481_God reigns over all the nations

Psalm 47 Clap your hands, all peoples!
Shout to God with loud songs of joy!
2 For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared,
a great king over all the earth.
3 He subdued peoples under us,
and nations under our feet.
4 He chose our heritage for us,
the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah

5 God has gone up with a shout,
the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
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 praises with a psalm!

8 God reigns over the nations;
God sits on his holy throne.
9 The princes of the peoples gather
as the people of the God of Abraham.
For the shields of the earth belong to God;
he is highly exalted!

It was a warm afternoon in 1945 when the Japanese Emperor Hirohito did something that shocked the world—he surrendered. For years, Japan had wrought war and devastation. Yet now his voice trembled as he delivered the “Jewel Voice Broadcast,” announcing Japan’s unconditional surrender to the Allied Forces. For the first time, the people of Japan heard their emperor’s voice. For the first time, he admitted that he was not divine. His so-called godhood collapsed before the true sovereignty of a higher power.

History is full of rulers who claimed to be supreme—pharaohs, emperors, kings, presidents. But time and truth have proven again and again that no human authority lasts. Kingdoms rise and fall. Empires grow and crumble. How different the throne of God – the only one that has never been shaken, the one King whose dominion never ends. Psalm 47 calls all the earth to see and rejoice before that throne: “God reigns over all the nations.”

Psalm 47 begins: “Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy!” The exuberant joy comes from the fact that this is not just Israel’s God. He is the Most High, the great King over all the earth. He is not bound by borders or limited by languages. He reigns over all the nations, every tribe and tongue, every palace and parliament.

This truth is at the heart of God’s covenant with Abraham. God promised Abraham that his descendants would bless all the families of the earth. Only a sovereign God—one who holds all the nations in His hands—could declare such universal influence.

Babylon was one of the greatest of the ancient superpowers. It’s mighty king, Nebuchadnezzar, was regarded as “king of the earth” because his rule was vast and virtually unchallenged. Yet in Daniel chapter 4, God warned him of impending judgment through a vision. Daniel pleaded with him to heed the warning and humble himself by repentance, righteousness, and mercy. But the king continued in his pride. One day, he gloated over his marvelous city, boasting, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built by my mighty power for the glory of my majesty?”

That was the tipping point. Immediately, God’s judgment fell. The once-proud king was driven away from people. For seven years he became like an ox, eating grass, living in the open, hair and nails wildly overgrown. Finally he lifted his eyes to the heavens – and his understanding returned to him, and his kingly majesty.

In his own words from Daniel 4:34–35, he declared:

“His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
and his kingdom endures from generation to generation;
all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,
and he does according to his will among the host of heaven
and among the inhabitants of the earth;
and none can stay his hand
or say to him, ‘What have you done?’”

Nebuchadnezzar learned the hard way what Psalm 47 proclaims with joy: God is sovereign over all the earth.

The psalmist continues, “He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet. He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loved.” The Israelites did not claim their land by military genius or human strength. God gave it to them. He waited for centuries, holding back until the sins of the Amorites were full (Genesis 15:16). But when the time was right, He acted. He chose a place for his people to settle in. He carved out the land he gave them as an inheritance, and he decided their borders.

Verse 5 declares, “God has ascended with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.” The words evoke the sounds of celebration as the nation rejoiced before the ark of the covenant on its way up to Jerusalem. The ark represented God’s presence and kingship. This jubilant procession was a foreshadowing. God is not only the King of Israel. He is the ruler before whom all nations will one day celebrate with uncontained joy and unbounded reverence.

To acknowledge God’s rule is to fall before Him with praise. Yet Romans 1 explains that although the Gentiles saw God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—clearly displayed in creation, they were not thankful, nor did they honor Him as God. Instead, they worshiped images of men and animals. “Claiming to be wise, they became fools.” They exchanged the truth of God for a lie. And so, God gave them up to their lusts and dishonor. The refusal to worship the sovereign God leads not just to idolatry but to judgment.

Psalm 47:7 exhorts, “Sing praises with understanding.” Worship is not emotionalism divorced from truth. It’s wisdom responding to revelation. This reminds us of the wise men from the east. They saw the signs, understood the prophecy, and came to bow before Jesus. They were among the first Gentiles to recognize the sovereignty of Christ. They knew who deserved their worship, and they sought him out to offer homage.

The psalm ends, “God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne. The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham.” One day, all nations will gather to worship the King. The covenant to Abraham will be completely fulfilled. Zechariah 14 glances forward, declaring that all the nations will come to Jerusalem year after year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts. Even Egypt, Israel’s ancient enemy, will come with its offering. In that day, worship will not be optional—it will be universal.

Everything in God’s city, the holy Jerusalem, will declare holiness to the Lord. “On that day there shall be inscribed on the bells of the horses, ‘Holy to the Lord.’” Nothing will be secular. Nothing will be off-limits. His glory will fill the earth as the waters cover the sea.

Philippians 2 declares:

“Therefore God has highly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.”

Rather than asking, therefore “Would you like to accept Jesus as Lord?” our part is to point others to him as the only true King. For Jesus Christ is not running for office, hoping for our votes. One day, every knee will bow before him. The wise choice is to bow before him now, and enjoy his boundless mercy and goodness. If not, one day his enemies will be forced to acknowledge his sovereignty in the bitterness of defeat and judgment.

Psalm 2 urges us, “Kiss the Son, lest He be angry… Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.” Today is the day of grace, when we can worship and bow down to the Son of God. Today we may believe, as Abraham did, that God’s promises are sure and His timing perfect.

Let’s stop living as though we are the center of the universe. Let’s stop giving our loyalty to kingdoms that will crumble. Let’s worship the King who cannot be moved, who judges the nations with righteousness and truth. Let us live in the faith that the sovereign God who reigns over all the nations controls the details of our lives.

Let’s rejoice—not in temporary power, fleeting wealth, or national pride—but in his unshakeable rule of unwavering goodness and justice. Blessed are all who bow before him.