20th of the 10th month 2015/2016
Shabbat Shalom,
Tonight I want us to take a look at a powerful melody of praise for our Most High Elohim and King, in a message called, “CLAP, SHOUT AND SING TO THE MOST HIGH ELOHIM AND KING!” Please turn with me to Tehillah/Psalm 47 (Read).
As I read this Tehillah over and over and meditated on the clear command for all to bring the necessary praise to Elohim, I realised that this is more than just a song of praise. It is a clear declaration of who the only One True Elohim and King is; and the clear command for all to confess and acknowledge who is this Sovereign of Esteem!
The heading of this Tehillah is as follows: לַמְנַצֵּחַ לִבְנֵי־קֹרַח מִזְמוֹר – ‘lamnats’tseyaḥ liḇney Qoraḥ mizmor’, which can be translated as, ‘To the choirmaster of the sons of Qoraḥ, a song’.
We know in Scripture that the account of the rebellion of Qoraḥ in the Wilderness teaches us a great lesson on our need to properly submit to our Master and Elohim as our only True and safe covering. In Bemiḏbar/Numbers 16 we are given the account of what happened to Qoraḥ and all those with him, as the earth swallowed them up; yet we are told in Bemiḏbar/Numbers 26:11 that not all the sons of Qoraḥ died, showing us that not all of the sons of Qoraḥ were ‘with him’, so to speak, and by this I mean that it stands to reason that there were some of his sons that were not in agreement with their father’s falsehood and lies and rebellion! The faithful remnant of the sons of Qoraḥ are listed among the doorkeepers, attendants and musicians in the Temple and there are 11 Tehillim/Psalms that are attributed to being songs of the sons of Qoraḥ. What we are able to learn from this powerful Tehillah/Psalm 47 is the powerful declaration given by those who did not rebel like their father, and in many ways can be a great Tehillah that is able to identify the true worshippers of Elohim, for those who deny that יהושע Messiah is our Master, Elohim and King are in rebellion to the truth and will be destroyed along will the sons of disobedience!
The Hebrew word מִזְמוֹר miz’mor – Strong’s H4210 means, ‘melody, psalm’ and it comes from the primitive root זָמַר zamar – Strong’s H2167 meaning, ‘to make music (in praise of Elohim), sing praises’. This psalm is a joy-filled melody that celebrates the Sovereignty of יהוה over all the earth, and while it declares the clear Truth of this fact it is also a clear prophetic command that will be met when every knee will bow and confess who the King of all the earth is!
Pilipiyim/Philippians 2:9-11 “Elohim, therefore, has highly exalted Him and given Him the Name which is above every name, 10 that at the Name of יהושע every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and every tongue should confess that יהושע Messiah is Master, to the esteem of Elohim the Father.”
The Aramaic rendering of these verses make it clear to us what is being declared here, as it translates for us from the Aramaic English New Testament that every tongue will confess that “The Master יהוה is יהושע”!!!
The Hebrew roots version renders verse 11 as “And every tongue will confess, that Yeshua the Messiah is YHWH, to the esteem of Eloah His Father.”
Why I am mentioning this is to simply set the foundation of understanding this global command for all the earth to praise the Only One True Elohim and King, as this melody celebrates the call to sing praises to the One who sits on High and who is coming to reign over all the earth!
The opening command given to all the peoples is to ‘clap their hands’. This called for ‘clapping of hands’ is a picture of the true acknowledgement of the Most High King. What is worth taking note of is the account of Yo’ash being set up to reign as king, as recorded in:
Melaḵim Bět/2 Kings 11:12 “And he brought out the son of the sovereign and put on him the diadem and the Witness. And they set him up to reign and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, “Let the sovereign live!”
Yo’ash was 7 years old when he began to reign and at this coronation of the king there was a clear declaration of who the king was. This meant that the wicked Athalyah who had set herself up to reign and reigned for 6 years after she killed all the sons of the reign, except for Yo’ash who had been hidden for 6 years, would be put to death. At the clapping of hands and great rejoicing that took place in setting up Yo’ash, the wicked queen would be destroyed and the rightful king be set up. This is a clear prophetic picture of how the whore who has led many astray will be put to death when The Master יהוה comes and all the earth shall clap their hands!
Yeshayahu/Isaiah 55:12 “For with joy you go out, and with peace you are brought in – the mountains and the hills break forth into singing before you, and all the trees of the field clap the hands.”
These are the words that we see being spoken after יהוה makes it very clear that His Word that goes forth from His mouth does not return empty but will accomplish what it has been sent for.
In Scripture trees are often used as a metaphor for people, especially as we think of how Dawiḏ tells us that the blessed man who meditates on the Torah of יהוה shall be as a tree planted by the rivers of water. This verse in Yeshayahu is a declaration of the peace and safety that we shall have when our Most High King comes to establish His reign here on earth! All creation will cry out! We also take note of the words from:
Tehillah/Psalm 98:6-9 “With trumpets and the sound of a horn; raise a shout before יהוה, the Sovereign. 7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it, the world and those who dwell in it. 8 Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy before יהוה, 9 for He shall come to judge the earth. He judges the world in righteousness, and the people in straightness.”
We are to raise a shout before יהוה the Sovereign!
Here in Tehillah/Psalm 47 we are given the clear reason why all will be subjected to יהוה the Most High King! In verse 2 we are told that יהוה is awesome! What this literally means is that יהוה is to be held in awe and is to be feared. The Hebrew word that is translated here as ‘awesome’ is נוֹרָא – ‘nora’ which comes from the root word יָרֵא yare – Strong’s H3372 which means, ‘to fear, be afraid, be in awe, show reverence and respect’.
The same construct of נוֹרָא – ‘nora’ is clearly translated as ‘are/is to be feared’ in the following texts:
Tehillah/Psalm 76:7 “You, You are to be feared; and who would stand in Your presence When You are displeased?”
Tehillah/Psalm 96:4 “For great is יהוה and greatly to be praised, He is to be feared above all mighty ones.”
Mal’aḵi/Malachi 1:14 “But cursed be the deceiver who has a male in his flock, and makes a vow, but is slaughtering to יהוה what is blemished. For I am a great Sovereign,” said יהוה of hosts, “and My Name is feared among nations.”
As we consider how awesome our Master, Elohim and King is, we recognise that He is to be greatly feared and His Name is to be feared, with the sobering reality that anyone who is deceptive in their worship and compromises the set-apartness and fear that is called for, is cursed. The reason that I am making mention of these verses is that we find many in the world who are bringing a blemished worship with the lack of a proper fear of Elohim, perhaps due to the fact that they are unable to truly recognise who the King and Elohim of all the earth is! Those who deny that the Most High Elohim and King has come in the flesh, have no true fear of Elohim and are deceived in their blasphemous attempt at worshipping Elohim in Spirit and Truth!
Our Master and Elohim is to be held in awe and is to be greatly feared because He is the Most High! The Hebrew word for ‘Most High’ is עֶלְיוֹן elyon – Strong’s H5945 which means, ‘high, exalted’, and is used a title for יהוה, and comes from the root word עָלָה alah – Strong’s H5927 which carries the meaning of, ‘to go up, ascend, climb, offer, exalted’!
This root verb is used in verse 5 (verse 6 in Hebrew text) in telling us that Elohim ‘shall go up’ (עָלָה alah – Strong’s H5927) with a shout. The Hebrew word that is translated as ‘with a shout’ is בִּתְרוּעָה – ‘biteruah’ which is from the root word תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah – Strong’s H8643 which means ‘a shout or blast of war, alarm or joy’, which comes from the root verb רוּעַ rua – Strong’s H7321 meaning, ‘to raise a shout, give a blast, sound the alarm, shout for joy’.
Then we are told that it is יהוה with the sound of a shofar. This is clear covenant language as we are reminded of the voice of a shofar that sounded very loud and the people trembled in:
Shemoth/Exodus 19:16 “And it came to be, on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain. And a voice of a shofar was very loud, and all the people who were in the camp trembled.”
Shemoth/Exodus 19:19 “And when a voice of the shofar sounded long and became very strong, Mosheh spoke, and Elohim answered him by voice.”
The ‘Last trumpet’ will be blown on Yom Kippur when our Master and Elohim shall come out of the Most Set-Apart Place, take off His High Priestly garments and put on His Kingly Robe and come and trample the winepress in His wrath and then fetch His Bride. The ‘first’ of the last 7 trumpets will sound on Yom Teruah with the 7th trumpet being sounded on Yom Kippur.
The root verb עָלָה alah – Strong’s H5927 is also used in a clear riddle that is found in:
Mishlĕ/Proverbs 30:4 “Who has gone up to the heavens and come down? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who established all the ends of the earth? What is His Name, and what is His Son’s Name, if you know it?”
The answer is clear as we take note in verse 9 that the writer of this proverb recognised the danger of seizing the Name of Elohim by saying ‘who is יהוה’, and therefore answers this powerful riddle that many refuse to understand, by stating that the one who has gone up and come down is יהוה! Sha’ul tells us in his letter to the Ephesians:
Eph’siyim/Ephesians 4:8-10 “That is why it says, “When He went up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.” 9 But what does “He went up” mean, except that He also first went down into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who went down is also the One who went up far above all the heavens, to fill all.”
Recognising that יהושע Messiah is the One who went up on High, after He first went down, we recognise that He is the Most High – He is עֶלְיוֹן elyon – Strong’s H5945!
In Tehillah/Psalm 47 we are told why יהוה Most High is awesome! It is because he has subdued all peoples and nations under us and has chosen our inheritance. Do you see what this means?
Our Mighty Saviour and King has destroyed the power of the enemy and secured for us our inheritance, for the meek shall inherit the earth, as the righteous shall be left in it while the wicked shall be plucked out! יהוה is to be worshipped because He is fearful –which describes His awe and majesty that inspires a proper praise! In a song of Asaph we see the clear declaration that יהוה is Most High over all the earth:
Tehillah/Psalm 83:18 “And let them know that You, whose Name is יהוה, You alone are the Most High over all the earth.”
We have One King, who is our Saviour and Elohim, and Elohim is King of all the earth, as we see in Tehillah/Psalm 47:7.
In declaring this, a call to sing this with understanding is given! The phrase that is translated as, ‘Sing praises with understanding’ is written in the Hebrew as זַמְּרוּ מַשְׂכִּיל – ‘zamru maskiyl’, which comes from the root words:
1) זָמַר zamar – Strong’s H2167 which means, ‘to make music (in praise of Elohim), sing praises’. This also means, ‘striking with the fingers’, as well as, ‘to touch the strings or parts of a musical instrument’. It is written here in the ‘piel’ tense which expresses an intentional or intensive action and can also be translated as ‘make music’ or ‘play a musical instrument’. This kind of praise calls for a highly concentrated action on the part of the one bringing the praise.
2) מַשְׂכִּיל maskiyl – Strong’s H4905 means, ‘a song or poem of contemplation’. The English word ‘contemplation’ is defined in the Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary as, ‘concentration on spiritual things as a form of private devotion’ as well as, ‘an act of considering with attention’, which implies proper study and thought.
When we make music and praise the Most High it must be done with thought and an intentional action that expresses the clear understanding of who He is! This makes perfect sense as we recognise how we cannot tolerate songs that have compromised worship in them through the use of false titles and names; and those who are unable to let go of a mixed worship reveal that they do not have a true understanding of how awesome and fear inspiring יהוה is! יהוה is King and to bring any form of blemished worship to Him is no true worship at all!
It is here in this Tehillah that we see the clear Truth being declared that יהוה Elohim is King – as we also see in:
Tehillah/Psalm 10:16 “יהוה is Sovereign forever and ever; the gentiles shall perish from His land.”
Tehillah/Psalm 29:10 “יהוה sat enthroned at the Flood, and יהוה sits as Sovereign forever.”
Yeshayahu/Isaiah 44:6 “Thus said יהוה, Sovereign of Yisra’ĕl, and his Redeemer, יהוה of hosts, ‘I am the First and I am the Last, besides Me there is no Elohim.”
In all of these 3 verses we are able to see the clear term – יהוה מֶלֶךְ – יהוה Meleḵ (King), and it is clear that He sits as King forever and that there is no Elohim besides Him! In verse 8 (verse 9 in the Hebrew text) of Tehillah/Psalm 47 the phrase that is translated as ‘Elohim shall reign’ is מָלַךְ אֱלֹהִים – ‘malaḵ Elohim’ and the word that is translated as ‘shall reign’ is מָלַךְ malaḵ – Strong’s H4427 which is a verb written in the ‘Qal’ tense meaning, ‘to be or become king, to reign, appointed to reign’. It is from this root verb that we get the noun מֶלֶךְ Meleḵ – Strong’s H4428 meaning, ‘king’.
In Yoḥanan/John 18 when יהושע was confronted by Pilate and asked if He was the sovereign of the Yehuḏim, He asked Pilate if he said that by himself or did others tell him about יהושע. He then told Pilate that His reign was not of this world, otherwise His servants would have fought and he would not have been delivered to the Yehuḏim. Pilate then asked the rhetorical question, “You are a sovereign then?” to which יהושע replied, “You say it, because I am a sovereign. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”
Pilate then asked יהושע, “What is Truth?” Truth was standing right before him and he did not recognise the voice of the True King that was indeed coming soon to reign! יהושע was ‘born for this’! He is the everlasting King and was born into this world to become the King who shall reign here on earth! Then in Yoḥanan/John 19 we see the following:
Yoḥanan/John 19:19-22 “And Pilate wrote a title too, and put it on the stake, and it was written: יהושע OF NATSARETH, THE SOVEREIGN OF THE YEHUḎIM. 20 Many of the Yehuḏim therefore read this title, for the place where יהושע was impaled was near the city, and it was written in Hebrew, in Greek, in Roman. 21 So the chief priests of the Yehuḏim said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The Sovereign of the Yehuḏim,’ but, ‘He said, “I am the Sovereign of the Yehuḏim.” ’ ” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.””
What we take note of here is that the Yehuḏim were angered by the title that Pilate had written and put on the stake of Messiah, as it clearly declared who He is – that He is יהוה our King who saves us! The acronym of this title clearly spelt out the Name of יהוה, and this angered the Yehuḏim who had rejected the King of all the earth! In Hebrew this title would have been transliterated as ‘Yahushua HaNatsareth VeMeleḵ HaYehuḏim’ which would have spelt out in Hebrew the clear acronym of who this Sovereign was that Pilate delivered over to be impaled – YHVW/YHWH!!!
It was a typical practice to put a sign on the stake of a prisoner that declared the sin for which they were being hung or impaled. For the Yehuḏim to accept this sign, they would have to acknowledged that this יהושע is the Master יהוה, and they wanted to change the sing to read that יהושע ‘said’ or ‘claimed’ to be the King, which in their eyes was blasphemy, as they wanted Him killed for ‘making Himself Elohim’.
The King had come and His own rejected Him! A clear prophecy was given that the King would come, ‘riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey’!
Zeḵaryah/Zechariah 9:9 “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Tsiyon! Shout, O daughter of Yerushalayim! See, your Sovereign is coming to you, He is righteous and endowed with deliverance, humble and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
Let us take a look at what happened, as recorded in Luqas/Luke:
Luqas/Luke 19:35-40 “So they brought it to יהושע. And throwing their garments on the colt, they set יהושע on it. 36 And as He went, they were spreading their garments on the way. 37 And as He was coming near, already at the descent of the Mount of Olives, the entire crowd of the taught ones began, to praise Elohim, rejoicing with a loud voice for all the miracles they had seen, 38 saying, “ ‘Blessed is the Sovereign who is coming in the Name of יהוה!’ Peace in heaven and esteem in the highest!” 39 And some of the Pharisees from the crowd, said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your taught ones.” 40 But He answering, said to them, “I say to you that if these shall be silent, the stones would cry out.”
What is very clear here is that the true taught ones recognised who their King was and they declared praise for the King/Sovereign that had come, and the Pharisees asked Him to rebuke his taught ones! The religious Pharisees were blinded by their own traditions and dogmas that they could not see the Most High King who was in their midst, just like so many today who refuse to acknowledge that יהושע is the Master, Elohim and King!
What becomes abundantly clear in Scripture is that the Revelation of our Master and Elohim is all throughout the Word; and our King, who is the Lamb, is coming again!
Ḥazon/Revelation 17:14 “They shall fight with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them, for He is Master of masters and Sovereign of sovereigns. And those with Him are called, and chosen, and trustworthy.”
Ḥazon/Revelation 19:16 “And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written: SOVEREIGN OF SOVEREIGNS AND MASTER OF MASTERS.”
This is יהושע the Lamb, who is Master of masters and Sovereign of sovereigns that is coming again! I therefore want to repeat a verse we have already read from Yeshayahu:
Yeshayahu/Isaiah 44:6 “Thus said יהוה, Sovereign of Yisra’ĕl, and his Redeemer, יהוהof hosts, ‘I am the First and I am the Last, besides Me there is no Elohim.”
For more on the Hebrew and Greek words that are translated as ‘Master’ and ‘Elohim’ please take a look at the article on our site (https://atfotc.com) called, ‘MY MASTER AND MY ELOHIM’, under the ‘articles’ menu or by simply clicking on the following link: https://atfotc.com/index.php/2012-04-19-08-30-28/view/612-my-master-and-my-elohim
The point that I am trying to make very clear here tonight is that this song/melody of the sons of Qoraḥ is a clear acknowledgement and praise of the only One True Elohim and King, who saves His people!
Yeshayahu/Isaiah 33:22 “for יהוה is our Judge, יהוה is our Lawgiver, יהוה is our Sovereign, He saves us”
Qorintiyim Bět/2 Corinthians 5:10 “For we all have to appear before the judgment seat of Messiah, in order for each one to receive according to what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”
We have One Judge and Lawgiver, who is King of all the earth, and He alone saves those who call upon His Name and walk in righteousness; and He alone shall reward each one for his work.
As we consider the praise that is due to our Awesome Elohim, and that we are to clap, shout and sing to the Most High, we must be careful against bringing a blemished fear before Him!
Kěpha Bět/2 Peter 3:17-18 “You, then, beloved ones, being forewarned, watch, lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the delusion of the lawless, 18 but grow in the favour and knowledge of our Master and Saviour יהושע Messiah. To Him be the esteem both now and to a day that abides. Aměn.”
The Hebrew word used in verse 1 for “shout” is רוּעַ rua – Strong’s H7321 and means, ‘to raise a shout, give a blast, battle cry, jubilant shouting, shout joyfully, shout in triumph’, and the Hebrew word for ‘singing’ is רִנָּה rinnah – Strong’s H7440 which means, ‘a ringing cry, joyful shout, joyful singing’, and comes from the root verb רָנַן ranan – Strong’s H7442 which means, ‘to overcome, cry out, shout for joy, give a ringing cry, sing aloud’.
In verse 6 we the phrase ‘sing praises’ written 4 times and the word זַמְּרוּ – zamru is used here 4 times, which is from the word זָמַר zamar – Strong’s H2167 as already discussed.
This melody is one that echoes the confident declaration of our Most High and Mighty Elohim and King, and the praise that must be brought to Him must be that which is diligently contemplated and carefully thought of, so that we confidently sing with understanding! So many people today are not ‘singing with understanding’, as they are not contemplating the words that they are singing. We have known some who have walked with us and have left because of their refusal to acknowledge that יהושע Messiah is Master and Elohim, despite them having sung along to the clear songs that we sing that declare this truth! As we recognise, acknowledge and sing to the Most High Elohim and King, we must do so with understanding and proper attention, bringing the proper praise that is due to Elohim, the King of all the earth and make sure that our worship is not blemished in any way!
My hope in sharing these few words with you is that you will be further equipped in your ability to:
CLAP, SHOUT AND SING TO THE MOST HIGH ELOHIM AND KING!
Yeshayahu/Isaiah 42:8 “I am יהוה, that is My Name, and My esteem I do not give to another, nor My praise to idols.”
Qolasim/Colossians 3:16 “Let the Word of Messiah dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing with pleasure in your hearts to the Master in psalms and songs of praise and spiritual songs.”
Sha’ul tells us in Eph’siyim/Ephesians 5:19 that we are to speak to each other in psalms and songs of praise and spiritual songs, singing and striking the strings in our hearts to the Master…. Are you?
While many may not be able to physically ‘strike the strings’ of instruments, we can all ‘strike the strings of our heart’ to the Master! Will you…:
CLAP, SHOUT AND SING TO THE MOST HIGH ELOHIM AND KING!
All the earth will…! Let us who have been called out of darkness do it know, as we prepare the way for His imminent return which great resounding praise for the Most High Elohim and King!
יהוה bless you and guard you; יהוה make His face shine upon you and show favour to you; יהוה lift up His face to you and give you Shalom!!!