* The image titled, "Historiated Title-Page Border" is in a book by David, Jan (1545?-1613) which is titled "Christeliicken waerseggher : de principale stucken van t'christen geloof en Leuen int cort begrijpende. Met een rolle der deugtsaemheyt daer op dienende. Ende een schildt-wacht teghen de valsche waersegghers, tooueraers, etc. / Deur den e. Heer P. Ioannes David, priester der Societeijt Iesu"
This historiated title-page border depicts images of King David (right) with harp and scepter, and John the Baptist (left) with lamb and cross. Each holds a banner with a Dutch inscription.
David's references Psalm 47 and John the Baptist's Matthew 3.
Courtesy of the Digital Image Archive, Pitts Theology Library, Candler School of Theology, Emory University: http://www.pitts.emory.edu. It is now in public domain.
>1.
* Psalm 47:1 "Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy."
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* Here is the command of the Lord God Most High, "Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy." One might think that this is a ridiculous command because for sure, everyone will clamp and shout because they have joy in the Lord. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit.
Yet, people who say they believe in God and in Jesus Christ, his Son stand in a church (when they attend it) like stone and bronze statues as music plays. The mind is filled with plans for the day's sports events, meals, and celebrations. Later in the day when their team scores points and beats their opponent they are filled with joy and talk about it all week long and every Sunday preach about their team with enthusiasm. Then once again they are a Sunday statue when praise is sung. Not even the command of the Lord God Most High will cause the stiff arms of the hard-hearted to clap.
Jesus' words are still true, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: "'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.'" (Mark 7:6-7) Examine the heart to see what is my problem. This has eternal implications. If the heart is far now, then it will be an infinity away after the day of judgment.
Listen to the above comments on Psalm 47:1.
>2.
* Psalm 47:2-4 "How awesome is the LORD Most High, the great King over all the earth!
3 He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet.
4 He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom he loved. Selah"
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* The LORD Most High in the original Hebrew is "YHWH Elyon". "Elyon" emphasizes the exalted nature of God who controls the destiny of the universe, all nations, and all individuals. (Genesis 14:18-20; Psalm 78:34-35) "YHWH" emphasizes the covenant God of Israel, referring to Moses' burning yet not consumed bush incident. (Exodus 3:14) Indeed, God is here called "The great King over all the earth!"
The attention to detail and control with absolute power for the benefit of his people who are known by his name is expanded upon. The LORD Most High subdues nations under his people. He chooses their inheritance according to his endless and complete love for them. God uses his authority to control all for the welfare of those who love him in every detail.
The truth revealed here concerning the nature of God and his interaction with his creation, including all humans, and especially his people initiates deep thought about destiny, predestination, and choice that perhaps will generate a decision about these complex and confusing subjects. A warning -this may require aspirin.
I am focusing on the truth in verse 4, "He chose our inheritance for us..." For Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and all of Israel this was the land of promise, Canaan. For Israel to obtain and keep the land promised, the LORD Most High God needed to have absolute control of entire nations as well as individual lives often in miraculous ways since the foundations of the earth were laid by his hand. (Exodus 32:13; Matthew 25:34; Acts 13:19)
The apostles revealed to those who believe in the Messiah Jesus that the inheritance to come was more than a plot of land. The eternal inheritance to come is the kingdom of God, the kingdom of light that Jesus often preached about. (Ephesians 1:18, 5:5; Colossians 1:12, 3:24; Hebrews 9:15; 1 Peter 1:4) To keep this promise the LORD Most High would not only need to control the earth in every detail, but also the heavens and all that dwell within. Already his control enabled over three hundred prophecies about the Messiah to be fulfilled in the life of Jesus.
Ephesians 1:11-14 says, "In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory."
Listen to the above comments on Psalm 47:2-4.
>3.
* Psalm 47:5-7 "God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the LORD amid the sounding of trumpets.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises."
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* The pinnacle of this praise and adoration psalm are verses 5 and 6. The Lord Most High, the great King over all the earth has ascended to his throne in the temple with the sounding of trumpets (ram's horns). The psalm was penned by The Sons of Korah for the dedication of the Temple during the Feast of Tabernacles. (Leviticus 23:34; 1 Kings 8:1-14) The priests took the Ark of the Covenant up from the place that David had sent up in a tent to the temple Solomon built at the top of Mount Zion, now known as the Temple Mount. The silver trumpets and ram's horns sounded.
The ceremony during Solomon's reign mimicked the Lord coming to his people on Mount Sinai during Moses' life on earth. "I am going to come to you in a dense cloud..." he told Moses to tell the people. Exodus 19:16-19 records, "On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently, and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. Then Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him."
The same will happen when Jesus will come again. The Apostles and all the first believers equated this psalm as a prophecy of Jesus' second coming. Apostle Paul prophecized, "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever." (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) And Apostle Paul wrote, "Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-- in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed." (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)
Finally, Apostle John was commanded to record, "The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: 'The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.' And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God," (Revelation 11:15-16)
Listen to the above comments on Psalm 47:5-6.
>4.
* Psalm 47:7-9 "For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise. God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne.
9 The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham, for the kings of the earth belong to God; he is greatly exalted."
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* "God is King of all the earth" is again proclaimed in the present absolute and adoration in Psalm and song is again commanded. More truths follow the jubilant proclamation of the heavenly monarchy. A key one "all the earth" is defined as "the nations" from the Hebrew "goy" meaning the Gentles, The people of the God of Abraham are with them. Jew and Gentle gathered before the throne of the Lord Most High who is seated on his throne.
The twenty-four elders who fell on their faces and worshiped God as stated in yesterday's BDBD say, "'We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. The nations were angry; and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great-- and for destroying those who destroy the earth.' Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm." (Revelation 11:17-19)
Listen to the above comments on Psalm 47:7-9.
II. Most Worthy of Praise (48:1-8)
* The image titled, "The Count" is in a book by Holbein, Hans (1497-1543) Totentanz which is titled " Les Images de la mort [de H. Holbein] : avx quelles sont adioustées douze figures ... La medecine de l'ame. La consolation des malades. Vn sermon de mortalité, par sainct Cyprian. Vn sermon de patience, par sainct Iehan Chrysostome ... "
A skeleton (= Death) prepares to punish a count for oppressing and mistreating his laborers by crushing him with the object of his pride and the symbol of his authority: his family coat of arms. The objects and ornaments of his coat of arms are seen scattered on the ground. The 54 images of Hans Holbein's "The Dance of Death" (Lyon, 1538) were cut by Hans Luetzelburger and here appear in the 1547 Latin edition of the work.
Psalm 48 is cited.
Courtesy of the Digital Image Archive, Pitts Theology Library, Candler School of Theology, Emory University: http://www.pitts.emory.edu. It is now in public domain.
>5.
* Psalm 48:1-3 "Great is the LORD, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain.
2 It is beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth. Like the utmost heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion, the city of the Great King.
3 God is in her citadels; he has shown himself to be her fortress."
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* The previous psalm has the Lord, the Great Most High God entering his temple on Mount Zion. Beneath the temple is the City of David where the people of Jerusalem lived. The Lord God is praised and worshiped in the temple Solomon built in Jerusalem. Though God dwells in heaven and his presence is in all the earth, Jerusalem was the place the Lord chose to meet with his people. It is beautiful because of the Lord. Though Jerusalem is a fortified city with citadels, the Lord is the true fortress.
Since the Lord Jesus died, rose from death, ascended to heaven, and sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in his people, I am the temple of God. Apostle Paul wrote to the congregation in Corinth, "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple." (1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 6:9) I am scared. I am beautiful. God is my fortification.
Listen to the above comments on Psalm 48:1-3.
>6.
* Psalm 48:4-7 "When the kings joined forces, when they advanced together,
5 they saw [her] and were astounded; they fled in terror.
6 Trembling seized them there, pain like that of a woman in labor.
7 You destroyed them like ships of Tarshish shattered by an east wind."
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* The previous verses reminded me that I am the temple of God for Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within and with my soul. I dwell in God and God dwells within me. He is my fortress as the Lord in the temple in Jerusalem was its fortress protector. When I am weak he is strong. When I am strong he is my strength. (Psalm 142:3-5)
Forces assault me every day. Some are people, some are evil spirits, some are insects, and some are inanimate gimcracks annoying the senses. They can join forces with the intent to drain life and joy from the temple of God.
The Holy Spirit can stifle the assaults for the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Since I live by the Spirit, I will keep in step with the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-26) Full of the Holy Spirit, look up the heaven and see the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. (Acts 7:55) The force of the Spirit is within. The counter-assault will tremble-seize the robbing forces. The Lord destroys them like the ships of Tarshish shattered by an east wind. They will leave and I will live in peace. The Lord Jesus is my fortress within.
Listen to the above comments on Psalm 48:4-7.
>7.
* Psalm 48:8 "As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD Almighty, in the city of our God: God makes her secure forever. Selah"
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* When people tell me something is amazing to behold it is not the same as personally witnessing it myself. I often heard of the splendor of the Grand Canyon in my youth. Having never seen a canyon before I did not have much of a desire to go to see it myself. Then when I finally witnessed the Grand Canyon's splendor I was truly amazed. Before the visit, I had seen the horizon from a mountain and a beach and was impressed. After I stood on the crest of the Grand Canyon during a winter's morning sunrise I understood and appreciated the beauty of the depth perception it displayed as never before.
The Israelites had heard that Jerusalem, the city of David had been made secure by the Lord God. Their parents and grandparents had told them so. Then when they visited it themselves they could see the thick stone walls and towering citadels. The fortress withstood many attacks until the Lord sent the Babylonians to besiege and attack Jerusalem. The city fell because of the continued sins of his people. So it was proven that the Lord himself had made it secure, not the thick stone blocks. Once he removed his protection the city's strength was no more.
Yesterday I may have been healthy and strong. It is the Lord who made that possible. Tomorrow I may be sickly and weak. It is the Lord that could make that possible if I do not love and fear him today.
Listen to the above comments on Psalm 48:8.
III. Meditate on God's Unfailing Love (48:9-14)
>8.
* Psalm 48:9-11 "Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love.
10 Like your name, O God, your praise reaches to the ends of the earth; your right hand is filled with righteousness.
11 Mount Zion rejoices, the villages of Judah are glad because of your judgments."
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* Continuing the thought that in the present age the people of God, the church is the temple of God I am reminded to meditate on the Lord God's unfailing love. The quiet of the morning is a time I have set aside to contemplate the past day and pray to be in his will in the new day. I have slipped from the steps I take during meditation; ask God through the Spirit to guide my thoughts, experience his presence, meditate on his love, his righteousness as displayed in the past twenty-four hours, and his judgment and his leading throughout the past day. This I do after BDBD.
The Israelites went to the temple in Jerusalem to meditate on his unfailing love. Now, with the Spirit of God within I do not need a building. Now, I need a time set assigned and the willingness to commune with God. As David wrote in 26:3, "for your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth." And Psalm 113:3 says, "From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the LORD is to be praised."
Listen to the above comments on Psalm 48:9-11.
>9.
* Psalm 48:12-14 "Walk about Zion, go around her, count her towers,
13 consider well her ramparts, view her citadels, that you may tell of them to the next generation.
14 For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end."
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* The psalm ends with an instruction to the people to examine Jerusalem, the City of God, Zion, and the Holy Mountain. They are to consider the fortifications that protect the citizens, God's chosen people. The entire psalm interchanges images of the city and the God who dwells in and protects the city. The fortifications built into the city are how they can visibly see some of God's protective measures. However, the mechanism that actually protects them is their God. The Lord Jesus protects for ever and ever. The protection is not inanimate. God guides them in an interactive personal love.
The possessions I have are not to be where my security lies. Money, power, skill, intelligence, wisdom, family, friends, physique, and riches are gifts God gives to enable me to do righteous acts. They are not my protection and security. Later the prophet Isaiah wrote, "They will neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the desert heat or the sun beat upon them. He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water." (Isaiah 49:10) And he wrote, "The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." (Isaiah 58:11)
