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Psalm 24 Devotional – The King of Glory

APRIL 29 – PSALM 24

THE KING OF GLORY

In preparation for the entry of the great King of glory, the psalmist stated that those with clean hands and pure hearts may ascend to His holy place. A psalm of David, Psalm 24 is one of the royal psalms. The psalm describes the Lord’s entrance into the holy city.

Many think this psalm was written for the occasion of David’s taking the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6:15), though this cannot be proven. If such were true, then the “ancient doors” (Ps. 24:7) refer to the old fortress that then received the ark, the symbol of the Lord’s presence. Or perhaps the psalm speaks of some other return to Jerusalem after a victory in battle.

This psalm is often linked with Psalms 22 and 23 for all three psalms speak prophetically of the Lord Jesus. Psalm 24 also has some affinities with Psalm 15 for both ask and answer the question of who is fit to come into the presence of the Lord. The answer in Psalm 15 focuses on a person’s righteousness; the answer in Psalm 24 focuses on the King of glory. Psalm 24 should also be read with Psalm 2 and 110 which share a focus on the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to establish His kingdom on earth. This psalm has three movements: (1) praise to God the Creator and Sovereign of the world (vv. 1-2); (2) an inquiry concerning the appropriate approach to the holy Lord (vv. 3-6); (3) anticipation of the King of glory (vv. 7-10)

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 (ESV)

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

  • God is the Creator and Sovereign over everything
  • No one is worthy to approach the Holy God, but thanks be to Christ for making us righteous that we can approach the Father
  • The King of Glory is strong, mighty, and victorious
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A DEFINITION OF SIN

The next couple of posts will focus on sin, what it is and its effect on Creation. These posts will attempt to integrate and synthesize a wealth of information into a smaller 700 word article. Books upon book have been written on sin and its adverse impact on a beautiful world. Countless volumes could be written on it and have been. Sin affects everything. It changed the world and us as creatures. We deal with its affects daily. Each day there is something in our lives that is vying for the throne of our hearts. There is sin that has lingered and festered in our lives for years. It has reminded us of our brokenness. It is a reminder of our almost constant rebellion against God.

Sin is the opposite of our holy and perfect God. This post will briefly introduce our topic and provide a working definition. The next post will show sins effect on Creation and how we respond or recognize our own sin and the awesome work of Christ in His perfection. There is much to be said on this topic, but little space and little time.Read More »A DEFINITION OF SIN