1 Clap your hands, all you nations;
shout to God with cries of joy.
2 For the Lord Most High is awesome,
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.
5 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.
7 For God is the King of all the earth;
sing to him a psalm of praise.
8 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. (Psalms 47)
The psalms of Korah (12 psalms: 42-49, 84-85, 87-88) thoroughly manifest the abundant lives and profound experiences of the sons of Korah. These psalms are filled with the fear of God, and the thanksgiving and adoration to God.
The author of Psalm 47 is a descendant of Korah! Who is Korah? Numbers 16 tells us that Korah, the great-grandson of Levi, gathered together 250 community leaders to oppose Moses and Aaron. Korah and his followers were was condemned for contempt of the Lord, and God made the earth open, and consumed Korah, his followers, together with their families and all their possesions.
However, God’s pruning brought transformation to the lives of Korah’s descendents. They knew that "the Lord Most High is awesome" and worthy of praise (v. 2-5, 8-9). They were totally humbled and thankful! They said, though we pass through the “Valley of Baka”, God has “made it a place of springs; and the autumn rains also cover it with pools”. (Psalm 84:6) At the same time, they also knew that God had given them life and time to live their lives. They must then sing praises to Him and worship Him all their lives. (V. 1, 6-7)
Dear brothers and sisters, while we are staying at home during this pandemic, whether we are working, playing with the children, cooking, or cleaning at home... we do not need to deliberately squeeze in some time to praise the Lord with all our hearts, and let Him renew and strengthen us.
Praise the Lord, staying home during this pandemic also gave us the opportunity to practice family worship. Not only do you get closer to God, but you are also leading your family to worship Him. It is like you are confined in Noah’s Ark, looking up at through the skylight, waiting for the rainbow signifying God’s covenant to appear.
Praise the Lord, it is also a time for us to offer our thanks to God for sending us Jesus Christ, the precious cornerstone, the foundation of our lives. Without Him, we would still be wandering with nowhere to rest today. For this reason, we thank God, and welcome Jesus into our home. We pray that we can live Christlike life so that we may testify for Jesus, and enthusiastically proclaim the Gospel so that many will be reconciled with God, and the Holy Spirit will gladly indwell in them.