Recap: This Psalm looks forward to the Messianic Kingdom as God once again exalts the Jewish nation, and all the other nations of the earth bow in submission to the reign of the Messiah from the throne of David. The psalm can be divided into three sections: (i) the victory of the King (1-4); (ii) the royal procession (5-7); and (iii) the King's rule in the world (8-9).
| 47: | 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 understanding. |
This part of the psalm (v 5) uses an image taken directly from 2 Samuel 6:15 when King David brought the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem. Since the Hebrew words for with a shout and with the sound of a trumpet are identical in both passages, the psalm pictures God rising to take His earthly throne, possibly referring back to that single great event in David's time. (v 6) Repeated command to sing praises creates the feeling of a huge, lively crowd shouting their applause. (v 7) Finally, the word understanding (maskil) at the end, while sometimes meaning with a psalm, more accurately means with understanding or with skill, which is the sense the Apostle Paul likely drew upon when he spoke of singing with the mind also (I Cor 14:15).
Prayer: Father: I worship you, like David, but a bigger scale, that you are going to take charge of this world. Knowing this, Lord, help me to praise with joy and gladness. Lord, I pray that let my praise and worship is with understanding and with meaning; and not mere mechanical one. Amen