." 2. God is most fit to choose for us. For His understanding is infinite, His wisdom perfect, His judgment unerring. No case can possibly arise which will puzzle Him; nor can He have any bias upon His mind to act wrong. 3. God hath chosen well for us already, and therefore we should trust Him. This appears from the many favours He hath bestowed upon us, and the goodness and mercy that have followed us all our days. 4. Our minds can never be easy till we leave it to God to choose for us. God will have His choice, whether we leave it to Him or no ( Isaiah 46:10 ). III. CONCLUDING REFLECTIONS. 1. Let us own God's choice in every agreeable circumstance of life. 2. Let us humbly acquiesce in whatever is disagreeable. 3. Let us never allow ourselves to be anxious about future events. In order to support a patient, composed, cheerful spirit, let us live near to God by the daily exercise of fervent prayer; and especially pray that He would "fulfil in us the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power"; and help and cure the remainder of unbelief, which is the foundation of all our sorrows, fears and anxiety. ( Job Orion, D. D. ) Christian resignation J. Crouther. Nothing so destroys all the comfort of life as the spirit of discontent with the dispensations of Divine providence. It is as a curse at the root of every earthly good, and it is, at the same time, a barrier in the way of all improvement in religion. Therefore it is our duty to fortify our minds by these considerations, which will help to maintain within us the opposite disposition of a perpetual and unreserved submission to the will of God. We would speak, accordingly — I. OF THE NATURE OF THE GRACE OF RESIGNATION. 1. Our text is a profession of it, but its words are not to be applied to our state in the world to come. That inheritance is left to our own choice. God will help us, but it is not necessary that He should choose for us.:For there are but two conditions in the future — not a multitude, which might distract: and they are of the most contrasted character. On the one side is all evil, and on the other all good, so that the decision is easy. The choice, therefore, is left to ourselves. 2. Nor can the text be applied to aught that essentially affects the decision of that state, but only to those things in which men may innocently differ from each other. It is only to these diversities which are strictly non-essential as to the decision of our everlasting destiny that any man is capable of being properly resigned. Such are the distinctions (1) of rank and property. (2) Of prosperity and adversity. (3) Personal affliction and sorrow. (4) Endowments of mind, means of improvement, opportunities of usefulness — with regard to all such things the Christian will say, The Lord "shall choose," etc. 3. But great virtues are often found to border on dangerous extremes: therefore we need to guard the definition of such virtues very carefully.(1) Therefore this grace of resignation is not to be confused with Stoicism. The effect of pure religion is not to convert flesh hire stone, but stone into flesh. Its object is not to stupefy or destroy, but rather to refine and exalt the feelings of our nature. Job felt deeply his sorrows, but it is expressly said, "In all this he sinned not." And so with our Lord.(2) Nor does resignation prohibit our praying against any evil that is feared, or for good that may be desired. See Paul and his thorn in the flesh.(3) Nor does it necessitate that we are to sit still and do nothing to help ourselves. The text refers to Israel's possession of Canaan, but still they had to do much ere it became theirs. II. THE PROPRIETY AND ADVANTAGES OF THIS GRACE. ( J. Crouther. ) God's conduct of our affairs Robert Hall, A. M. Allusion seems to be here made to the division of the earth among Noah's sons after the deluge ( Deuteronomy 32:7-9 ). And like division by lot was observed in regard to the land of Canaan. Though the lot was cast into the lap, the whole disposing thereof was of the Lord. And still God graciously interferes in our affairs. I. THE MANNER OF GOD'S CONTROL. 1. The constant interference on the part of God regards everything relative to our condition in this finite state of being. All form parts of the Divine choosing, however hard it may be to reconcile superior deter-ruination with the free and unrestrained choice which every individual makes for himself. This superintendence is as extensive as it is minute. He telleth the number of the stars, and He counteth the hairs of our head. In its operation it touches the springs of human determination, without at all infringing on individual liberty; and directs man to the choice, while man chooses for himself. 2. It includes the special regards which God pays to tits own people. "This people have I formed for Myself," etc. 3. The Divine Spirit chooses our lot, by leading, directing, and regulating the choice we make for ourselves; not by a powerful and immediate control of the will, but by implanting those principles in the mind which, in their voluntary exercise, will form a choice agreeably to the Divine mind. "It is God that worketh in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure." II. THE PROPRIETY AND ADVANTAGE OF LEAVING THE CHOICE OF OUR INHERITANCE TO GOD. This is indeed nothing more than cheerfully recognizing the just exercise of His own prerogative: He will eventually do it, whether we will or not. But it is best voluntarily to leave it with God, because — 1. It is infinitely wise and fit that He should choose our inheritance for us. To show the propriety of such a disposition, Jeremiah drew his followers to the potter's field ( Jeremiah 18:2-6 ). 2. This arrangement is infinitely best for ourselves. The task of first forming a human soul for glory, and then bringing that soul to its possession, is what none but God Himself could accomplish. ( Robert Hall, A. M. ) A wise desire I. THE GLORIOUS FACT. As for the worldling, God gives him anything, but for the Christian, God selects the best portion. He gives the worldling husks; but He stops to find out the sweet fruits for His people. I. And, first, let ms ask, must we not all of us admit an over-ruling Providence, and the appointment of Jehovah's hands, as to the means whereby we came into this world? What circumstances were those in our power which led us to elect a certain person to be our parent? Had we anything to do with it? Did not God of Himself appoint our parents, native place and friends? And that we were born with healthy body and sound mind. If you have full possession of all your faculties and limbs, you must acknowledge and confess that there was the decree of God in it. And, still further, how much of the finger of God must we discern in our temper and constitution? I suppose no one will be foolish enough to say that we are all born with the same natural temperament and constitution. 2. I will ask any sensible man — above all, any serious Christian — whether there have not been certain times in his life when he could most distinctly see that indeed God did "choose his inheritance for him." Look back and see how the hand of God was in your affairs, and by varied and often strange means allotting you your place and work. I can see a thousand chances, as men call them, all working together, like wheels in a great piece of machinery, to fix ms just where I am. Verily, it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." Then look at the lives of the great saints told of in the Bible and see this truth plainly shown. Joseph; Moses; Daniel. And how many are the Bible declarations in the matter ( Isaiah 45:6, 7 ; Job 14:5 ; Proverbs 16:33 ; Jeremiah 21:25). II. A PRAYER. "He shall choose our inheritance for us." Dry doctrine is of little use. It is not the doctrine which helps us; it is our assent to the doctrine. But there are some of you who, if it were not the truth, would say you wish to have it so, for you would say in your prayer, "Thou shalt choose my inheritance for me." 1. First, "Thou shalt choose my mercies for me." And others would choose their employments; but it is far best to leave the choosing to God. "If there were two angels in heaven," said a good man, "supposing there were two works to be done, and one work was to rule a city, and the other to sweep a street crossing — the angels would not stop a moment to say which they would do. They would do whichever God told them to do. Gabriel would shoulder his broom and sweep the crossing cheerfully; and Michael would not be a bit prouder in taking the sceptre to govern the city." So with a Christian. But there is nothing that we oftener want to choose than our crosses. None of us like crosses at all; but all of us think everybody else's trials lighter than our own. Crosses we must have, but we often want to be choosing them. "Oh!" says one, "my trouble is in my family. It is the worst cross in the world — my business is successful; but if I might have a cross in my business, and get rid of this cross in my family, I should not mind." ( C. H. Spurgeon . ) God is gone up with a shout. Psalm 47:5 The solemnity of Christ's Ascension to the throne of glory I. PROVE THE TRUTH OF THIS DOCTRINE — that Christ is gone up, or ascended. 1. This was typified under the Old Testament by the ark, which continued in a wandering, uncertain condition, as to the place of its abode, till it was taken up to Mount Zion and fixed in the holy of holies. 2. This was foretold by the prophet ( Psalm 110:1 ). 3. This is evident from the testimony of famous witnesses ( Acts 1:11 ; Acts 7:55, 56 ). 4. This is confirmed from many texts of Scripture ( Hebrews 1:3 ; Hebrews 4:14 ; Hebrews 8:1 ; Hebrews 12:2 ). 5. This appears from the glorious fruits and consequences of His actual accession to the throne of glory, which have appeared in the open view of all mankind. II. SHOW WHAT IS IMPORTED IN THIS EXPRESSION OF HIS GOING UP. 1. His voluntary humiliation ( John 3:13 ). 2. His incarnation, or assumption of man's nature. 3. That He had ended or finished the work or service for which He came down into this lower world. 4. His resurrection from the dead, whereby He was justified as the Head and Surety of an elect world, and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness. 5. That the gates of glory, which had been shut, were again opened by the death and satisfaction of Christ. 6. That God the Father is perfectly well pleased with the person and undertaking of our glorious Redeemer; for, if He had not been well pleased, how could He give Him such a solemn reception after His work was done? 7. That when Christ ascended, after finishing our redemption, He was received into heaven with the universal applause and admiration of the triumphant company. III. SPEAK OF THE SOLEMNITY OF CHRIST'S ASCENSION. 1. The place from whence He went up. This world, where He had met with such bad entertainment. 2. Whither He is gone up. He is gone up into the third heavens, where no unclean thing can enter; and the heavens are to contain Him till the time of the restitution of all things. 3. To whom He is gone up ( John 20:17 ). Oh! what an infinite satisfaction would it be to Him to return to His Father, to be possessed of that glory that He had with Him before the world was! 4. Through what region, and through whose territories he went up. 5. His levee or retinue that attended Him when He went up. This seems to be pointed at ( Psalm 68:17 ). 6. The spoils and trophies He carried along with Him when He went up. (1) The head of the old serpent. (2) The keys of the grave ( Revelation 1:18 ). (3) The debt bond that we were owing to justice, retired and cancelled ( Colossians 2:14 ). (4) The broken law repaired, yea, magnified and made honourable by His obedience unto death. (5) The keys of the house of David, i.e. an absolute dominion, sovereignty and headship over His Church, and over all creatures for the Church's sake ( Isaiah 22:22 ). 7. With respect to the solemnity of Christ's ascension, we may consider that He went up with a shout. Who were they that gave the shout? We read of nothing but a deep and silent gazing after Him as He went up from this lower world ( Acts 1:9-11 ); where, then, was the shouting? In the Church triumphant, among an innumerable company of angels, and the spirits of just man made perfect: these sons of God shouted for joy when they saw their glorious Head of redemption and confirmation coming in personally among them. What kind of shouts were among that triumphant company when the Lord Jesus went up to His throne and kingdom? (1) A shout of approbation. (2) A shout of joy and gladness ( Revelation 19:7 ). (3) A shout of praise and gratitude ( Revelation 5:9 ). (4) A shout of admiration and adoration among the triumphant company. (5) A shout of victory and triumph among the heavenly crowd. IV. SHOW WHAT THERE IS IN THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST THAT AFFORDS SUCH GROUND OF TRIUMPH. 1. God is gone up with a shout, as our forerunner, to open the way to glory, and to make a report of what was done in the days of His humiliation upon this earth ( Hebrews 6:20 ). 2. He has gone up as a victorious general to receive a triumph after the battle. 3. He is gone up as a bridegroom to prepare a lodging for His bride, and to make suitable provision for her against the day of the consummation of the marriage ( John 14:2, 3 ). 4. God is gone up with a shout in our nature, as "the great high priest of our profession" ( Hebrews 4:14 ; Hebrews 9:12 ; Hebrews 10:21, 22 ). 5. God is gone up in our nature as "our Advocate with the Father" ( 1 John 2:1 ). 6. God is gone up as our exalted King. 7. He is gone up to Mount Zion above, as the great Shepherd, to look after His sheep that are wandering in the wilderness. 8. He is gone up as our glorious Representative to take possession of the inheritance of eternal life, until his fellow-heirs, all believers whom He represents, follow Him. V. USES. 1. Of information.(1) See hence that the ignominy of the Cross of Christ is fully wiped away.(2) See hence that none need to think themselves dishonoured by suffering the hardest things for His sake.(3) See hence how little reason believers have to be disquieted because of the confusions of this lower world; even though heaven and earth were mingling, and seas roaring. Why, God is gone up with a shout: He governs the world for the Church's sake, and therefore nothing can go wrong, "no weapon formed against Zion shall prosper."(4) See hence the parallel or similitude between Christ's ascension and His coming to judgment. 2. Of trials.(1) Have you received His Spirit? He is a holy Spirit, a praying Spirit, a Spirit of life and liberty, a public Spirit in a time of defection; when the house of Christ is turned into a den of thieves, the zeal of His house will eat you up.(2) Your hearts will be frequently mounting up on high after Him, as upon eagle's wings. 3. Of consolation.(1) Thou shall follow Him ere long.(2) Thou shall not want the gifts, graces and influences of the Spirit to bear you up, and to carry you through in the work and service that He has for you upon earth.(3) Here is comfort under all the glooms and frowns of men in the world for owning Christ, His cause, His kingdom, His truths, His ways and people.(4) Here is comfort against the fear of the "roaring lion, who goes about seeking whom he may devour."(5):Here is comfort; all the angels in heaven are upon thy side, believer, all the armies of heaven are ready to fight the quarrel of His Church.(6) Here is comfort; death is disarmed of its sting, and can do no hurt. Why, Christ carried the sting of death, and the armour of this king of terrors with Him when He went up with a shout. "I have the keys of hell and of death."(7) Here is comfort; thy life is well secured, believer. Why, it is hid in Him who is gone up with a shout ( Colossians 3:3 ).(8) Here is comfort, that all providential dispensations in the world are working together for thy good. 4. Of exhortation.(1) Behold Him with the eye of faith upon the throne.(2) Lift up the everlasting doors of your hearts, that this King of glory may come in.(3) Come with boldness unto the throne of grace.(4) Let all the world, angels, men and devils, reverence Him and do Him homage.(5) See that you have a due regard to the laws and liberties of His house, and the interests of His glory and kingdom.(6) Is He gone up with a shout? Then let us never be ashamed of Him before men, for He is our credit and ornament; He is not ashamed to confess us before His Father, and before His angels.(7) Let us join in the solemnity of His exaltation, for it is not yet ended. They that shouted when He went first up to heaven from Mount Olivet are shouting for joy to this day, and therefore let us join in the concert. ( E. Erskine. ) God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding. Psalm 47:7 Worship-song T. Garrett Horder. Hymns help to nobler worship of God and clearer visions of His face. I. BECAUSE THEY EMBODY THE HOLY THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS OF INSPIRING AND SEEING MEN AND WOMEN. Many of the greatest hymns are the lyric expression of great experiences produced by some exceptional circumstances of the life. Cowper, by his coachman missing the way, was hindered from carrying out a plan of self-destruction which, in a season of great depression, he had formed. On his recovery he wrote the well-known hymn, "God moves in a mysterious way"; and many more such illustrations might be given. II. THEY EXPRESS GREAT THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS. The most deeply religious parts of the Old Testament are its poetic books. Hymns are more moving than devotional manuals, and their rhythm makes them cling to the memory. III. THEY HAVE NEW POWER THROUGH THE MUSIC TO WHICH THEY ARE WEDDED, and — IV. THEY ARE THE NOBLEST VEHICLE FOR UNITED WORSHIP. ( T. Garrett Horder. ) The shields of the earth belong unto God: Psalm 47:9 God's shields J. H. Jowett, M. A. " The shields of the earth," all veritable protectives, are the property of God, and are of His creation. But why do I require a shield? What are my perils and foes? The fire of passion. The sharp gnawing tooth of care. The dull, heavy pressure of monotony. The burden of apparently unrequited toil. The slug of sloth. The moth of indifference. The rust of contempt. The awful weight of accumulating years. If I am to be protected against these perils I require varieties of shields, and "the shields of the earth belong unto God." He has shields for every type of peril; there is no unprotected corner which has been overlooked by our Lord. Our perils change their guise with our changing seasons, and the gradient of our age. In youth we frequently find our antagonism in "the lust of the flesh." Against this all-consuming passion we require a shield I In our prime "the lust of the flesh" changes into "the lust of the eyes," and perhaps matures into "the pride of life." Passion is converted into acquisitiveness, and acquisitiveness refines itself into vanity. If we are to resist these fatal fascinations we require a shield. In age we are imperilled by our disillusions. The unaccomplished purpose becomes a snare. The radiant ideal seems no nearer achievement, and our poor attainments look upon us with confounding mockery. Then are we prone to become sour and crabbed, and life may pass into an impoverishing loneliness. If we are to be guarded against these perils we need a shield! And right through our life, from early youth to extreme old age, our course lies through perils of over-changing variety. With these environments of continuous danger, what shall we do? We must seek for an adequate shield, and "the shields of the earth belong unto God." Let us leek at two or three of them. I. THE SHIELD OF GOOD SPIRITS. We often say of a man, "His good spirits were his salvation." There was a certain cheery radiancy of spirit about his life. lie was possessed by unfailing cheer and geniality, lie saw everything through his own warmth. His warmth was his shield, and by it he was delivered from a thousand snares. Where did he get his warmth? "The shields of the earth belong unto God." I have often known men who have been passing through a November season of life in which other people have found nothing but coldness and gloom, but their life has been so possessed by the spirit of geniality, that the bird-song had never seemed to be silent, and the atmosphere was always redolent of the spring. Charles Kingsley passed through many a November season; trials and persecutions were not absent from his day, and yet his good spirits were always abounding, and by his good spirits the gloom was always illumined. Where do these people get their good spirits? They get them from the Lord. Just outside Buda Pesth there is now a spring of continuous hot water, which is practically supplying the needs of an entire population. Boring has been continued to the depth of five thousand feet, and the genial spring has been unloosed. Is not this parabolic? If we want the genial springs, we must go to the requisite depths; we must not be surface characters, or our waters will be chilled in the first day of a cold November. We must bore deep. We must reach as far as God, and when we come into communion with Him, tits water shall be in us a "well of water springing up into everlasting life." II. THE SHIELD OF HOLINESS. The pure allures the pure and resists the impure. But the life must be scrupulously pure! It must be healthy. Our imperfect consecrations are our perils; they are like ridged and wrinkled surfaces in which uncleanness easily hides. Holiness will not take stains. Lay your unclean finger upon soft and unfinished porcelain, and it will take the impress of your defiling touch. But lay your finger upon the shining, finished, perfected ware, and the substance will not take the stain. The virus which is inoculated for the prevention of small-pox frequently "does not take"; the body is so healthy that it affords no foothold for the invader! And surely that is what we need in the spirit! We require a spirit so healthy that evil suggestions will not "take." "Let integrity and uprightness preserve me." That is the shield we require! How can we get it? We shall have to get away unto the Lord, and in deep humility of spirit pray that He will communicate unto us His own saving health. III. THE SHIELD OF FAITH. "The shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one." What are the perils? "Darts" — sharp, sudden, fierce experiences; "fiery darts" — sharp experiences that come to us in heat; "fiery

Benson Commentary Psalm 47:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph. Psalm 47:1-2 . O clap your hands, all ye people — All ye tribes of Israel, or, rather, all nations, not only Jews but Gentiles; for all of them would, or might have benefit, if not by the removal of the ark to mount Zion, or to the temple, yet by that which was represented thereby, the ascension of the Messiah into heaven. Shout unto God — Unto the glory of the God of Israel. For the Lord most high — Above all gods and men; is terrible — To all his enemies; a great King over all the earth — The universal monarch of the whole world, and not of Israel only. These lofty expressions of calling on all people to shout unto God with the voice of triumph, &c., whatever was the first occasion of them, seem to have been dictated and raised to this height of expression by a divine prophetic influence, to prefigure an event which should happen in the world, namely, a time when all the people of the earth, and not the Hebrews only, should call upon, and rejoice in, the true God, Jehovah. Psalm 47:2 For the LORD most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth. Psalm 47:3 He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under our feet. Psalm 47:3 . He shall subdue the people under us — Though this may be applied to the victories which God gave the Hebrews over the neighbouring people, yet the expressions are too magnificent to signify that only. To subdue the nations, seems to indicate something more than bringing a few neighbouring countries under the Hebrew government. And God certainly never intended to bring, nor, in fact, did he bring, the nations of the earth under the yoke of the Jewish people; who were far from being fit to have the rest of the world subjected to them. And therefore it is reasonable to conclude, that the bringing the nations of the earth to the knowledge and worship of Jehovah, and under subjection to the gospel, whereby, instead of being slaves, they were made free from the bondage of sin and death, was the great subject signified by these magnificent expressions. The Hebrew, ???? ???? ?????? , is literally, He shall speak the people under us, that is, shall conquer, and make them subject to us by his word, the rod of his strength, to be sent forth out of Zion, ( Psalm 110:2 ,) whereby the people were to be made willing in the day of his power; by the law, the gospel law, or word of the Lord, which was to go forth from Jerusalem, Isaiah 2:3 . In consequence of our Lord’s ascension, his all-subduing word went forth, and, under its influence and direction, the convinced and converted nations renounced their idols and their lusts, and bowed their willing necks to the yoke of Jesus, and became his holy and happy subjects. “This,” says Dr. Horne, “is that great conquest foreshowed by the victories of Joshua, David, and all the faithful heroes of old time, and foretold in language borrowed from their histories.” And the nations under our feet — The Gentile converts were in some sort brought under the Jews, because they were subjected to Christ and to his apostles, and to the primitive church, who were Jews. Or, rather, the psalmist speaks this in the name of the whole church, made up of Jews and Gentiles, unto which all particular believers were to submit themselves in and for the Lord. Psalm 47:4 He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom he loved. Selah. Psalm 47:4 . He shall choose our inheritance for us — The Syriac, Arabic, and Latin, render the word ???? , jibchar, here used, in the past time, he hath chosen, which, if understood of God’s choosing Canaan for the Israelites, and placing them in it, is certainly more proper, being according to the matter of fact. The word, however, is in the future tense, and if interpreted of the Gentiles, who were to be called into God’s church, and to receive the blessings of grace and glory for their inheritance, the more proper rendering is that of our translators, He shall choose, or, he will appoint, and bestow upon us, our inheritance — That is, the inheritance intended for us, designed to be ours, namely, God himself, who is the portion of his people, or the presence, worship, and blessing of God. This God had chosen for the Israelites, and had resolved to choose, or set apart, for the Gentiles. The excellency of Jacob — Or, his glory, or boast, as ???? , geon, also means; that wherein he gloried and excelled all other people, namely, not Canaan, but God’s sanctuary, the ordinances of his worship, and his presence and blessing. See Ezekiel 24:21 ; Amos 6:8 ; Amos 8:7 . He may mean the person of Jacob, who, though he never had the actual possession of Canaan, yet had the Lord, and his presence and blessing, for his inheritance. Or, rather, he means the people of Israel, who are frequently called Jacob; for these did actually enjoy both the promised inheritance of Canaan and the presence of God in his sanctuary. Whom he loved — This he adds, partly as the reason why he chose such a noble inheritance for them, which was not any peculiar worth in them, more than in other people, but only for his free love to them, as he declares, Deuteronomy 7:7-8 ; and Deuteronomy 9:5 ; and partly as an evidence of the excellence of this inheritance, because it was chosen for his beloved people. Psalm 47:5 God is gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet. Psalm 47:5 . God is gone up with a shout — This is meant literally of the ark, wherein God was present, which went or was carried up to the hill of Zion, where the tabernacle was erected for it, and afterward to the hill of Moriah into the temple, which solemnities were accompanied with the shouts and acclamations of the people, and with the sound of trumpets; but mystically, it is to be understood of Christ’s ascension into heaven, as may be gathered by comparing this with Ephesians 4:8 , where the like words, uttered concerning the ark upon the same occasion, Psalm 68:18 , are directly applied to Christ’s ascension. Psalm 47:6 Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises. Psalm 47:6-7 . Sing praises, &c. — These words are repeated four times in this verse, to show how vehemently desirous the psalmist was that God might have his due praise and glory: and of what great necessity and importance it was to men to perform this great, though much neglected duty; unto our king — For so he is in an especial manner. God is King of all the earth — Not only ours, as I now said, but of all the nations of the world: and, therefore, he may well require, and doth highly deserve, all our praises. Sing ye praises with understanding — Not formally and carelessly, but seriously, considering the greatness of this king whom you praise, and what abundant cause you have to praise him. Psalm 47:7 For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding. Psalm 47:8 God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness. Psalm 47:8 . God reigneth over the heathen — Over all heathen nations. He is not only our King, and therefore we owe our homage to him, but he is King of all the earth, Psalm 47:7 , and therefore in every place the incense of praise ought to be offered to him. God, as Creator, and the God of nature and providence, reigns even over the heathen, and disposeth of them and all their affairs as he pleaseth, though they know him not, nor have any regard to him. God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness — Namely, as Judge and King, exercising dominion, or reigning, as was now said. Heaven is often called God’s throne, whence God is said to behold and to rule all nations; of which general dominion of God he here speaks. And Christ sits at his Father’s right hand for that purpose. Psalm 47:9 The princes of the people are gathered together, even the people of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth belong unto God: he is greatly exalted. Psalm 47:9 . The princes of the people — The heads of the tribes; even the people of the God of Abraham — With all the people that worship him, who promised to give this country unto Abraham; are gathered together — Are assembled at their solemn feasts, without any fear of invasion from their foreign neighbours; for the shields of the earth belong unto God — For God (to attend whose service they have left their own houses unguarded) hath undertaken their protection; and he is infinitely superior to all other gods, who pretend to be the defenders of the earth. So Bishop Patrick. But almost all the ancient versions and more modern translators render the former clause of this verse, The princes of the nations are incorporated with the God of Abraham: similar to which is the version of our Liturgy; The princes of the people are joined to the people of the God of Abraham. “In this prophetical sense,” says Dr. Dodd, “which seems most proper, the princes of the people mean the heathen princes, who were to be converted to Christianity, and to join themselves to the people of the God of Abraham; that is, to the Jewish converts under the dominion of Christ. The shields mean the sovereignty of the whole earth: for God takes to him the shields of the earth; all the princes of it under his own immediate government. King and shield are synonymous, Psalm 84:9 .” Benson Commentary on the Old and New Testaments Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com . Used by Permission.

Expositor's Bible Commentary Psalm 47:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph. Psalm 47:1-9 THE closing thought of Psalm 46:1-11 is nobly expanded in this jubilant summons to all nations to praise Jehovah as their King. Both psalms have a similar, and probably the same, historical basis: a Divine act so recent that the tumult of triumph has not yet subsided, and the waves of joy still run high. Only in Psalm 46:1-11 the effect of that God-wrought deliverance is principally regarded as the security and peace of Israel, and in this psalm as the drawing of the nations to obey Israel’s King, and so to join the chorus of Israel’s praise. While the psalm has many resemblances to the Songs of the King, { Psalm 93:1-5 , seqq.} it is clearly in its right place here, as forming with the preceding and succeeding psalms a trilogy, occasioned by one great manifestation of God’s care for the nation. No event is more appropriate than the usually accepted destruction of Sennacherib’s army. The psalm has little of complexity in structure or thought. It is a gush of pure rapture. It rises to prophetic foresight, and, by reason of a comparatively small historical occasion, has a vision of the world wide expansion of the kingdom of God. It falls into two strophes of four verses each, with one longer verse appended to the latter. In the first strophe the nations are invited to welcome God as their King, not only because of His Divine exaltation and world wide dominion, but also because of His deeds for "Jacob." The same Divine act which in Psalm 46:1-11 is represented as quelling wars and melting the earth, and in Psalm 48:1-14 , as bringing dismay, pain, and flight, is here contemplated as attracting the nations to worship. The psalmist knows that destructive providences have their gracious aspect, and that God’s true victory over men is not won when opposition is crushed and hearts made to quake, but when recognition of His sway and joy in it swell the heart. The quick clatter of clapping hands in sign of homage to the King { 2 Kings 11:12 } blends with the shrill cries with which Easterns express joy, in "a tumult of acclaim." Hupfeld thinks that to suppose the heathen called upon to do homage because of the victory for Israel won over them is entirely mistaken. But unless that victory is the reason for the summons, the psalm offers none; and it is surely not difficult to suppose that the exhibition of God’s power leads to reflection which issues in recognition of His sovereignty. Psalm 46:3-4 , seem to state the grounds for the summons in Psalm 47:1 . The tenses in these verses present a difficulty in the way of taking them for a historical retrospect of the conquest and partition of Canaan, which but for that objection would be the natural interpretation. It is possible to take them as "a truth of experience inferred from what has just been witnessed, the historical fact being expressed not in historical form, but generalised and idealised" (Delitzsch, in loc .). The just accomplished deliverance repeated in essence the wonders of the first entrance on possession of the land, and revealed the continuous working of the same Divine hand, ever renewing the choice of Jacob’s inheritance, and ever scattering its enemies. "The pride of Jacob" is a phrase in apposition with "our inheritance." The Holy Land was the object of "pride" to "Jacob," not in an evil sense "but in that he boasted of it as a precious treasure intrusted to him by God. The root fact of all God’s ancient and continued blessings is that He "loved." His own heart, not Jacob’s deserts, prompted His mercies. The second strophe is distinguished from the first by the increased fervour of its calls to praise, by its still more exultant rush, and by its omission of reference to Jacob. It is wholly concerned with the peoples whom it invites to take up the song. As in the former strophe the singer showed to the peoples God working in the world, here he bids them look up and see Him ascending on high. "Now that He ascended, what is it but that He also descended first?" The mighty deliverance of which the triumph throbs through this trilogy of paeans of victory was God’s coming down. Now He has gone back to His throne and seated Himself thereon, not as having ceased to work in the world-for He is still King over it all-but as having completed a delivering work. He does not withdraw when He goes up. He does not cease to work here below when He sits throned in His palace-temple above. The "shout" and "voice of a trumpet," which accompany that ascent, are borrowed from the ordinary attendants on a triumphal procession. He soars as in a chariot of praises, -from whose lips the psalm does not say, but probably it intends Israel to be understood as the singer. To that choir the nations are called to join their voices and harps, since God is their King too, and not Jacob’s only. The word rendered in the A.V. and R.V. (text) "with understanding" is a noun, the name of a description of psalm, which occurs in several psalm titles, and is best understood as "a skilful song." Psalm 47:8 gathers up the reasons for the peoples’ homage to God. He has "become King" over them by His recent act, having manifested and established His dominion; and He has now "sat down on His throne," as having accomplished His purpose, and as thence administering the world’s affairs. A final verse, of double the length of the others, stands somewhat apart from the preceding strophe both in rhythm and in thought. It crowns the whole. The invitations to the nations are conceived of as having been welcomed and obeyed. And there rises before the poet’s eye a fair picture of a great convocation, such as might wait before a world-ruling monarch’s throne on the day of his coronation. The princes of the nations, like tributary kings, come flocking to do homage, "as if they surely knew their sovereign Lord was by." The obliteration of distinction between Israel and the nations, by the incorporation of the latter, so that "the peoples" become part of the "people of the God of Abraham," floats before the singer’s prophetic eye, as the end of God’s great manifestation of Himself. The two parts of that double choir, which the preceding strophes summon to song, coalesce at last, and in grand unison send up one full-throated, universal melodious shout of praise. "The shields of the earth" are best understood as a figurative expression for the princes just spoken of, who now at last recognise to whom they belong. Thus God has exalted Himself by His deeds; and the result of these deeds is that He is greatly exalted by the praise of a world, in which Israel and the "peoples" dwell as one beneath His sceptre and celebrate His name. The psalmist looked far ahead. His immediate experience was as "a little window through which he saw great matters." The prophecy of the universal spread of God’s kingdom and the inclusion in it of the Gentiles is Messianic; and whether the singer knew that he spoke of a fair hope which should not be a fact for weary centuries, or anticipated wider and permanent results from that triumph which inspired his song, he spake of the Christ, and his strains are true prophecies of His dominion. There is no intentional reference in the psalm to the Ascension; but the thoughts underlying its picture of God’s going up with a shout are the same which that Ascension sets forth as facts, -the merciful coming down into humanity of the Divine Helper; the completeness of His victory as attested by His return thither where He was before; His session in heaven, not as idle nor wearied, but as having done what He meant to do; His continuous working as King in the world; and the widening recognition of His authority by loving hearts. The psalmist summons us all to swell with our voices that great chorus of praise which, like a sea, roils and breaks in music round His royal seat. The Expositor's Bible Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com . Used by Permission.