Psa 24

Psg: Psa 24 (http://biblia.com/bible/gs-netbible/Ps24)
Date: 5/17/12

Read

24:1 The Lord owns the earth and all it contains,

the world and all who live in it.

24:2 For he set its foundation upon the seas,

and established* it upon the ocean currents.*

24:3 Who is allowed to ascend* the mountain of the Lord?*

Who may go up to his holy dwelling place?

24:4 The one whose deeds are blameless

and whose motives are pure,*

who does not lie,*

or make promises with no intention of keeping them.*

24:5 Such godly people are rewarded by theLord,*

and vindicated by the God who delivers them.*

24:6 Such purity characterizes the people who seek his favor,

Jacob's descendants, who pray to him.*(Selah)

24:7 Look up,* you gates!

Rise up,* you eternal doors!

Then the majestic king* will enter!*

24:8 Who is this majestic king?*

The Lord who is strong and mighty!

The Lord who is mighty in battle!

24:9 Look up, you gates!

Rise up, you eternal doors!

Then the majestic king will enter!

24:10 Who is this majestic king?

The Lord who commands armies!*

He is the majestic king! (Selah)

Record

Who is this majestic king? (8, 10)

Reflect

• This kind of question is exactly the kind of question that was rolling around in my head at the moment salvation became mine.
• God is, God is real, and therefore...
• The answers to the question:
• The Lord, who is strong and mighty (8)
• The Lord, who is mighty in battle (8)
• The Lord, who commands armies (10)
• King-warrior-commander
• From the rest of the psalm:
• He owns everything because he made everything and set it in place
• He is approachable only by the pure
• The one who enters through the gates
• Since only the pure can approach him, and I cannot be pure, I cannot approach him - except for Christ, who is pure.
• Rather than teaching that we can reach God, this psalm is part of progressive revelation, making the point that we can only be in his presence if we are pure, but we cannot achieve this purity on our own.
• As great as this psalm is, without Christ, it ends in despair.
• David knew his own impurity (Pss 32, 51).
• Imagine approaching this king-warrior-commander, who will be victorious, while you are carrying the very sin that he will be victorious over.

Respond

• Of all the images painted of you, the king-warrior-commander image is one I don't think of as much. It's not part of my earthly experience, and I don't realize how much I daily need these attributes in you. Help me to worship you more by expanding my view of you. This means I must be willing to, and even diligent to, embrace the reality that we're in a very real battle.