Sunday Devotional 21st of May 2023
by Bruce Billington
We are continuing to explore the knowledge of God as expressed in the Psalms. This week we will explore Psalm 47 – a Psalm of the sons of Korah.
Psalm 47:2-4 – “2 For the LORD Most High is to be feared, A great King over all the earth. 3 He subdues peoples under us And nations under our feet. 4 He chooses our inheritance for us, The glory of Jacob whom He loves. Selah.”
God is awesome beyond any description we can manage – but that did not stop the Psalmists from making excellent attempts to describe Him. It should be the same for us. We should proclaim Him both for who He is and for what He does for all the created order, of which we are only a part.
He is a great King over ALL the earth. He is no petty ruler over certain regions or peoples – He, in His infinite majesty, rules over everything and in Him and Him alone lies the destiny of all of life. He rules over every authority and power that would seek to find an expression in any part of the world. Of course, this means He also rules over all spiritual powers, including angels and demons.
As we humble ourselves before Him in praise and honour, we should also acknowledge all that He does for His people – us. The Psalmists often reflect upon the past triumphs God had given Israel over their enemies. We should do the same. The recollection of past triumphs gives us unwavering hope for the future because God never changes – He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).
As we bring this into the New Covenant, we understand that we are beneficiaries of this new covenant with God through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Although we live in a world that seems to be completely turning away from Him, often in the most hideous of ways, we need to understand that God is not alarmed by any of this. In fact, Psalm 2 tells us that He sits in the heavens and laughs – not at the pain and anguish such sin causes, but at humanities attempt to live life without Him and in a manner that is opposed to His ways.
As a result, we are not only called to be without fear about what is going on around us – God calls us to something much higher than that. He calls us to rejoice. To do so calls us back to who He is and what He is doing. We express this joy in our praise and worship and in the sharing of our testimonies as to what God is doing and has done in our lives. We must remember that Jesus Christ sought after us not to chastise us but to release us from bondage and make us a glorious people who are being conformed to His image.
At times there are long periods of time between the situations of life we encounter and the actions of God in bringing redemption or restoration. It may seem like, during these times, that God has abandoned us or at least separated from us for a time. But this is never the case. It is during these times that we must continue to pursue Him and His ways, knowing that, at the perfect time He will act and subdue all that are opposed to Him and His ways.
Verse 4 says He chooses our inheritance for us. This inheritance begins with a special dignity that is given to all of those in Christ. This comes not through anything we have earned or deserved – it is a very special privilege that comes to all those who choose to follow the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is both personal for each of us and collective for us as His bride who receive and are given the privilege to participate in the Kingdom of God.
1 Peter 1:4 describes our inheritance in this way,
an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.
This is available in Christ today and will be fulfilled and endure throughout eternity. Matthew Henry makes this comment.
“God shall choose my inheritance for me; let him appoint me my lot, and I will acquiesce in the appointment. He knows what is good for me better than I do for myself, and therefore I will have no will of my own but what is resolved into his.”
This only leaves us to say again “what a mighty God we serve.”
God bless you.
Bruce Billington