Ascended and Enthroned (4)

Opening Prayer: Psalm 47.5, 6
God has gone up with a shout,
The LORD with the sound of a trumpet.
Sing praises to God, sing praises!
Sing praises to our King, sing praises!

Sing Psalm 47.5, 6
(Truro: Shout, for the Blessed Jesus Reigns)
God has ascended with a shout, the Lord with sound of trumpet bold!
Sing praise to Him, let praise ring out! Let praise through all the world be told!

Read Psalm 47.5-7

Preparation
1. What is celebrated in these verses?

2. How great is the scope of God’s reign?

Meditation
This may have been a coronation psalm, used at the time of Solomon’s ascension to the throne of Israel. However, it’s larger intent could hardly be clearer. Solomon as king over Israel was a type of God, Who is King over Israel and all the earth (v. 7).

The image of God ascending with a shout also points forward to the ascension of Jesus. You can see more details of this in Daniel 7.13, 14 and Psalm 110.1, 2. Jesus ascended to His rightful throne, from which He upholds the universe and everything in it (Heb. 1.3) and is advancing His rule on earth as it is in heaven. He is worthy of all praise and honor; and the more we understand about His ascension and reign at the Father’s right hand, the more we will praise Him.

God, LORD, King: This is how we must think of Jesus. Let us devote ourselves with shouts and rejoicing to serve Him and seek His Kingdom, day by day.

Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
That’s a lot of noise!
Shouting and trumpets and singing of praises.
And all this noise is because God is the King of all the earth!

Can you hear it?
It’s louder than the calls for “Encore, Encore”.
It’s louder than a stadium full of exultant fans.
And it’s louder than the mightiest thunder.

And after all this earthly noise and praise, we will experience the ultimate hubbub:
“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up
together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4.16, 17).

The King Enthroned. Let’s shout about it.

As Benjamin Beddome penned in his hymn Shout, For the Blessed Jesus Reigns:

“Loud hallelujahs to the Lamb, from all below and all above!
In lofty songs exalt His name, in songs as lasting as His love.”

Reflection
1. Why is it important that we understand what Jesus is doing at the Lord’s right hand?

2. How should what He is doing inform or guide what we do every day?

3. What does it mean to set your mind on the vision of Christ exalted at the Father’s right hand (Col. 3.1-3)? How should you expect this to help you in your walk with and work for the Lord?

He ascended with a shout of jubilation, since he sought heaven as the disciples rejoiced in the glory of his being lifted up. He ascended with the sound of the trumpet, since he went up to the throne of his heavenly kingdom as the angels heralded his return to judge the living and the dead. The Venerable Bede (672-735), Homilies on the Gospels 2.15

Closing Prayer: Psalm 47.7-9
Pray for a revival of God’s Church and renewal of our witness, and that a great awakening to faith may occur throughout the nations of the world.

Sing Psalm 47.7-9
(Truro: Shout, for the Blessed Jesus Reigns)
God is the King of all the earth, sing praise to Him with glorious psalms!
He rules the nations by His worth, and on His throne receives their alms.

Princes of peoples gather all to Abraham and to our God.
Exalt the Lord, and on Him call – the earth is His, so praise our God!

T. M. and Susie Moore

You can listen to our summary of last week’s study by clicking here.

Free Christmas Gifts
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (Williston: Waxed Tablet Publications, 2006), available by clicking here.