Psalm 24 notes

 God-willing we're going to look at Psalm 24 in our midweek meeting on Wed 26th August. Far be it from me to steal my own thunder, but:

I preached on the Psalm here: https://www.warbletonchurch.org.uk/sermons-talks/?sermon_id=335

And it may be that someone might find some of the following jottings helpful:

 

Turn back to Psalm 24 (p555) [slide]

 

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Our Psalm begins with a little hymn of Praise to God the creator.

It’s as if the Psalmist is using the widest-angle lens possible here because it takes in everything, the whole cosmos:

 

 Vv1-2: “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it,

The world, and all who live in it;

For he has founded it upon the seas

And established it on the waters.”

 

God is the creator, owner, ruler and sustainer of all places and people

 

Everything, everyone, everywhere belongs to God who made them.

The earth, fruitful, peopled, solid and established is the Lord’s.

We depend on him for everything.

And we belong to him by right.

We didn’t make ourselves; we are God’s craftmanship and we bare our makers mark.

There is not a centremeter of the universe over which God doesn’t rightly say “mine!”

 

Seas / waters (v2) suggest threat / chaos

God rules over them.

His rule is certain and secure.

He governs and sustains and upholds all things.

 

We could break out into “He’s got the whole world in his hands!”

 

[slide]

So we begin with that wide-angle lens.

But twice in our Psalm, the Psalmist is going to zoom in.

(It would be cool is we had a video of this, but today we just have slides)

 

Vv3-4 zoom in from all people and all places to a particular place and some particular people

 

V3: “Who may ascend the hill of the LORD?

Who may stand in his holy place?”

 

Ascend = go up

 

The hill of the LORD? -  mount Zion [slide]

God’s holy place ? the temple? [slide]

 

Although the whole earth belongs to God, and of course he is present everywhere, the temple was the place God had promised to be specially present to his people, to meet with them and bless them. 

 

God’s holy presence

 

Holiness – separate from all sin and evil – blazing purity

God - Light in whom there is no darkness at all

His eyes are too pure to look on sin

 

[slide]

We sometimes imagine that God would happily welcome everyone, like a kind of friendly grandfather giving out Werther’s Originals

“God will forgive, that’s his job!”

 

But the temple in Jerusalem spoke of both welcome and no entry [slide]

 

God was present to bless his people

He wanted to meet with them

And he called them to come to him

 

But the temple also had a series of no entry signs

For the Gentile nations

For non-priests

For everyone except the high priest once a year carrying the blood of sacrifice

 

It is very hard for a sinful people to come into the presence of a Holy God

 

Terms and Conditions apply!

See v4

 

[slide]

God’s guest list (v4):

The Entry requirements:

 

Clean hands? – actions

Pure heart

Pure worship – he “who does not lift up his soul to an idol”

Pure lips – “or swear by what is false”

 

We might say it covers:

Right living

Right thinking

Right relationship with God

Right relationship with others

 

None of us perfectly meets those requirements

 

[slide]

But God promises blessing and vindication (justice / righteousness / justification) to those who sincerely seek him in his appointed way (vv5-6)

In the Old Testament, faithful covenant keeping sinners could come into God’s presence on the basis of sacrifice

Of course believers then knew they weren’t perfect and needed God’s forgiveness and mercy

The innocent animal died in their place so that they could be forgiven

And they trusted God for vindication

 

Our Psalm leaves us looking for a perfect king.

Who may ascend the hill of the LORD?

Who may stand in God’s holy place?

Is there one who can do so by right?

Is there anyone really totally and completely good?

Is there someone good enough?

And of course as Christians we know the answer!

 

[slide]

Only Jesus perfectly meets the requirements of v4

Think of his actions and his words…

Such love and compassion and humility and wisdom and…

Never did or said or thought anything wrong

Never for a moment gave in to temptation

Such total loyalty to God his Father and his purposes

 

He is the ultimate sacrifice for sin, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world

The perfect, faultless lamb of God without any spot or blemish

 

When we trust in him, we receive the gift of his righteousness, which is by God’s grace to all those who have faith in Jesus

 

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Vv7-10 zoom in again to focus on the LORD Almighty the King of Glory

 

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Imagine a city greeting the LORD as the victorious king, a warrior mighty in battle (v7-)

Although later than OT times, we might try to picture a Roman Triumph

The conquering hero acclaimed from the ramparts of the city

The gates are lifted up!

The ancient doors are flung wide!

So the great victor is welcomed in.

 

Look at the description of God in v8:

“The LORD strong and mighty,

The LORD mighty in battle.”

There are many demonstrations of that in the Bible.

Do we think of God as a warrior?

A frequent Old Testament description of God

The LORD of hosts, the LORD of armies

We would do well to reflect on it.

 

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A triumphal procession

Cf. Palm Sunday – Jerusalem greets Jesus as the king

 

[slide]

Cf. Jesus’ triumph by his cross and resurrection

Welcome Jesus the victorious King of Glory who defeated sin and death for us!

 

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Praise God trusting in Jesus, the victorious King of Glory, the perfect sacrifice for sin.

Clothed in Jesus’ righteousness, we are welcomed in and we rejoice to stand forgiven and clean in God’s holy presence.

 

* * *

 

Christopher Idle’s, This Earth Belongs To God

 

A tiny hymn about the power of God the creator

An entrance liturgy about the holiness of God the Lord

A procession liturgy about the victories of God the King

 

A procession

Enthronement ceremony

David bringing the ark of the covenant up to Mount Zion – 2 Sam 6; 1 Chron 15 and 16; 1 Chron 13:8

Maybe the installation of the ark in Zion was the greatest day of David’s life (Kidner)

Traditionally sung at ascension

The victor’s arrival to possess his citadel

 

The first emphatic word in the Hebrew is The Lord’s

 

V1 – tebhel – the peopled-world, the inhabited world

 

The sea (v2) representing chaos / threat

 

V2 upon or above

 

In a sense, of course, we are never out of the presence of God who is the creator and ruler of all things.

But v4 gives us 4 qualifications for coming into God’s presence

God made all places, but he has also made one holy place

 

Ex 15:2-3, 17-18 – coming to a mountain in the promised land

 

V5 vindication is lit. righteousness

 

Heb 12:22 – We have come to Mount Zion

 

* * *

 

Kidner:

 

King of Glory

 

Vv1-2: The All-Creating

Vv3-6: The All-Holy

Vv7-10: The All-Victorious

 

* * *

 

Motyer:

 

Fling Wide The Gates

 

Approaching (vv1-2)

Welcoming (vv3-6)

            Personal integrity (v4)

            Spiritual integrity (v4b)

            Social integrity (4b-6)

Entering (vv7-10)

            Request (v7)

            Interrogation (v8a)

            Reply (v8b)

            Request (v9)

            Interrogation (v10a)

            Reply (v10b)

 

* * *

 

Wilcock:

 

A very special occasion

A climax

A starting point

 

* * *

 

Goldingay:

 

Yhwh’s ownership of the world

Conditions for approaching Yhwh

Admitting Yhwh to the city

 

* * *

 

Expositor’s Bible:

 

The King of Glory is Our God

 

A The Great King (vv1-2) – the creator God

B The Hill of the Lord (vv3-6) – the holy God

A’ The Divine Warrior (vv7-10) – the glorious King

 

* * *

 

Wilson, NIV Application Commentary

 

Yahweh’s creative authority (vv1-2)

Preparation to enter the presence of God (vv3-6)

The King of Glory comes (vv7-10)

 

* * *

 

Spurgeon:

 

Part (1) glorifies the true God and sings of his universal dominion

(2) the true Israel who are able to commune with this God

(3) the ascent of the true Redeemer who has opened heaven’s entrance to his elect