1 Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!
2 For the LORD, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth.
3 He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet.
4 He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah
5 God has gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
7 For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm!
8 God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.
9 The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted!
Psalms 47

This morning we conclude this Psalm. We have focused on the people of God praising their one true Lord who is presently sitting on His Holy Throne. There is much reason to praise God, as detailed in this Psalm.

"The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted!" -- God is Sovereign over ALL of the earth. God is Sovereign over ALL people. God is Sovereign over ALL nations. God is Sovereign over ALL kings and leaders on the earth. That is the basic understanding of this verse here. We should praise God for His Sovereignty over ALL people.

We tend to think that God is only in control of the Christians. Or that God is only in control of the "good things" that happen in this life. But we must firmly and wholly believe that the Lord our God, He is God; and there is no other... which includes ALL the people, nations, tribes and tongues. It doesn't matter who they "claim" to be their "god"... There is NO GOD except the Lord our God.

"The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham." -- The "gathering of the peoples" here is most likely referring to a government meeting... a meeting of all the different nations... a meeting between multiple tribes, nations and peoples. And the psalmist makes the comment that they are gathering "as the people of the God of Abraham."

This does NOT mean that they are all Christians. This does not mean that they are all believers. This is not a universal salvation message, which would clearly contradict verse 4, where we understand clearly that God chose His people from before the foundations of the world. Instead, the psalmist wants us to understand that there is nothing that a government or nation can do that is outside of the Sovereignty of God. There is nothing that a people group can do, which can thwart the plan of the Almighty God. Everyone is under His authority. Everyone is under His reign. Everyone is not only accountable to His decrees, but they are responsible to follow His ways. No one is outside of the plan of God. That is what the psalmist is saying here.

"For the shields of the earth belong to God" -- The "shields of the earth" are the leaders of nations and the leaders of people. And the psalmist is explaining that God is totally sovereign over all people and all tribes and all nations. There is no leader that has gone outside of the ruling Sovereignty of God. All things work according to His plan. And all things work together for those who love God.

We must understand that there is no plan outside of God's plan. There is no decree greater than God's decree.

You might think to yourself, "Well, that means I can go on sinning all I want to, because everything is a part of God's plan." The reason that this is a false understanding is because when you are saved by God's Grace, when you are Justified by Faith Alone, then there is a NEW desire in your heart. You now WANT what God wants. You now DESIRE what God desires. You now seek the Will of God for your life. For this reason you cannot "go on sinning all the more, that Grace may abound." Paul addresses this in the Bible.

"He is highly exalted!" -- as the final phrase of a psalm of praise, the writer makes it clear that we are to praise God, and recognize Him as "highly exalted."

To be "highly exalted" is to be seated on His high, Holy throne. To regard Him as "highly exalted" is to understand our position in comparison to His glory. He is "high and lifted up," and we are "to bow before the Lord our maker" and to "worship at His footstool." As we regard the Lord our God as "highly exalted," we understand that there is no one to be viewed in a higher way than Him. It is He Alone who is worthy of our praise. He is to be worshipped as "highly exalted" and presently reigning on His Holy Throne.

It is easy for us to get so caught up in this world, that we forget to rely on God's Sovereignty. Often we will focus our attention on earthly, temporal matters, instead of "setting our eyes on the things that are above." The world would love for us to disobey God's command to Joshua and "turn to the left and turn to the right," but instead, we must fix our eyes on the Creator and Sustainer of all time and space and matter. For He alone is God.

There is nothing more important than doing the work of the Lord. There is nothing of higher priority than following the way of the Lord. That is why you see people drop everything in this life and follow Jesus. Often times it does not make sense. Most times people will question their decisions. But when someone is truly and wholly convinced that this world is not our home, and that this body is just a tent, then you will find a person who is sold out for the Kingdom of God. Their body, pride, earthly possessions, education and desires of this world are counted as NOTHING for the sake of the one true Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Today, take confidence in the fact that God is Sovereign over ALL things and ALL people. And in this confidence, trust God's plan for your life enough that you are willing to "count the cost" and follow Jesus, no matter where that means you need to go.