Articles
A Meditation on 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! Selah
We are used to seeing proclamations of the kingdom in the gospels: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt 4.17); “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 5.10); “In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God” (Luke 13.29).
We do not often consider Jesus’ teachings about the kingdom in terms of their Old Testament roots. Jesus came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets, including what they have to say about the kingdom of God. Psalm 24 is a psalm about the kingdom: what it is, who is its King, and who may enter into it.
The psalm opens by establishing what the kingdom is: “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein.” We often identify the kingdom of God as the church, which it is (Luke 22.28-30; John 18.33; Col 4.10-11), but we shouldn’t think that the Lord’s dominion stops at the front doors of the church building. When we Christians call ourselves “the kingdom,” what we mean is that we are the part of God’s kingdom that recognizes God’s kingship over us. The rest of the world is indeed God’s domain, but it is in rebellion against Him.
This understanding of the kingdom is reflected in the beatitudes. Consider the first and the third beatitudes together: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. … Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matt 5.3, 5; emphases mine). God created the entire world to be His, which is why the entire creation groans under the burden of the curse and awaits redemption, just as we do (Rom 8.19-23). The division between “God’s kingdom” and “not God’s kingdom” is not a matter of what but a matter of who.
That leads us to the questions which the psalmist asks, “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place?” In other words, who may enter into the kingdom? Who is fit to approach the throne of the King? Who may stand in His presence? The psalmist answers, “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.”
The psalmist’s answer is, again, wholly consistent with what we read in the beatitudes. Those who enter into the kingdom and receive its blessings are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.
The psalm concludes by showing us who the King is: “The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle! … The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory!” Our God is a warrior-king at the head of a heavenly army (cf. Matt 26.53). The King shall enter His kingdom: “Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.” So shall it be in the last day: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne” (Matt 25.31). He will by no means permit rebels to live forever (2 Pet 3.9-10).
