Overwhelmed……. In a Good Way
Psalms 47:1-9
Every one of us has probably been in a situation where we experienced or saw someone else experience “child-like wonder”. That is a response to a situation in which someone is so overwhelmed with good stuff that they don’t know what to do. It could be when they received a gift, or when they got some exciting news, or maybe even with a new pet visiting their homes. It’s this same sense of wonderment that I want to focus on today as we examine Psalm 47. In Psalm 47 it is a psalm of triumph. The Israelites were celebrating victory and were worshiping God. They were declaring just how great God was in this victory and wanted everyone to hear and rejoice as well. While we can certainly learn a lot about God when we read this psalm, we have something that the Psalmist did not have when writing this, and that’s the entirety of scripture. We get to see how everything works out for the nation of Israel, we get to see the coming of the Messiah, and we even get a glimpse into the future within the pages of the book of the Revelation. So, this morning I want to look at this triumphant psalm, but I want to look at it in light of the book of Revelation. My prayer this morning is that we will leave this place overwhelmed, but in a good way.
Psalm 47
For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah. 1 Come, everyone! Clap your hands! Shout to God with joyful praise! 2 For the Lord Most High is awesome. He is the great King of all the earth.
The Psalmist starts with proclaiming that everyone should get excited about what God has done and that He is awesome. This word “awesome” is very much overused in our vocabulary and its overuse has caused it to lose its power. Charles Spurgeon had this to say about the Psalmist’s declaration of the awesomeness of God. “He is most great in power, lofty in dominion, eminent in wisdom, elevated in glory. None can resist his power or stand before his vengeance; yet as these terrors are wielded on the behalf of his subjects, they are fit reasons for rejoicing. He is terrible to crush, is almighty to protect.” In just a few words, the Psalmist is trying to describe the indescribable. This is the same thing that John was faced with in the book of the Revelation. He was told to write down things that were too magnificent for words, but he did his best when he was first faced with the glorified Jesus Christ.
Revelation 1:12-18
12 When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands. 13 And standing in the middle of the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. 14 His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire. 15 His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. 16 He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was like the sun in all its brilliance. 17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the living one. I died but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.
John, a disciple of Jesus, was one of His closest friends. He was one who ministered with Him for three years, who had seen more miracles than were recorded in scripture, who was there at the transfiguration, who was there when He was crucified, who was there when He died, who was there on Easter Morning to witness the empty tomb, who witnessed the resurrected Jesus, who witnessed the accession, and who witnessed Pentecost. This man, who has seen and been with Jesus in many different situations, fell down to His feet like DEAD when exposed to Jesus in all His glory. There are no words to describe what John saw. He was overwhelmed, and we should be too when we think about the indescribable awesomeness of our God and King, Jesus Christ.
Psalm 47:3
3 He subdues the nations before us, putting our enemies beneath our feet.
In this psalm, we know that there was a great victory over a great enemy. They were declaring that it wasn’t by their effort that their enemy fell, but rather God who went before them to defeat their enemies. While we don’t know exactly what battle was being celebrated here, we do know that all throughout the Old Testament we see God going before them and giving them victory and triumph in situations that seemed impossible. It had to be overwhelming to see God do the impossible time and time again, even when they knew what God did for them last time. There’s that sinful nature that doubts, and then God comes shining through again. God defeated their enemies. As we look at this from the entirety of scripture especially in light of the New Testament, we can come to the understanding that since Jesus came we can declare people are not our enemies. They are rather deceived by our enemy, and who is that great deceiver? Satan! He is our ultimate enemy, but just like with these nations that fought against the Israelites, God went before them and conquered their foes. God the Father did the same thing when He sent God the Son to die for us, because by His blood, Satan was defeated once and for all.
Revelation 20:7-10
7 When the thousand years come to an end, Satan will be let out of his prison. 8 He will go out to deceive the nations—called Gog and Magog—in every corner of the earth. He will gather them together for battle—a mighty army, as numberless as sand along the seashore. 9 And I saw them as they went up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded God’s people and the beloved city. But fire from heaven came down on the attacking armies and consumed them. 10 Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Satan is a conquered foe and has been ever since the tomb was empty. His time is coming, and judgment awaits. There’s an old saying that says, “When Satan reminds you of your past, remind him of His future.” The only reason we can rejoice in this truth is through the blood of Jesus Christ. It’s through His blood that my sins are forgiven and cast as far away as the east is from the west. Through His blood Satan’s future is revealed here in Revelation 20. Be overwhelmed church, your enemy is defeated because Jesus went before you.
Psalm 47:4
4 He chose the Promised Land as our inheritance, the proud possession of Jacob’s descendants, whom he loves.
The Israelites were foreigners in a strange land for most of their existence. They were yearning for the land promised to Abraham. They struggled in Egypt, they wondered in the wilderness, and they fought to enter that promised land. Now they were excited and were encouraging each other that they finally had a place that was their own. It was procured by God Himself because of His love for His people. Christians find themselves in a very interesting place here because we aren’t to our promised land yet. We are still strangers in a strange land, but know for certain that one day, if Jesus is Lord of your life, there is a place waiting for you.
Revelation 21:1-7
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” 5 And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” 6 And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. 7 All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.
I think it’s very telling that of all the things God could have told us about this place He has prepared for those who are His children, He chose this. Scripture tells us that no eye has seen nor has any ear heard what God has in store for us, but when He lets us get a sneak peek, He tells us that God is finally at home with His people. The problem sin caused in the garden (separation from God) was finally remedied. It’s the Gospel and it should overwhelm us that God has something in store for us that will absolutely blow our minds, but most importantly, He will be there with us forever.
Psalm 47:5
5 God has ascended with a mighty shout. The Lord has ascended with trumpets blaring.
In Old Testament times, when the King would return to the city walls after a victory, there would be a large fanfare. Everyone would come to the walls and celebrate the victory with their King. It would be an encouragement to the people to hear those trumpets and know the King had returned in victory. Listen to what Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-17
13 And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died, so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. 15 We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. 17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.
Brothers and Sisters in Christ, read that again. Jesus is coming back, we will celebrate His victory forever, singing all the songs of victory and praise that are laid out all throughout the book of Revelation. Jesus is coming back! Let the goodness of that thought overwhelm you. Jesus is coming back for His church!
Psalm 47:6-9
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises! 7 For God is the King over all the earth. Praise him with a psalm. 8 God reigns above the nations, sitting on his holy throne. 9 The rulers of the world have gathered together with the people of the God of Abraham. For all the kings of the earth belong to God. He is highly honored everywhere.
Here we see the psalmist close out the psalm by declaring that God is not just the King of the Israelites, but the King over all the kings of the earth. He is the greatest and there is no one to compare to Him. Every bit of this psalm proclaims what He said in the beginning - God is awesome. We know that God has been awesome from before time began and will be till eternity future. We get a glimpse of the majesty of God the Son that the Israelites didn’t.
Revelation 19:11-16
11 Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. 12 His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. 13 He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. 15 From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a wine press. 16 On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.
Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of all, there is no doubt. The implications of this are mind-blowing. He is over EVERYTHING forever and always and Paul tells us in Philippians that every tongue will confess this. EVERYONE will declare Jesus to be Lord of Lords and King of Kings. How amazing is that? Church, be overwhelmed that Jesus is King of ALL.
One of the most overwhelming things about our amazing God is His love for us. In our sinfulness, in our rebellion, in our hatred of Him, while we were still His enemy, He sent His son to die for us. Just take a day and meditate on that fact. You will be overwhelmed and overflowing with worship - enough that will last you from now until Jesus returns. The love of God is a thing that cannot be explained adequately with any human words or emotion, but can be experienced by each and every one of us who will call upon the name of the Lord.
It’s the Gospel. Our sin separated us from God and nothing we can do can fix it, but God in mercy and grace made a way via Jesus. Remember when we talked about Jesus being the King of Kings and that every tongue would confess this? We need to talk about the timing of this confession, because the timing of this confession means everything. Scripture tells us that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved - saved from the penalty of your sin. When we do this on this side of eternity, we are saved from what is to come. When we do this on that side of eternity it’s not going to be because we trust Jesus as our Savior, but rather because we are overwhelmed with the majesty of God, and we have seen that He is awesome. Those who only proclaim this truth on that side of eternity will have to face the punishment for their sins. Those who do it on this side of eternity accept the gift of forgiveness that Jesus offered. There is no other way. Everyone will confess, but the question is what side of eternity will you confess this truth.
As you can see from this very brief psalm, God is amazing, God is good, God is indescribable, and God is so much that we should always be in a sense of childlike wonder when we consider Him, when we praise Him, when we worship, when we meditate on Him. We should be overwhelmed, but in a good way.
