The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof,
the world and those who dwell therein,
for he has founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
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.
He will receive blessing from the LORD
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob.
Selah
Lift up your heads, O gates!
And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The LORD, strong and mighty,
the LORD,mighty in battle!
Lift up your heads, O gates!
And lift them up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The LORD of hosts,
he is the King of glory!
Selah
Psalm 24 (ESV)
This psalm has been stuck in my brain for a few days now, so I figured I would post a few of the glorious truths found in it.
For starters…The LORD reigns over everything and everyone. I know…this doesn’t seem like much of a big deal but the implications of it are huge. These words were originally spoken (or sung more likely)by the people of Israel at a time when the belief in territorial deities abounded. Different gods were seen as having territories or turf over which they had dominion.
Even today some people wrongly think of the LORD in nationalistic terms, viewing him as exclusively the God of the people of Israel (because of the focus on the people of Israel and the city of Jerusalem). Psalm 24 blows that idea right out of the water. The LORD….reigns over everything and everyone. The whole creation is his turf. All other “gods” are encroaching on his space. The LORD reigns. He calls the shots and everyone and everything is to under his authority…his rule. He has the right to do with us what he wants…and he has the right to tell us how to live…and he has.
To think of God in nationalistic terms or as exclusively the God of one particular group of people is to grossly distort who He really is….and it makes Him out to be way too small. This sort of thing still happens today. Growing up, I was told by some that folks that the God of the Bible was for white people….and about a week ago I chatted with a guy who was convinced that God was only lord of black people. Nope…both are wrong.
God’s people are those who repent and cling to his son Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins. And the scriptures tell us that Jesus died and was raised to purchase folks “….from every tribe and language and people and nation.” Revelation 5:9
In psalm 24, after David paints us a picture of God’s dominion over the whole earth, he tells us a little something of who can enter into his presence. In verse 3 and 4 we see what it takes to approach the Holy God of creation. Who can approach the God of the universe? One “who has clean hands and a pure heart…who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.”
In spite of arguments to the contrary, there’s only One who by his very nature fits that description…. Jesus Christ the Righteous….and the only hope that any human being has for entering into the presence of God and not being condemned is to cling to Him. Repent and trust Jesus. Those who do….get Christ’s perfect righteousness imputed to them by God himself. Christ’s righteousness becomes our own. Incredible….
What a glorious King!
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