November 6, 2011
“THE KING OF GLORY”
(PSALM 24)
In order to understand this morning’s main scripture passage, I must do something a bit
different from my usual procedure. I begin with a section of the Bible which records
the politics and historical setting behind the ancient nation of Israel, in its formative
years. I am referencing verses from 1 Samuel 8. After a brief visit in this Old
Testament book, we will then have our public reading of today’s focal passage; Psalm
24.
The history of Israel before God’s selection of King Saul is interesting, to say the least.
When God brought about the deliverance of the Promised Land to His people He
assumed the rule over His people Himself. According to His original intention, He
would be their sovereign. And so, He began ruling them by appointing judges to lead
and instruct the citizens concerning His will. To be honest, the system didn’t work well
as is clearly portrayed in the Book of Judges. The problem centered on the willful
choice of the Hebrews to live independently according to their own way, instead of
following God’s law. We read again and again in Judges that “In those days Israel
had no king, everyone did as he saw fit.” (i.e. Judges 17:6) In 1 Samuel we learn that
the last judge to represent God is Samuel. In 1 Samuel 8 Samuel has grown old and,
strangely, he doesn’t consult God about who should be the next leader. Instead he
appoints his own sons as the next judges. Guess what happened? In 1 Samuel 8:3 we
read that Samuel’s sons (named Joel and Abijah) “did not walk in his ways. They
turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.” As a
result of this crisis the elders of Israel come to Samuel and inform him, according to
verse 5, “You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to
lead us, such as all the other nations have.” Samuel goes to God with a deep concern
about this request and God makes an amazing assessment of the real issue at hand.
God tells Samuel in verse 7, “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not
you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.” God’s plan was
always to be the ruler of His people. This idea was as old as the Garden of Eden. From
the creation of man, God walked with Adam in the garden. Then sin entered the world
through mankind’s fall to temptation. It was at that point that Adam and Eve tried to
hide from God. Ever since, people have faced a major separation from God.
Succeeding generations have been obsessed with thinking of themselves rather than
God. They have continually lived independent of God, by-and-large riveted on their
own agenda rather than God’s. It is in this context and reality that we come to the truth
of our psalm for this morning: Psalm 24.
This is a song written (interestingly) by a king. We know him as David, the son of
Jesse. He was historically the second of Israel’s kings. He was far from perfect yet is
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spoken of by the Apostle Paul in Acts 13:22 as being testified by God, Himself: “I
have found David, son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I
want him to do.” Welcome to the man who wrote the following Psalm! Please stand as
Don Williams reads the lyrics of this historic Hebrew song:
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The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
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for he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the waters.
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Who may ascend the hill of the LORD?
Who may stand in his holy place?
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He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to an idol
or swear by what is false.
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He will receive blessing from the LORD
and vindication from God his Savior.
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Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek your face, O God of Jacob.
Selah
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Lift up your heads, O you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
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Who is this King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
the LORD mighty in battle.
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Lift up your heads, O you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
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Who is he, this King of glory?
The LORD Almighty—
he is the King of glory.
Selah
As a matter of trivia; this psalm was later the first of seven liturgical songs sung by the
Jewish people while captives in Babylon. During their exile, they were subjected to
hearing the Babylonian practice of seven separate songs being sung publically to a
pagan god (at noon) each day of the week. That is not much different than the practice
of public singing by Muslims today. The Hebrews sang their own seven psalms daily
to remember the God of Israel. Their parents’ rejection of God had led them into such
a horrific enslavement. Thus, Psalm 24 was sung by the captives every Sunday of their
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captivity. It was written by King David and played a significant role in their worship
down through generations of Israel’s history. When David wrote Psalm 24, it spoke of
three things, and these features are what I wish to share with you today.
THE GREAT KING:
This song first introduces us to the Creator-king who rules over the earth. The Lord is
said here to own the earth “and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” All
living beings making their home on earth are under God’s domain! Verse 2 adds to the
picture that His rule is established because He has made the world habitable. There is
not the slightest hint of some primitive cosmology in the words, “he founded it upon
the seas”. Rather our psalmist signifies that the Lord has shown his wisdom in creating
an orderly world which He rules over all. This biblical view is opposed to making a
god of nature, because, we understand that everything is glorious, as derived from the
glorious Creator. When the Old Testament speaks of creation, it sees the world as a
realm with its splendor which is “called into being” by God’s creative word
effortlessly. The “seas” and “waters” were words used in pagan mythology during
this time. In Israeli usage: they are not hostile, chaotic Babylonian forces but rather
fully under the Creator-God’s dominion or control.
If any Babylonian heard a Hebrew singing this song he would immediately grasp the
import of what is being sung and recognize the huge difference between what he
believed and Hebrew worshippers believed. For us today, the same reality is true!
Everything in our lives (I MEAN EVERYTHING) is owned by God, belongs to Him
and is under His control. That includes what in our eyes is good and what appears to be
bad. It includes the past, present and future of each of us! I trust you have grasped that
and live accordingly. But; on to point number two of this Hebrew song.
THE HILL OF THE LORD:
Who is acceptable to the Creator-king? How may any of us prepare ourselves for
fellowship with God? The song writer expresses fellowship with God in Old
Testament terms. He speaks of ascending “the hill of the Lord” and standing “in his
holy place”. This is a reference to Mount Zion, which during the reign of David’s son
Solomon becomes the location of God’s Temple. Anyone who has visited Jerusalem
has seen “the city of David”; a hill overlooking downtown. This song tells us anyone
who seeks God’s favor needs to prepare himself by setting apart (dedicating) his life to
the ownership and possession of God; completely and consistently. This hymn
instructs God’s people, REGARDLESS of what they are facing, to live deliberately in
the presence of the Creator-king so as to receive His blessing. By the words the
psalmist uses, he stresses the requirements of the Lord as a comprehensive mental
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picture to be grasped continuously! It must be the view upon which we hang
everything in our lives: our health, our relationships, our priorities, our longings, our
habits, our thoughts...etc. Nothing in life is to be exempt from this conscious
viewpoint! NOTHING!!! The God of the universe expects purity and singleness of
heart from all who seek His presence. “Clean hands” speak of actions. “Pure hearts”
speak of attitudes and thoughts. All of life must conform to holiness which is
acceptable to God. God expects no masks, no games or pretense with people or with
Himself. He has no room for duplicity or hypocrisy. One does not profess to belong to
God while being addicted to or possessed by anything else. A personal integrity of
unconditionally belonging to God is what’s being sung about in this psalm. It is the
exact opposite of the lifestyle which the parents of the Israeli captives lived. These
Hebrews understood how the sins of their fathers and mothers had impacted upon their
lives. The reward for a walk of integrity is the enjoyment of God’s presence found in
His “blessing” and “vindication”. Both belong to those who surrender all they are, all
they have and all they hope for to God.
THE DIVINE WARRIOR:
Since the Temple had not yet been built in David’s time, this psalm now speaks of a
great and glorious King for whom the city gates are opened in triumph. Jerusalem has
now become the city of God because God chooses to dwell there! With all the fanfare
of majesty and regal splendor, the words reverberate with pomp and thrill, with
excitement and celebration! Phrases like “the King of glory”, “the Lord strong and
mighty”, “the Lord mighty in battle”, “The Lord Almighty” move to a level way
above what we can comprehend as Americans. We have no king in this land. We
cannot relate to royal majesty. Regal splendor we cannot fathom. It is found in history
books only for us today. But we must grasp the truth being sung about here! God
brings blessing, victory, vindication, hope, justice, peace, assurance and reward: ALL
THESE THINGS, to those who are found faithful to Him.
Can you truly sing this song? Do you and I match the expectations which God has for
us and our lives? Are you and I living life today in unison with this psalm? What will it
take for you and me to change our way of life in order to conform to God’s
expectations: not ours? What must you and I surrender? Can we let go of our pride?
Can we bow our knees before Him in complete humility and servitude? Will we give
up everything we hold dear in order to “Lift up” the doors which we have bolted to
keep God out? Will you and I allow “the King of Glory to come in”? What are we
holding onto which is more important than God? I ask you to answer these questions
from your heart, as I must from mine!
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