turn in your bibles to psalm
47 we read the following psalm 47 to the chief musician a psalm
for the sons of korah oh clap your hands all ye people shout
unto god with the voice of triumph For the Lord Most High is terrible.
He is a great king over all the earth. He shall subdue the people
under us and the nations under our feet. He shall choose our
inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom he loved. Selah. God is gone up with a shout.
The Lord with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to God. Sing praises. Sing praises unto our King. Sing praises. For God is the
King of all the earth. Sing ye praises with understanding. God reigneth over the heathen.
God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness. The princes of
the people are gathered together, even the people of the God of
Abraham, for the shields of the earth belong unto God. He is greatly exalted. Verse 5. God is gone up with
a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. This is a wondrous
psalm of victory and triumph. There is no mention of sorrow
or of trouble here. There is no cry of the psalmist
to the Lord when in trouble as we see in so many psalms and
how comforting they are when you can read with the psalmist
the experience and say I've been where he is. I've been in trouble. I've been cast out. I've cried
like he cried and I've been hurt. But here is a psalm of a different
tone. Here is a psalm purely of praise
of victory and of triumph. The overwhelming focus of this
psalm is to set the attention of you and I and God's people
on the great and the mighty power of God and his great triumph
in salvation. O clap your hands all ye people,
shout unto God with the voice of triumph. God is victorious. God has wrought salvation. God has triumphed. Our God, our
King reigns over all. This is joyous. This is triumphant. And such triumph and such joy
is born out of a great time out of a long stretch of time of
sorrow when there is much battle when there is much warfare when
you're cast down when you struggle for so long and then finally
there's victory then your heart rises up and shouts and your
hands clap and you rejoice and praise in the victory. Sometimes
it's hard in our peaceful days nationally to entirely see this,
but if you think back to the sort of feeling that the country
would have had at the end of the First World War or the end
of the Second World War, the jubilation of the people there
gives you something of the sense of jubilation of which the Sahih
Masih speaks. After years of misery in the
Second World War when the day was announced that war was over. Finally the struggle was at an
end. Finally the battle was won. Finally
the nation had triumphed over evil. Oh the joy there was amongst
all the people throughout all the country. to have this great
cloud lifted from off your head this great fear that reigned
in the hearts of all the people in all the country year after
year to have it finally removed and no longer be live in a life
where you don't know what a day will bring, when you don't know
whether the bombs might fall, where you don't know whether
you, in your street, might be amongst those who suffer and
die, or you don't know whether your loved ones, your son, off
on the battlefields, might fall in battle and one day you might
receive the dreadful letter that your son or your sons or your
family members are dead. When all of that heartache, all
of that tragedy, all of that fear, all the burden and the
cloud of warfare is finally lifted and victory is announced Oh how
the nation, oh how the people rise up in joy, unbridled joy,
relief, triumph. Well that was experienced as
a reality at the end of the Second World War and similarly at the
end of the First World War and at other points when nations
have been delivered out of great calamity that people have rejoiced. But here the psalmist speaks
to a people like that. Here is a people who have known
what it is to be oppressed. Who've known what it is to be
burdened. And then they are released. The
battle is won. The triumph is over. Israel of
old as a nation knew this. The psalmist speaks to a people
in a physical sense. They knew what it was to be at
war. They knew what it was to have
enemies and they knew what it was for their Lord and their
God to deliver them from their enemies. Delivered out of Egypt,
led by Moses through the wilderness for 40 years. Finally Joshua leads them into
the land that was promised unto them. And in that land they face
many people. There were giants in the land.
There were nations who could rip them to pieces. They were
outnumbered. And yet God had promised them
victory. Yet humanly speaking they'd have
looked. They sent the spies in. They went into the land and they
spied out that land. And they saw who stood before
them. And humanly speaking they'd have
feared. But their trust wasn't in themselves. In their own might. In their
own ability. In their own numbers. They looked
unto their God for help. And He delivered them from all
their enemies. How we read of Joshua at Jericho. The spies had gone in, they'd
spied out this great city. This walled city. This impenetrable
city. How do you take a city surrounded
by thick walls? Tactically, militarily, it was
impossible. They couldn't take Jericho. And
yet God promised it to them. And God said, you're going to
do this. You're going to march around this city. You're going
to carry the Ark of the Covenant. The priests are going to go before
you. They're going to blow the ram's horns. And you're going
to march silently. You're not going to say a word.
You're not going to do a thing. You're going to march around
this city silently. You're not going to do a thing.
there's going to be the sound of the ram's horns and that's
it and they might have thought well
if we do that and if we march around this city all of us hundreds
of thousands of Jews marching around this city we're sitting
ducks those people in Jericho will see us and they'll fire
their bows at us they'll pick us off we'll be slain in days
Humanly speaking they could have doubted this. But the Lord said,
do this. Joshua commanded the people and
they did as Joshua commanded. They followed him. They followed
his advice, they followed his word. And they walked around
the city silently. And they did this for six days.
Then on the seventh day, they did as commanded, they went round
the city seven times. and the priest led them and blew
the trams horns and then on the 7th, after the 7th circuit they
shouted and the wall of the city fell down flat and God gave them
the victory and they took the city and they destroyed the city
and they delivered only those that God had promised to save
Rahab, the harlot and her household who had heard the spies, who
had hidden the messengers of God and delivered them. He saved them. And he wrought
a great victory. And when they were commanded,
they shouted. They shouted at the victory. Now this is a figure of the Gospel. And this psalm shows us the great
triumph of the gospel. Because what Jericho tells us
and what this psalm tells us and what all the triumphs of
God tell us is that there is a great enemy that we have before
us that we cannot defeat. A great enemy called sin and
death. A great enemy called the law
of God which condemns our sin and demands our death we have
great enemies and we have no means of defeating those enemies
and years go by and we know the warfare with those enemies we
know the victories that sin claims over us we know the sting of
death upon our souls We know the accusations of the law of
God which find fault in everything we do and say and think. We know
we're guilty and we're losing and we're sinking and we're dying
and there's nothing we can do to stop it. The warfare goes
on, the years go by and it's desperate. We're losing. We're
dying. It's just a matter of time. Every day you live, you sin.
Every day you live, you're dying. Every day that goes by is just
the passing of time until the last day comes. And then it's
too late. Then you stand before Almighty
God and you have all this sin upon your hands. Guilty hands,
blood-stained hands. What have you done? Where has
he found you? Red-handed. What are you going
to say? What are you going to answer?
No longer is death approaching. It's caught up. No longer are
your sins multiplying. They're a huge burden that condemn
you. No longer can you answer the
law back and seek to justify yourself and find every excuse
and blame everybody else. Now the law's condemnation stands
before you, all written down. And the God, the judge of all
the earth sits before you to execute his penalty, to read
out the sentence. It says here that you on this
day did this. Guilty. It says here that you
on this day fought this. Guilty. It says here that you
on this day failed to do this righteous deed. Guilty. It says
here that you never sought God. Guilty. It says that you never
worshipped him as you should. Guilty. It says that you went
astray seeking your own things. Guilty. And so the list goes
on. Charge after charge after charge
after charge. Guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty. Then he says what is the sentence
for a guilty sinner? Who's failed to live as they
should before me. Who's failed to worship God as
they should. Who never cared. Who switched
off. who ran away, who heard the gospel
and said for another day, who shut their ears when I spake
unto them, who shut their minds when I sent a messenger unto
them warning them. I sent my messenger into their
city. There you were in your Jericho. There you were in your walled
city. There you were safe and sound. eating drinking being merry there
you were god couldn't touch you you were safe in your walled
city and one day he sent some messengers who came into your
city some spies they came from God they came from God's people
he sent them over and they came unto you they came into your
city they came into you they came unto you with his message
they came unto you with a message of the gospel they came unto
you with a message of God's grace and what did you do? Did you
like the people of Jericho say, send those men here and we'll
do what we will with them, we'll rip them to shreds? Were you
filled with enmity and hatred against this message from God?
Did you say this is nonsense? The gospel's nonsense. The message
of Jesus Christ, his death, his resurrection, it's nonsense,
I will not believe. Did you seek to put the message
out of sight? Did you seek to put the messengers
to death? Or did you, like Rahab, receive
the messengers into your house? Did you take their message into
your heart? Did you say these men have come
from God? I've heard of you. I've heard
of your people. I've heard of your God. I've
heard what he's done. Did you receive them? Did you
hear the gospel and say that's true? Rahab received the messages. If God has sent his message to
you and you've trodden it underfoot you've ripped the messengers
to shreds as it were in your heart you've despised their message
then when the trumpet is sounded when the people of God walk around
your city for the final time and the trumpet sounded and the
wall of your city comes crashing down as time is replaced by eternity
and Joshua comes before you and stands in front of you will he
destroy you for the wicked sinner that you are or will he say here's
a Rahab deliver her she received my messenger her heart was opened
she's a child of grace she's mine deliver this one where are
you Where are you? The people of God, as they circuited
Jericho for the seventh time, having been told to remain silent,
were told at that point, shout, for the Lord has given
you victory. Shout with the voice of triumph. Before then, they did nothing.
because it was not their voice which would bring the victory.
It was not what they did that would bring this triumph. They
were to do nothing. They simply followed the priests. They heard the sound of the lambs,
the ram's horns being blown. They heard the sound of the gospel
and they followed the sound of the gospel. They did nothing.
But when God gave them the victory, then they shouted, then they
praised. The psalm opens. O clap your
hands, all ye people. Shout unto God with the voice
of triumph. O clap your hands. Shout unto
God with the voice of triumph. Now. Now shout. Now clap. What sort of clapping is this?
This is not the clapping of, as it were, the charismatic clapping
to the music of this world in rhythm and calling it worship. This is not that sort of clapping.
This is applause. This is like clapping of the
hands when something wonderful has just taken place. Like an
audience might give applause to some tremendous performance. Or like the people might have
clapped at the end of the Second World War when they shouted,
when they rejoiced. They may have clapped also. This
is a clapping of applause. This is a triumph. Oh clap your
hands. Now's the time to recognize the
triumph. It's the applause of the people
to the triumph of God in salvation. It's celebration, victory, triumph. This is a psalm of triumph. Clap your hands, all you people. There was a time to be silent,
a time to be still, a time to do nothing but wait on God. But now is the time to rejoice
in what God has done. Now clap your hands all you people. Shout unto God with the voice
of triumph. Why? Because in verse 2, the
Lord Most High is terrible. He is a great king over all the
earth. He shall subdue the people under
us and the nations under our feet. He shall choose our inheritance
for us, the excellency of Jacob, whom he loved. Selah. There's a reason to clap your
hands. There's a reason to shout unto
God with the voice of triumph. The Lord Most High is terrible. He's a great king over all the
earth. Jericho cannot stand in his way. No nation upon this earth can
stand in his way. He shall subdue the people under
us and the nations under our feet. He shall choose our inheritance
for us, the excellency of Jacob whom he loved. Do you look around
in the world today? Do you see the might of men? The multitudes of men, the multitudes
of men that rail against the gospel. Do you see how the thinking
of the world today, the thinking which is proclaimed as being
right. The thinking which takes over
all men's thoughts as being the right path for modern man to
walk in. Do you see how that thinking
is so set against God, his righteousness, his ways and his gospel? Man
says give us our freedom to live like this. Man says give us our
freedom to be equal in every way that we choose. Man says
let us live and let live. Man says let us have the right
to live and to die. Let us choose when we live and
choose when we die. Let us choose which children
are born and which children are not born. Let us choose when
we go from this world and when we don't go from this world.
Give us the freedom to control all these things. And the thinking
of man. which they say is righteous,
which they say is tolerant, which they say is loving, which they
say promotes diversity and equality, rails against the righteousness
of God. Their mercy, their love, their
tolerance has no space for the people of God. The people in
Jericho When the messengers were sent in, when God's spies went
into that city with the gospel, would have done heinous things
to those men. And the people of the Jericho
of this world do the same thing. They say they promote equality
when they hate the people of God. They say respect all, respect
our diversity when they have no time for the people of God
and His ways. They will stamp them underfoot,
they will put them out, they will say that they are evil.
That is the world you live in. That is the world we live in.
There is a great multitude, a great sweeping of the nations with
a thought and a mindset which at its root is set against God. It has ideals of humanity in
which God does not exist. And having removed God from man's
thinking, having removed his righteousness from his thinking,
they will set up their own rules, their own ways, their own righteousness,
and they proclaim it. They say, this is the way to
walk. And any that won't walk their
way is cast out, and is set up as evil. see this today in current affairs
all around this world what movement and polarity there is but it
is set against the righteousness of God and if you were to look
merely at it from a human point of view you would fear because
there are many of them and they are mighty and they have all
the means to proclaim and enforce their message they rule the media,
they rule the governments, they rule the internet, they rule
technology, they rule, they have all the weapons in their hands
to enforce their message and their ways upon all people. And the people of God would be
crushed under their feet if it wasn't for the simple fact that
there is a God. and that the God who is actually
over all is terrible and the God who is over all the earth
is not their God but almighty God there is a prince that they
worship there is a God of this world who has great influence
influence in their hearts influence in the events of the nations
but there's a God almighty God over him over the devil over
satan over that great dragon he is a puppet in god's hands
almighty god rules over all his truth stands his people are delivered
in christ their savior and he chooses their inheritance so
however mighty the Jericho of this world might appear however
strong the walls might seem however impenetrable it might appear
however hopeless the battle might be oh child of God just walk
around silently behind the priests who sound the ram's horns. As the gospel goes forth before
you, follow silently. For on the seventh day, on the
seventh circuit, when Joshua commands, you will shout and
the walls will fall flat. And O people of Jericho, you
hear, hear the warning, hear the message of the spies, be
it known that on the seventh day your city will be taken away
and what you think stands what you think you are building that
is so everlasting so eternal so mighty so influential the
walls will fall flat and there will be nothing left your city
and all that is in it all you who dwell in it will be burnt
with fire There will be nothing left. You will not stand. You
will not stand unless you hear the message of the spies. Message
of God's messengers. Unless you listen and hear the
gospel. Unless those messengers are taken
into your heart. Unless their message comes into
your heart. Unless God says, you my Rahab,
I will deliver. Unless you are named of God.
and caused to understand and delivered, you will not stand. Clap your hands, O people of
God. Shout unto God with the voice
of triumph. Because thirdly, God is gone
up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. Why is
God gone up with a shout? When did he go up with the sound
of a trumpet? when he in Christ delivered his
people from their sins. When Christ, Joshua, God's son,
God's saviour, came down into the valley of this world and
led his people, and led his people across the rivers into a promised
land, unto a Jericho, and wrought a victory for them. When Joshua
went before. When Joshua walked in the midst
of the people. When Joshua laid down his life
for his people. When Joshua suffered. When Joshua
took all their sins upon him. As they followed in silence. When Joshua washed that people
with his own blood. When Joshua took his blood. and poured it upon the mercy
seat when Joshua took all the words of the law as written upon
the tablets of stone as put in the Ark of the Covenant and took
it and took its condemnation against the sins of its people
and took it upon himself when the Ark of the Covenant was led
around the city and the condemnation of the law against the people
was out of sight, hidden away in the ark, hidden away in Christ,
when He took away the condemnation, when He took away the judgment,
when He took away the sin, when He took away the death, when
He took away hell, when He took away every enemy, when He made
the walls of Jericho fall flat. when he was laid in a grave in
the place of his people. When they who were dead looked
and saw their Saviour, their Joshua, laid down dead in their
place. And when they who were dead looked
and saw as that Joshua laid in the grave with the stone over
the tomb, on the third day rose up. When they looked, and they
came, and they saw that the stone of the tomb was rolled away,
and their Joshua was no longer in the tomb, but was risen, then
they knew, then they knew, that the grave could not hold him,
that sin was no more, that death was conquered. and that they
in Him had risen, had gone up, and would live forevermore. Then
they discover, as faith lets them behold, a Saviour crucified,
a Saviour risen, a Saviour ascended, a Saviour victorious. Then they
behold, then they know, that their God is gone up with a shout,
the Lord with the sound of a trumpet, then having circuited the city
for six days and heard the priest blowing the horn of the gospel
on the seventh day after the seventh circuit when the horns
of the gospel are blown then they shout for their God has
gone up with a shout, the Lord has gone up with the sound of
a trumpet, they heard the trumpets blast, they heard the ram's horns
blast, they shout for God has given them the victory, then
they're no longer captive, they're no longer the ones in the grave,
they're no longer the ones in tomb, they're no longer the ones
buried, but they're delivered, they're free, they're saved.
God has gone up with a shout. The Lord with the sound of a
trumpet, O clap your hands all ye people, shout unto God with
the voice of triumph. Have you been here? Have you
been in the grave? Has sin buried you? Have your sins buried you? Have you felt yourself to be
dead, sentenced, buried, captive? And having seen Christ, having
seen Him on the cross in your place, having seen your sins
upon Him, having seen His blood shed and washing you, having
had the Spirit come with His blood and sprinkled upon your
heart, sprinkled upon the mercy seat, having seen that Ark of
the Covenant taking away your sins, the law out of sight, the
blood sprinkled upon, having seen this, having heard it, having
had the Spirit bring it to you, do you then in praise and adulation
shout? Because your Lord has gone up
with a shout. Oh how we saw this in Joshua,
we see it elsewhere, David, in Samuel, 1 Samuel chapter 4. How many times Israel were given
the victory over the Philistines. Again they went with the Ark
of the Covenant in their midst. Again the Lord gave them a victory. 1 Samuel 4, 5 we read. And when the Ark of the Covenant
of the Lord came into the camp, all israel shouted with a great
shout so that the earth rang again oh has the ark of the covenant
of the lord come into your camp has it made you shout has he
given you the victory again to samuel Chapter 6 verse 15, so
David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord
with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet. Whenever the
ark of the Lord is in the midst of the people, whenever Christ
is in their midst, whenever the law is seen to be taken away,
answered. and the blood sprinkled upon
the mercy seat is set before them they shout there's a sound
of a trumpet they rejoice Joshua commanded the people saying
you shall not shout nor make any noise with your voice neither
shall any word proceed out of your mouth until the day I bid
you shout then shall ye shout the ark of the Lord compassed
the city going about it and the people followed and it came to
pass on the seventh day that they rose up early about the
dawning of the day and compassed the city after the same manner
seven times only on that day they compassed the city seven
times and it came to pass at the seventh time when the priests
blew with the trumpets Joshua said unto the people shout For
the Lord hath given you the city. Oh, have the priests blown with
the trumpets? Have you heard the gospel? Have you heard Christ in the
gospel? Say unto you, shout. For the Lord has given you the
victory. Joshua said unto the people, shout. For the Lord hath
given you The city. Has Joshua said unto you, shout? Has he given you the city? Has he come unto you like a Rahab? Have you heard the messengers?
Have you received their message? Have you praised? Have you sung? Have you clapped your hands? 4thly we read in verse 6 of the
psalm sing praises to god sing praises sing praises unto our
king sing praises for god is the king of all the earth sing
ye praises with understanding oh how joyous is this exhortation
sing praises sing praises sing praises sing praises for god
is the king of all the earth sing ye praises with understanding
four times and then a fifth with understanding praise god sing
praises to god sing praises sing praises unto our king sing praises
for god is the king of all the earth sing ye praises with understanding. With understanding. You'll never sing true praise
unto God. You'll never rightly clap your
hands. And you'll never rightly shout
with the voice of triumph until you can sing with understanding. And the understanding comes through
the gospel. and through the God that opens
the understanding to hear the Gospel, to hear of a Christ,
to hear of a Saviour who took away the sins of His people,
who took away the sins of a chosen people, a chosen Rahab, a chosen
harlot, a chosen sinner, those that God would save, not those
who chose themselves. Not those who were. Not those
who chatted and talked as they walked around Jericho when Joshua
said be silent. Not those who shouted in triumph
at the things that they did. Not those who boasted unto men
of what they had done or what they will do. Not those who blew
the trumpet when God said be silent. Not those who worked
out their own salvation, who worked to earn their own favour
with God, who saw themselves as something better than others.
Not the Pharisees that stood on the street corner to be seen
of men. Look what I have done. But those
who cry out only, God be merciful to me a sinner. Those who when
they're in the presence of God, in the presence of Joshua, are
silent. when he says be silent. Those
who can't say anything of what they've done because everything
they've done they know to be wretched. Those who know that
all they can bring before God is their sin. Those who have
no price to pay because all they've got is nothing. Prophet says come Come ye by
and eat, all ye that have no money. Have you got no money? Nothing
you can bring unto God. No works that you can bring before
him in which you can take any pride. Do you honestly look at
yourself and say, well I've done nothing that God should be pleased
with me. All I've done for God is hate
him. is oppose him, is reject him,
is bury my head in my knees, is turn away, is bury my head
in the sand, is despise his truth. All I've done is to not believe. Is to say I can't believe that.
I can't see it, I can't understand it, I can't comprehend it. That's
all you've done. Well if that's the way you are,
that's the sort of person God saves. Brought to nothing, blind,
hopeless, foolish, with nothing to pay. He comes unto them in
his gospel. He sends his priests to blow
the trumpet. And when they hear, their understanding's
opened. When they hear, they hear a Joshua
that says, go round the city for six days, one circuit each
day. Follow the priests. The Ark of
the Covenant will be carried in your midst. The priests will
blow the trumpets of ram's horns. Joshua will be there. Go round. Don't shout. Don't talk. Be silent. And their understanding's
opened. They hear what he says. They
know why he says it. They know what he's doing. On
the seventh day, they follow seven times. And at the end,
he says, shout, for I've given you the city. And they shout. As he said unto you, I've given
you the city. I've given you the city. I've given you salvation. I've given you New Jerusalem. I've given you my city. I've
given you my inheritance. I've given you salvation. I've
given you righteousness in Jesus Christ alone. I've given you
all the riches of the heavenly kingdom to come. All the riches
of God in Christ. I've given you the city. As he said it to you. Do you
understand what that means? Do you understand that in Christ
you have all things? When all the people in this world,
all the people in the Jericho below, with their great walled
city and all their wealth and all their pleasure, they've got
nothing. There's a day fast approaching
when the 7th Trump will sound and their walls will fall flat
and they'll be burnt to nothing. They've got nothing. Do you understand? Do you understand that? and you understand the great
riches that are found in Christ and Christ alone, then you will
sing praises to God, you will sing praises. You will sing praises
unto our King, you will sing praises. For God is the King
of all the earth and you will sing praises with understanding,
with faith, in truth. those who worship God worship
Him in spirit and in truth and when they clap their hands and
shout it's applause, it's the applause of the heart of faith
rejoicing and praising God their Saviour. it's not the foolish
emotional nonsense of the religious who try to work things up and
try to bring about that which they have never had that's which
they've got no right to that which is not theirs this is the
praise of understanding the praise of faith the praise of the Rahab
who's delivered having had nothing having done nothing but being
a wretched sinner and yet she heard the message from the messengers
she received them and God delivered her has he delivered you? has
he delivered you? if he has then you will know
with the psalmist with Rahab with the people of Israel, you
will know that God reigneth over the heathen. He sitteth upon
the throne of his holiness. The princes of the people are
gathered together, even the people of the God of Abraham, for the
shields of the earth belong unto God, and he is greatly exalted. If he's done this for you, you'll
know he reigns. He reigns today. He reigns at
this hour. And everything in this world
is nothing because it's just a Jericho. It's full of foolish
sinners who think they're safe but in a moment the walls will
fall flat and those who are truly safe will be God's people who
walk with Joshua, who are silent before him, who listen to the
sound of the ram's horns and the trumpets, who follow their
Saviour and follow the ark in the midst. Those are the ones
who are saved with the Rahab's. the sinners who receive the message
from the messengers. Has God sent messengers over
the walls of your city into where you dwell? Has he brought the
message to you? Are you seeking to put those
messengers to death with all those in Jericho? who met their
destruction. Or have you received them? Have
you delivered them? Have you taken their message
in your heart? Are you waiting patiently for the salvation of
the Lord? For if you do, when it comes,
you with his people will clap your hands and you will shout
unto God with the voice of triumph. For God is gone up with a shout,
the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. Amen.