Psalm 24
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!
David may have written this Psalm when he brought the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem. The Ark symbolized the throne of God, His dwelling place. David acknowledged that the Lord is not like idols or false gods. He is not confined to this one spot, for He is almighty God who has created the whole universe. They cannot even compare to Yahweh, for they are utterly useless and completely impotent. Yahweh is mightier than even the seas, the ultimate symbol of chaos and evil. He is holy and without sin. No one can appear before Him who is filled with hypocritical piety, pride or selfishness or who worships false gods. The Lord can see through all these lies. Those who seek Him in earnest and with a humble heart will find His blessings. They will see His glory.
As we look across the world today, we might be tempted to see few if any reasons for optimism or hope or few reasons to give praise to the Lord. War rages in many parts of the globe. Acts of terror afflict us on all sides. Changes in the environment seem to be wreaking havoc with our weather. Immorality has become socially acceptable as the concepts of sin and shame have vanished from our culture. Injustice is widespread especially the injustice done to the unborn through abortion, and the injustice of the millions of poor and oppressed people across the world who suffer from malnutrition and die of hunger while many in the West waste on money on entertainment, gourmet food and drink, electronic gadgets, and designer clothing among other things.
Yet there is reason to rejoice: the Lord is on His throne. He rules over all though it seems that the wicked prosper and grow. The Lord will bring justice and will make all things right. He will use us who are believers as His instruments to bring this justice about, not through violence or abuse, but through acts of lovingkindness and the truth of his word, the gospel of redemption through the Blood of Jesus Christ our Lord.