Good morning!
Text: Deuteronomy 23-26; Psalm 47
Psalm 47 is a celebration of God’s kingship. Verses 1-2 caught my eye:
Clap your hands, all peoples!Shout to God with loud songs of joy!For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared,a great king over all the earth.
I don’t know how that might strike you, but to me it seems a bit odd. The first verse brings into view excited, celebratory praise. The reason for such rejoicing, found in verse two, is because the Lord is to be feared. Fear usually provokes a response of trembling, cowering, hiding, or perhaps fleeing. But clapping of the hands and singing for joy?
Indeed this is a great complication for us. God is to be feared. He hates sin (for an indication of just how much, consider the cross and Hell). You and I are sinners. Fear makes sense. At the same time, He is our great savior and our perfect King. So shouts and songs of joy make sense. Our worship ought to bring these together. Fear of our awesome, holy, righteous and just God…. and delight in our loving King. Both are true.
in Him, Mike