Do you ever clap for God?  Maybe we’ve clapped during a worship song or after a speech or sermon, but do we just clap for God because He’s God and we’re joyful about it?  Psalm 47:1 tells us to:

“Clap your hands, all peoples!
            Shout to God with loud songs of joy!”

Ok, but should we, really?  After verse 1 above, verse 2 begins with “For…”, a transition which usually means the writer is about to give us reasons for the thing previously mentioned, which is that we should praise God with clapping and shouts of joy.  So, seeing the “For…” we should ask “Why should we praise God?” and expect an answer in the next verses, which say:

“For the LORD, the Most High, is to be feared,
            a great king over all the earth.

He subdued peoples under us,
            and nations under our feet.

He chose our heritage for us,
            the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah”

Each of the 3 verses gives us reasons to clap our hands and shout in praise.  First, these verses remind us He is “king over all the earth.”  There are many authorities in the world, and many authorities we follow.  We have governments that rule us, cultures that influence us, and even spiritual forces that strive to pull us away from God.  But, however high and mighty these other authorities may be, only the Lord is “Most High”, as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  While every other authority is flawed and can lead us astray, He is not and does not.  This is a cause for a clap of praise!

The next verse reminds us that He has overcome many opposing people and nations in the past:

“He subdued peoples under us,
            and nations under our feet.”

To its original audience, this probably referred to God’s victory over Egypt at the Red Sea, or the conquest of Canaan, however it can be read more broadly as God’s victory over any nation that seeks to rival Him.  Consider the Roman Empire, which to many at that time seemed like it ruled the entire world.  Roman emperors such as Nero and Diocletian tried to stamp out Christianity forcefully and violently, but in 410 AD, Germanic tribes would sack the city of Rome and eventually overthrow the empire.  No nation will outlast or overrule the reign of God.  This also is a cause for praise!

Lastly, verse 4 reminds us that however our circumstances might look to us, He loves us, provides for us, and will give us eternal refuge:

“He chose our heritage for us,
            the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah”

Being chosen by God is infinitely better than winning the lottery or anything else we might hope for in this world.  We might say we’ve won the spiritual lottery, only it was not won by chance, but by the favor of the Lord.  Our inheritance, our heritage, is guaranteed by Him.  Another reason to praise Him!  So…

“Clap your hands, all peoples!
            Shout to God with loud songs of joy!”