KING OF THE EARTH

Who is your king? Who has ultimate control of your life? Is it you? Is it someone else? The answer to those questions will determine the direction of your life.

In many passages throughout the Bible, it is stated that God is our King. In fact, He is the King of all the earth. One of those passages is Psalm 47. In Psalm 47, the Sons of Korah, a division of the ancient priests of the Temple, proclaim the Lord as the King of all the earth.

Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples!

Shout to God with the voice of triumph!

For the LORD Most High is awesome;

He is a great King over all the earth.

(Psalm 47:1-2, NKJV)

The Lord is King over all the earth.

This is stated as a matter of fact. He is the King over all the earth. Not part of the earth. Not over those who accept Him as King only. Over ALL the earth. Over those who accept Him as King and those who do not. He rules them all, just the same. We do not get a vote in the matter. God is not a president, or an elected official. He is a King. He is the sovereign Lord of the universe. Everything and everyone is under His control. The only question is, how will we respond to the King?

We should recognize the Lord as King and rejoice.

The opening verses of Psalm 47 encourage the reader to do two things. First, we should recognize the Lord as King. The fact that the Lord is King over all the earth is given as the reason to clap your hands and shout to God with a voice of triumph. If we do not recognize Him as King, there would be no reason to rejoice. Our worship should be to honor the Lord, to celebrate Him, to recognize Him as our King. If it is done for any other reason, we are worshipping something other than God. Proper worship is a matter of focus more than form.

Secondly, we should rejoice in God's presence. Worship should be a joyful experience. We should celebrate God and His glory. In this psalm, we are told to shout to God with a voice of triumph. There are times to worship in reverence. There are times to worship with shouting and singing. All of it should honor our great God and King.

Do you recognize the Lord as your King? Do you rejoice at the thought of Him?