The King of Glory is Coming In - Psalm 24

Introduction

Christian philosophy deals with truth, goodness, and beauty, which coincidentally fit into the four branches of philosophy. Epistemology and metaphysics consider what is true. Ethics deals with what is morally good. Aesthetics deals with beauty. All of these studies work together to form a coherent worldview. I believe one reason Christian worship has seen better days is because we’ve separated Christian worship from a Christian worldview. Secular scientists define truth for us while beauty is in the eye of the beholder. All we’re left with is moral goodness, which is currently on the trajectory of the dodo bird.

Explanation of the Passage

This psalm explains in three parts how worship fits in the grand scheme of things. First, in verses 1-2, worship begins with the transcendence and supremacy of God. God owns everything on the earth (v.1) and placed land, where we live, above the water (v.2; Gen 1:9-10).

Second, after showing God’s power, David asks who can ascend the hill of the Lord (v.3)? Since God is so powerful, who is worthy to approach Him? David gives four characteristics of the worthy man. He has clean hands. He doesn’t sin in his actions. He acts purely so God will bless him (Ps 18:26: Matt 5:8). He has a pure heart. He doesn’t sin in his mind or desires. He does not lift his soul to falsehood. He is loyal to God and does not serve false gods (Ps 18:25). He does not swear deceitfully. He has integrity because he knows God is watching (Ps 18:25; 24:5). He does what he says he will do. He does not break the third commandment (Ex 20:7). God promises to bless the man who approaches Him with these characteristics (v. 5), not only him but the generations following him (v.6).

Third, after explaining how man must approach God, David shows how God approaches man (vv. 7-10). These last four verses repeat a series of command and catechism. There’s a command for gates to rise for the king of glory. Then David asks a question, who is the king of glory, which is followed immediately by the answer, the Lord God. In this section David uses two sets of images to portray God’s victory. First, David uses imagery of God returning to the capital city as a warrior king like himself. David portrays God as a winning king and general. Second, David mocks a Ugaritic poem about the false god, Baal. In the poem, Baal commands his fellow gods to “lift up your heads, o gods.” When you connect the dots, God defeated Baal and his pantheon of friends and used their carcasses as gates into his temple.

To summarize this psalm, worship is when God meets righteous man to defeat His enemies. Now, here’s the problem. Man is not righteous. Scripture tells us that sinful man hates God and desires to be His enemy. We set ourselves up to be future furniture in God’s palace. Let’s consider how our worship should be in light of this.

Worship is Christian

The only way a human can worship God is by being righteous. There are no righteous humans. Therefore, no human can worship God. That’s why the Son of God became a man. Jesus entered the world to worship God. He has clean hands and a pure heart. Hands so clean that when lepers touched Him, they got clean (Mark 1:40-41). He does not lift his soul to falsehood. When Satan tempted Him three times in the wilderness Jesus rebuked Him (Matthew 4:10-11). He does not swear deceitfully. Jesus meant everything He said. So, when he said, on the cross, that it was finished, He meant it (John 19:30).

Jesus was the one true righteous man, but He died. Why? Because He was making mockery of the principalities and powers over you (Colossians 2:13-15). On the cross, Jesus revealed Himself also as the Lord God going out to battle against His enemies. Now, Jesus has disarmed Satan (Hebrews 2:14) holds the keys of death and hades (Revelation 1:18). They serve Him like the old gates.

God promised to bless the man who approached Him in righteousness (v. 5). So, after Jesus the righteous died, God raised Him from the dead. But remember God’s promise of blessing was not only for the righteous man, but to the generations after him (v.6).  That’s us! Because Jesus was righteous and met God for us and defeated our enemies for us, we have victory!

So, Christians ascend the hill of the Lord; we worship. We don’t worship when its convenient. We don’t skip it. We follow Jesus and He ascended the hill. We also ascend the hill in Christ. It’s only because He was righteous that we can get close to God. But finally, His righteousness is contagious. His clean hands make our hands clean. You should be more righteous today than you were two years ago.  

Worship is Earthy

Let’s go back to what I mentioned in my introduction. God created a world filled with truth, goodness, and beauty. And in verses 1 and 2, David wants you to look outside at God’s beautiful world. But most conservative Christians care only about moral goodness. Very few consider what is true and factual. And still less care about beauty. But God doesn’t separate them like we do. The same God who made the earth and rivers, also demands moral goodness, and also enters into this world defining what it true.  

Our Earthy worship has two implications. First, we should not call profane anything God made. Paul fleshes this out in 1 Corinthians 10. In this section, Paul is dealing with Christians who want to buy the best meat for the fellowship meal on the Lord’s Day worship. And the best meat is sold at the meat market which offers up each animal to a pagan god before butchery. Some Christians believed this was ok because the meat was good while others thought this was sinful. Paul handles it this way.

All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify. Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor. Eat anything that is sold in the meat market without asking questions for conscience’ sake; for the earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains. If one of the unbelievers invites you and you want to go, eat anything that is set before you without asking questions for conscience’ sake. But if anyone says to you, “This is meat sacrificed to idols,” do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for conscience’ sake; I mean not your own conscience, but the other man’s; for why is my freedom judged by another’s conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why am I slandered concerning that for which I give thanks? Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God; just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, so that they may be saved. 1 Corinthians 10:23–33

Since God made everything, the meat you would buy at a pagan temple is actually God’s meat. However, the same God who made the cow, also made your Christian neighbor who was just converted last week. He can’t eat meat without thinking of Zeus. Therefore, you don’t buy meat for a season for Lord’s Day worship until he grows into maturity. The entire point is that God made everything therefore thank Him (1 Cor 10:30). Everything should be done for God’s glory (10:31). Let’s apply this to our modern context. Throughout Scripture the Lord gives alcohol as a gift. Psalm 104:15 says God gives wine to gladden the hearts of men. Remember, Jesus turned water into wine (John 2:1-12). But God also says this gift can be abused by sinful hearts. Drunkenness is a sin (Proverbs 23:20). What many Christians have done to deal with sins like drunkenness is say that God didn’t make everything, which is a heresy. It makes God in competition with Satan. The cure for sin isn’t heresy but the Holy Spirit. The cure for drunkenness isn’t abstinence but self-control. Abstinence isn’t a fruit of the spirit. Self-control is.

The second implication for our earthy worship is that Christians should make beautiful things. God created a beautiful world, but sin corrupts this world. Christians are a new priesthood sanctifying this world (1 Peter 2:5). The bible begins in a garden and ends with a city. Jesus has commissioned the church to turn this weeded garden bed into a cathedral. So, remember, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” is not a verse in the Bible. The same God who saved us also created everything in this world that’s beautiful. Christian carpenters should make the most sturdy and beautiful furniture. Christian accountants should make the most tidy and organized account sheets. Should our churches look like a rundown garage or piece of artwork? Now, some of you may be thinking, “I thought this world is passing away (1 John 2:17)?” I hope to address that on Wednesday night when we study Revelation. But let me ask, where does it say in the bible that the earth is passing away right now? Exactly! So, let’s stop it with thinking our space of worship is disposable and instead make something God would put His signature on.

Worship is Warfare

We should remember two things about worship and warfare. First, we worship because God wins. The reason you are a Christian is because Jesus defeated your sin and idolatry. Every Christian is a person God defeated and invited into His army of worshippers. The second thing is our worship is how God wins. Each week God gives us an opportunity to battering-ram the gates of hades so we can turn them into the gates of heaven (Matthew 16:18).  

Why do you attend church on Sunday? Is it to ascend the hill of the Lord or to sit with your friends in Sunday school? Is worship necessary in your life? Or is worship convenient? Jesus didn’t die on the cross for you to simply have a conversion experience when you were eight. He died to convert you fully for the rest of your life.

Conclusion

In Acts 1:9, Jesus ascended into heaven and the text says, “a cloud received them out of their sight.” So where did Jesus go? We know right now He is ruling and reigning from heaven (1 Corinthians 15:25). So in between flying in the sky and sitting on the throne of heaven, what did He do? He ascended the hill of the Lord into heaven. He commanded the gates of heaven to open with legions of angels watching in awe. Why? So that the King of Glory may come in. Who is the king of glory? The Lord Jesus, strong in battle. The Lord Jesus who defeated sin, who crippled Satan, and who put a collar and leash around death itself. David defeated Goliath by cutting off His head. And a king greater than David sits on the throne.