A Psalm of David.
24:1 The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, 2 for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.
3 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. 5 He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah
7 Lift up your heads, O gates!
And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is this King of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in battle!
9 Lift up your heads, O gates!
And lift them up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
he is the King of glory! Selah
Psalm 24 just seems to fit coming after verse 23. Psalm 23 starts by telling us that we shall be in want when we follow the Lord, and Psalm 24 tells us why. Everything that is on the earth is the Lords.
Main Point: There is a 3 point structure to the Psalm. It starts by asserting the Lord’s absolute kingship over all of creation because he is its creator. It then moves on to the holiness of the Lord, and contemplating the holiness required to enter his presence. It then closes by declaring the Lord to be the King of Glory. One who is a might warrior. The psalm front to back is a Psalm about God’s Authority, Power, and the Holiness of his presences. ( I have been reading some John Frame today. That must be the reason I spotted a triangle.)
Interesting Points: The most interesting point of this to me is the psalms use of Questions. It is almost like its a catechism of sorts. The last set of questions really strike me as if they would be perfect to be used in a worship service. (my thinking here is probably because of what Handel did with this phrase in his Messiah.) I can almost see the Israelites singing this in the round. One side ask the question, one side gives the answer.
It is also a reminder for Israel and for us that while we may have earthly leaders and kings, it the Lord who ultimately we must give all allegiance. No other kings can compare with him.
Emotional reaction: I think most of my reaction is governed by the portion of Handle’s messiah. I am attaching a clip of it so you can see what I am talking about. I don’t know why but it gives me goose bumps every time. I just visualize all of Israel waiting for the Lord, the King to come through the Gates of Jerusalem, and then they all begin to spontaneously begin to sing this.
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