Sing, you kingdoms!

"Glory of the Lamb - Revelation 5:13" by David van der Plaats (The Bible and Its Story Vol 10)

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Chronicles 18-21;  Psalm 68

 TO CHEW ON: "Sing to God you kingdoms of the earth;
O sing praise to the Lord.  - Psalm 68:32

It's interesting how our two readings complement each other. In Chronicles, we see David going to war, conquering even the giants, and read the author's observation: "And the Lord preserved David wherever he went" - 1 Chronicles 18:13. 

In the psalm David describes one of his battles.

There is blood (Psalm 68:21-23).

There is a procession (Psalm 68:24-27).

And there is the obeisance of earth's rulers (Psalm 68:28-31):

"Sing to God you kingdoms of the earth;

O sing praises to the Lord."

David's words suggest a voluntary—not a forced—praise. They bring to mind the wonderful scene from Revelation:

"After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” - Revelation 7:9-10.

I see this psalm as a picture of life.

• Life on earth is our battlefield.

• We anticipate the final victory that we know is coming:

 "So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written:
'Death is swallowed up in victory.'
 'O Death, where is your sting?
 O Hades, where is your victory?'
The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" - 1 Corinthians 15:54-57.

Then will come the time when all on earth will acknowledge God for who He is:

“As I live, says the Lord. 
Every knee shall bow to Me, 
And every tongue shall confess to God”- Romans 14:11 (quoting Isaiah 45:23).

PRAYER: Dear God, in a world that doesn't even acknowledge Your existence, the sight of the kingdoms of earth singing Your praises seems almost unimaginable. Help me to cling to this hope with unwavering faith. Amen. 

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 68

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Clap for God

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Psalm 47:1-9

TO CHEW ON: “O clap your hands, all you peoples!
Shout to God with the voice of triumph?” Psalm 47:1

Clapping is an interesting human action. Its #1 definition in the dictionary is “to strike with the palms of one’s hand against one another resoundingly and usually repeatedly, especially to express approval.”

When do we clap?

At concerts, lectures, and readings. At baseball, hockey, basketball, and football games. But in the middle of worship at church?

Here the Sons of Korah are urging worshipers to clap for God. Why? They give some reasons: Because He is awesome, the great King of all Earth, He controls nations and gives victory over them, gives an inheritance to His people, and is exalted.

This psalm shimmers with exuberance, energy, joy, and victory. It’s a psalm we’d read and identify with on a good day. Not so much on a bad one… or maybe that’s exactly the time it should be required reading—at the beginning or in the middle of a battle.

I love the story of King Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20) and how when he was threatened by surrounding nations, he reminded himself and the people of who God is. He told God how helpless he felt in the face of these threats. God responded by giving Jahaziel prophetic encouragement for him. The Levites replied in praise “with voices loud and high.” And the next day, Jehoshaphat arranged his army in an unusual way:

 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying:
“Praise the Lord,
For His mercy endures forever.” 

Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated (2 Chronicles 20:21,22)

Their praise moved God’s hand. Isn’t that wonderful?

In the light of that, maybe we could read, quote, and follow Psalm 47’s example of praise not just when things are good, but as part of our battle strategy. We could use it as a weapon of praise, a physical expression of faith (with clapping, singing, and speaking praise) reminding us of who God is.

PRAYER: Dear God, You are awesome and King over all Earth. Help me to remember this next time things aren’t going well with me, and give physical expression to my adoration of who You are and my faith in what you will and are doing with singing, praising, and clapping. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.