God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets. Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise. (Psalm 47:5-7)
Regarding this passage, Matthew Henry notes: We are here most earnestly pressed to praise God, and
to sing his praises; so backward are we to this duty that we have need to be
urged to it by precept upon precept, and line upon line; so we are here: Sing
praises to God, and again, Sing praises, Sing praises to our King,
and again, Sing praises. This intimates that it is a very necessary and
excellent duty, that it is a duty we ought to be frequent and abundant in; we
may sing praises again and again in the same words, and it is no vain
repetition if it be done with new affections. Should not a people praise their
God? Dan. 5:4 . Should not subjects praise
their king? God is our God, our King, and therefore we must praise him; we must
sing his praises, as those that are pleased with them and that are not ashamed
of them. But here is a needful rule subjoined: Sing you praises with
understanding, with Maschil. 1. "Intelligently; as those that
do yourselves understand why and for what reasons you praise God and what is
the meaning of the service.’’ This is the gospel-rule (1 Co. 14:15 ), to sing with the
spirit and with the understanding also; it is only with the heart that we
make melody to the Lord, Eph. 5:19 . It is not an acceptable
service if it be not a reasonable service. 2. "Instructively, as those
that desire to make others understand God’s glorious perfections, and to teach
them to praise him.’’
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