Introduction
Do you recall the popular American folk song: “This land is my land, this land is your land…” We often talk of “our world” almost as If it belongs to us. Do you really own the land you buy? Bible’s view is that everything belongs to God because He made it. He has entrusted humanity with the management or stewardship of this world. Furthermore it is meant to be carried out with God’s rule in mind.
Is the Creation /Evolution debate a waste of time? No! It is so crucial, because if you can discredit the Bible, or its assertion that God is the Creator, then you can worship who you like and do what you like within any limits imposed by society. Psalm 24 begins echoing Genesis chapter1 and then unpacks the implications for life in Old Testament Israel and especially worship at the temple.
Let’s look at this Psalm briefly and see how it applies to us today through the grid of the New Testament. Whenever we study the OT, we work it out in BC first, then see how the NT, through Christ, affects the application for us today.
Beware of two main errors:
1. dismissing the OT altogether (many do because it is too long, too unscientific, too cruel, too hard to read, too far from contemporary society) and
2. not allowing the NT to interpret the Old.
v 1,2 The World belongs to YAHWEH because He made it
1 The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof,[a] the world and those who dwell therein,Assertion of total ownership. (Cf assertion of creation in Gene 1:1)
Note the parallelism: ‘earth’ = ‘world’, ‘the fullness thereof’ = ‘those who dwell therein.’
Here we have a pre Copernicus global view. The whole world is in view with all its tribes and nations. David and other ancients didn’t have to know the extent and diversity of the earth, or how it spins on its axis, or revolves around the sun. Whatever there was, God had created it, owned it, controlled it, and sustained it.
2 for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.
Verse 2 supports the assertion. Ownership is based on creatorship. Note ocean, seas, waters are mentioned in Genesis 1:2,6,7, 9,10 and rivers in Genesis 2:10-14
Genesis chapters 1 & 2, is special revelation, Ps 19:1 is special revelation but recalls general revelation.
Whichever way God reveals, all are accountable to the only true God. He has revealed himself especially to Israel as YAHWEH the covenant God of Israel. (recall – what does the “LORD” stand for?). The more that is revealed to us the more we are culpable.
It’s not long after you start thinking about God that you ask the next question as the Psalmist does.
v 3 Who can approach this holy and mighty God? 3 Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?
What is the Lord’s hill? Mt Zion? The temple mount in Jerusalem? Where the Muslim Dome of the Rock is today? All the hills and mountains are the Lord’s so what is so special about this hill?
This was the ancient mountain stronghold of the Jebusites who inhabited what we now call “Jerusalem” for over a thousand years before King David conquered it. True, Abraham had honoured Melchizedek King of Salem (Jerusalem) about 1900 BC, Joshua had defeated Adoni-zedek the unfriendly king of Jerusalem in 1300 BC. But the mountain stronghold had never been taken and subdued. The Jebusites continued to resist joining Israel and refused to worship Yahweh. When David was King of Israel, the Jebusites taunted him – “the blind and lame will keep you and your mob out!” (2 Sam 5:6-10). David took the city by going up a natural watercourse – tunnel. Joab led David’s men to victory and he made his HQ there. Yahweh continued to bless him so David wanted to express his gratitude in a symbolic way. He then decided to bring up the Ark of the Covenant from a remote place to Jerusalem. His first attempt was halted by an indiscretion of Uzzah, a non Levite who touched the Ark, and his immediate death which was interpreted as God’s anger.
In the second over careful attempt he was successful. Every six steps a bullock was sacrificed (2 Sam 6:12-15) until they reached their destination near David’s stronghold residence. An incident quite late in David’s life identified the exact spot for the Tabernacle/Temple Altar at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. Some feel that this spot is in the vicinity of the Mt Moriah where Abraham almost sacrificed Isaac.
Mt Zion, was a reminder of Mt Sinai where the law was given to Moses, and a symbol of the whole of mountainous region of Israel Yahweh’s promised gift to Abraham and his descendents through Isaac and Jacob.
Since it is Yahweh’s special hill, only special people are allowed on it.
And who shall stand in his holy place?Humanity conscious of sin and mortality. General revelation says we sense something of our guilt before God and His punishment against us. Have we lost something of the fear of God? The holiness of God? Whatever inkling of God we have, we squash or distort. The sinful nature of self and society collaborate with the wiles of the devil to nip grace in the bud before it flowers into faith.
Special revelation says this bias of disobedience against God all began with the rebellion of Adam and Eve in the Garden (Gen 3) and that the solution is by way of the covenant from Adam via Noah to the promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In NT New Covenant) Christ is the way to right relationship with God (John 14:6).
Consider the overwhelming experience of Isaiah in Isaiah chapter 6. In the Bible, it must be close to the most graphic picture of God’s holiness, the damning sinfulness of a relatively good man, together with the cleansing power and the sending power of God. Have we even got close to that kind of experience? When you reflected on your conversion to Christ?v 4 Only those who are holy in character and worship
4 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.
Selah
clean hands = good moral behaviour
pure heart = motives of love for God and neighbour
false= idolatry
swear deceitfully = deceive people through religious oaths
selah = emphatic word, compare the “Yeah!” indispersed in the extempore prayers of the under thirties age group.
Nobody is really eligible in himself or herself to climb up God’s hill and stand along side Him. “there is none righteous – no not one” (Ps 14:3). Romans 3 especially v 23: “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”
Is clear from Heb 11:6 that without faith we cannot please Him. It is also clear that genuine faith results in obedience (Eph 2:8-10). Thus v 4 is not a good works basis of salvation, but a good works expression of salvation by grace and faith. The godly person of the Old Testament would have trusted God for forgiveness via repentance and obedience through the genuine use of sacrificial system. Such a person would then depend on God to have clean hands and a pure heart.
In AD true worship is in “spirit and truth” (John 4:24) ie according to the gospel of Christ and not linked ritually to Jerusalem or Temple or anything else. Thus we come to Christ in penitence and faith, and walk in truth, love and obedience by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Purity is only through the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).
The Holy Communion service not magical, but insofar as you truly repent and trust solely in Jesus’ sacrificial death for salvation, ie, by faith respond to God’s Word (as you can do without an actual communion service) you are made holy and pure in Christ. If the faith is indeed genuine, there will be a significant change toward Christ-likeness. As your light (Christ’s light in you) shines through your good works of truth love and obedience, the Father will be glorified (Matt 5:16).
There is a call here for moral purity in private and in public life. We need more genuine Christians to be ethical in business, trades, professions, government and politics. What a difference it would be if everyone was kind and honest – as well as thrifty and hard working!
v 5 YAHWEH will bless those who trust Him as Saviour
5He will receive blessing from the LORD
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
There were many blessings for the faithful Old Testament people of God. The Psalms are full of it. Ps 1:1 “blessed is the man …” Look at Ps 22 which begins in agony of desolation but concludes confident in God. Ps 23 is another classic example.
What about AD? One significant difference is that the blessings now come via Christ. Forgiveness and Holy Spirit are given to those who receive Jesus as Lord (Acts 2:38) –whether Jew or Gentile (Rom 1:16). It would be a fascinating study and consider the disciples’ spiritual progress from before ever meeting Jesus to post Pentecost. In short, I think it is safe to say we in AD have greater access through Christ to the blessings of God has in store for those who love Him.
v 6 YAHWEH will vindicate a whole generation who seek Him
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob.
There are many examples in Israel’s history (Joseph, Moses, David, Elijah) as well as some counter examples Jeremiah, Ezekiel
Similarly in the NT, but more evident vindication for after death. Stephen (Acts 7), Paul (2 Tim 4), Peter (1 Peter 1)
Recent history: whole communities eg the conversion, in the 1930’s, to Christ of the Lumbawang tribe in Sarawak and their rapid transformation from a drunken broken community to usefulness in modern society and integrity in Malaysian politics. Amongst them was the Tagal clan. Mutang Senior was the first pastor in the village. Mutang Junior became a lawyer and Federal MP (he and his wife did the ThL by correspondence)! His brother became a medical doctor and instrumental in many health reforms in rural areas. Sadly he was recently accidentally killed in a helicopter crash on a reconnaissance flight over mountainous jungle.
AD Will the current generations of Australia ever test this promise? Will they ever turn to Christ in great numbers and be models of Christian character, speaking the truth in love, compassionately working for justice and well being of the disadvantaged, bringing the gospel to rich and poor. Let our dream become a prayer. Let our prayer become an actuality.
v 7-10 YAHWEH the King of Glory welcomed in Jerusalem
7 Lift up your heads, O gates!
And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
Selah that the King of glory may come in.
The gates and doors of the city and tabernacle/temple.
At the dedication of the Tabernacle and Temple, the Shekinah, the visible sign of God’s glory, was observed.
“Glory” – the radiant splendour of God manifest in light white or rainbow colours
Yahweh is the most glorious of Kings. Cf Jesus in John 1:18 “we beheld his glory” no special lights but godliness of character and power.
8Who is this King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle!
YAHWEH is clearly identified as the only God, the one who keeps covenant with Israel
9 Lift up your heads, O gates!
And lift them up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
10Who is this King of glory?
The LORD of hosts,
he is the King of glory!
The Lord of hosts “Yahweh Tsabaoth” the commander of the angelic beings in the universe. God’s armies in the sky who serve Him – who sang at creation, Jesus’ birth, and could have easily rescued him from the cross
In BC the conquest of Jerusalem by David was one of his last significant battles in his rise to kinship of Judea and the seal of his anointedness as the new King of Israel. Yahweh’s anointed king (Messiah) eventually conquers the stronghold of the Jebusites who had held the place for many centuries. Melchizadek was the priest king whom Abraham honoured nearly 1000 years earlier. Since David conquered the Jebusites, he assumed the titles of their priest/king. David or his sons did not act as priests, because of the Levitical commandments.
However, Jesus, David’s greater son, enacted and fulfilled that priesthood by offering himself on the cross as explained in detail in the NT book Hebrews
David brings up the Ark to Jerusalem
David prepares for the Temple The exact spot
People come to the Temple to worship Yahweh from all over Israel and from other nations. Eg Queen of Sheba
God’s token presence and blessing is conditional on people’s obedience
AD Jesus is the Temple Jn 1:14
Church is also the Temple 1 Cor, 1 Peter 2
Uniqueness of Christ welcomed in the true Church. His Lord.
On the political scene, Jews Christians Muslims assert a claim for Jerusalem. How valid is their claim? But like every other piece of real estate in the universe, it belongs to God Humanity is supposed to manage Jerusalem under God’s rule Only Jesus, Yahweh’s Anointed (=Messiah) is worthy to enter as King He will do that in His own sweet time
Conclusion
In the meantime, we welcome Him into our hearts and lives as Saviour and Lord.
We welcome Him into our families and homes.
We introduce Him to others that they might welcome Him too
We support missions that introduce Jesus to the needy peoples of the world on whom His love is set. By faith, we live clean lives of truth and love, in relationship with the living God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.