Excited For Our Candidate

Text: Psalm 47:5-8 Speaker: Pastor Matthew Ude Festival: Ascension Passages: Psalm 47:5-8

Psalm 47:5-8

There’s not that much excitement this year about the presidential elections. There is a lot of anger, a lot of pessimism, a lot of division but very little excitement.

Except in our text. The writer of psalm 47 is a guy who is excited about his candidate. The Lord has ascended with shouts of joy. He is talking about Jesus’ victory and coronation.

In the middle of an angry and pessimistic election year we celebrate the ascension of Jesus. He ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of the Father as our king. In the midst of the fighting and division that plagues are nations and threatens to pull it apart, we come together tonight to remember that neither Trump nor Biden is our true candidate. Jesus is our king. No matter what happens in November we have something to be excited and hopeful about.  

Psalm 47:5 God has gone up with a shout, The LORD with the sound of a trumpet. 

The psalmist is exuberant that the Lord is king, but it is more important than just that God is king. There is a personal aspect to it. It means something to the psalmist personally. Its not just another king or another president, but its someone who will really make a change.

You may remember how back in the desert the Lord, Yahweh, lead his people as a pillar of fire by night and pillar of cloud by day. This pillar would literally go up off the earth and move forward. When that happened, the people were to follow. When the pillar stopped moving it would come down again on the earth and the people would stop. Later in the book of numbers God commanded that two special silver trumpets be made. These trumpets were to be blown whenever the pillar moved as a signal for the people to follow.

Thus, we see here that Yahweh has ascended with the sound of trumpets. These trumpets are the signal that not only is the cloud moving but that the people are called to follow.

In 2 Samuel 6 David brings the ark of the covenant up to Jerusalem. As he brings it up again we have the same words “with a shout and the sound of a trumpet” and once again the trumpet is calling all the Israelites to follow as Yahweh ascends.

And so here in Psalm 47 this going up with the sound of a trumpet signifies that not just the king but also his people are “on the move.” Yahweh is bringing his people out of the wilderness into the promised land.

Jesus repeated tells us that his ascension does not mean that he is leaving us, but rather that he is drawing us with him out of this world into heaven.

Matthew 28:20   lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

John 16:7   It is to your advantage that I go away;

As Jesus said in  John 12:32 “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”

John tells us Jesus was speaking of his death on the cross, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t also his ascension. His death is but the first step in him being “lifted up.” His being “lifted up” is our being lifted up as well.

We get down and discouraged about so much that is happening in this world because we think of ourselves as Americans. But this world is a sinking ship, it always has been. Jesus has come not to fix the ship but to draw us out to himself. Our citizenship is not here but in heaven, and our candidate is not Biden or Trump but Jesus our king.

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 understanding.  8 God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne.

With the ascension of Yahweh, the Psalmist emphasizes that it isn’t just the Israelites who benefit but the whole world. He reigns over the nations.

One of the things that our state department likes to emphasize is that “when you travel the bill of rights does not travel with you.” We know and love the freedoms we have as Americans but there are many nations where they do not have such freedoms. Because we really enjoy our freedoms and our democracy, we really wish that everyone would have them.

Just as we often want to spread the joy of our democracy, so the psalmist wants to spread the joy of being in God’s kingdom. The Psalmist knows the joy of having Yahweh as king. He rejoices in the promise that one day all people will know that same joy.

God told Abraham Genesis 12:3  in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed

Zechariah 2:11  Many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and they shall become My people

Jesus has gone up and at his ascending he sends forth the sound of the trumpet so that all people would follow him.

Psalm 68 reminds us “the Lord gave the word great was the company of the preachers.“

Remember what Jesus said to his disciples “all authority has been given to me . . . Therefore go and make disciples.” This “all authority” he speaks of is nothing less than Yahweh ascending to his throne. With his ascension the sound of the trumpet, which is the word of God is to go out calling all people to follow.

What did the angels tell the disciples? Stop standing around, get going, preach the word . . .

The bill of rights does not go with us when travel, but Jesus our king, his promises, and his power does.

Jesus has ascended and drawn us with him. Our citizenship is not of this nation or of this earth but of heaven. When we forget that we are going to be disappointed no matter who wins the election. Even if we are excited the day after the elections, we will be disappointed by them later. When we remember that Jesus has ascended and drawn us with him, then there is reason to rejoice greatly.  Amen