If you were to ask someone on the street, what they believe to be the best known chapter in the book of Psalms, they no doubt would say, Psalm 23. In fact, it might be that the 23rd chapter of Psalms is the best known chapter in the entire Bible. Well today we have read the very next chapter, little known by its content, but carrying a powerful message concerning God. If Psalm 23 reveals to us the nature of God being that of a Shepherd, Psalm 24 reveals Him as being the Almighty, the King of Glory.
The story behind this Psalm is given to us in the book of II Samuel, chapter 6 - it's the story of King David bringing the Ark of the Covenant up to the city of Jerusalem.
Ever since Moses had been instructed to make the Ark, when the children of Israel were in the wilderness, this rectangular shaped box had represented the presence of God in the midst of the people. During the wars with the Philistines, the Ark had been stolen, but then returned to Israel. According to 1 Samuel 7, the Ark had been kept for 20 years in a town called Kiriath Jearim, at the home of a man by the name of Abinadab.
But now, David had established his rule as king over all Israel, and after 7 1/2 years of ruling from the ancient town of Hebron, he had set up his headquarters in the newly captured the Jebusite town we now know as Jerusalem. At that time, David decided bring the Ark to Jerusalem, so that his city would become not only the political center, but also the religious center of the kingdom.
The story is one of trial and error - the first attempt was not successful. Abinadab had two sons, Uzzah and Ahio. Uzzah, innocently reached out to steady the Ark as it was being hauled on an ox cart, and he died. This stilled the celebration, and for three months the Ark was stored at the house of a man by the name of Obed-Edom, "and the LORD blessed him and his entire household."(verse 11)
Once again the celebration began when the second attempt was made, and the Ark was successfully brought to Jerusalem. During both of these attempts, there was great rejoicing. Verse 5 records, "David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating with all their might before the LORD, with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines, sistrums and cymbals."
During the second attempt to bring the Ark to Jerusalem, there were sacrifices, and "David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the LORD with all his might, while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets." (Verse 14)
I couldn't help but notice the words "with all their might". A friend sent me a list of Hymn titles as they would be if we were really honest:
Honest Hymns!
I Surrender, Some
Fill My Spoon, Lord
Oh, How I Like Jesus
I Love to Talk About Telling the Story
Take My Life and Let Me Be
Where He Leads Me, I Will Consider Following
Sit Up, Sit Up for Jesus
A Comfy Mattress Is Our God
Oh, for a Couple of Tongues to Sing
Go Tell It on the Speed Bump
My Faith Looks Around for Thee
Spirit of the Living God, Fall Somewhere Near Me
Blest Be the Tie that Doesn't Cramp My Style
For this special occasion, David wrote a hymn, Psalm 24 to be sung as the Ark, symbolizing the presence of the Lord, was brought to be set in the temporary tabernacle where it would stay until a temple would be built.
I. Within this short 10 verses, are two very important questions. The most important of the two is this one, "Who is this King of glory?" That question is answered in three different ways: He is the Owner of the Earth, He is the Judge, and He is the "LORD strong and mighty."
Who is this king of glory?
1. He is the Owner of the Earth (verse 1)
Some times we seem to get the idea that mankind has been given the earth to do with it whatever he pleases. Some might quote from the creation story the verse that says that man shall have dominion over the earth. But let's please notice, we are not the owners of the earth, we are only the tenant farmers, taking care of the land for the Owner. Whatever we do, we are like the servants who are accountable to the Master for how we treat His property.
Who is this king of glory?
2. He is the Judge (verses 4,5)
We'll get to this later, but we must not forget that God is holy, and expects us to approach Him in holiness. David is apparently preparing the Levites for their task of bringing the Ark up to the city and into the tabernacle. He learned his lesson, for evidently during the first attempt, holiness was not subscribed to - that's part of the explanation for Uzzah's death.
Who is this king of glory?
3. He is the ultimate Sovereign King of all. (verses 8-10)
At the end of this Psalm, God is described as the King of glory, "the LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle."
In the KJV, the wording is, "The LORD of hosts", whereas the NIV uses the word "almighty". The word is found 485 times, and most of the time (in the KJV) it is translated "host". It literally means "that which goes forth". It could be an army, angels, the sun, moon, and stars, or it could refer to the whole creation. In any case, God is the LORD, the One who goes forth and leads this host, and He is "strong and mighty . . . in battle."
In recent years, there's been a lot of talk among Christians concerning "Spiritual Warfare." And it's with good reason, we are engaged in a battle, and the Bible often uses warfare imagery when describing the Christian life. But we must always remember that, even as "the earth is the Lord's", so also "the battle is the Lord's." (1 Samuel 17:47)
And furthermore, participating in the Lord's battle is never for the purpose of hurting other people, even when we think they are wrong in their beliefs, or somehow against God. (There is absolutely no justification for abortion clinic bombings, threats against doctors; or even atheists who don't want mandated prayer to take place in school.)
We sometimes think, and it may be true, that some people only seem to "get the message" when it's accompanied by pain. There was a Student Minister working in our church by the name of David Herr. Dave was one of four brothers who were trained not to smoke. As each of them turned 12 years old, their father gave them a cigar and insisted that they smoke it, the whole thing. They coughed and gagged - and decided right then and there that they would never smoke anything again!
However, it's important for us to understand that it is not our role to inflict that pain. Like in a family, corporal punishment may be meted out by the parent with a young child, one who has not yet reached the age when they can understand verbal messages, but corporal punishment is never delegated to the other children in the family. Brothers and Sisters should never spank each other; yet sometimes in the church we think that is our job. Instead of taking seriously our job of "edifying" other members in the Body of Christ, we take it upon ourselves to punish them. We do this by breaking fellowship with them, saying unkind words, passing along untrue statements, or at times even by name calling. This certainly isn't what "Spiritual Warfare" should be about. Even more so, when it comes to our dealing with people outside the church, love is always required of us.
What a tragedy it is when people throughout history, even those claiming to be Christians, in the name of God, have hurt, or even killed other people.
II. But earlier I said there were two important questions asked and answered in this Psalm. The other question is, (verse 3) "Who may ascend the hill of the LORD?" In other words, who may approach the Lord?
The answer to this question is supplied: "He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false."
Only they can approach Him who are holy. What is called for here is purity in action, thought and word.
a. Clean Hands. The hands represent our actions, and more explicitly, our work. It is necessary that we do our work with integrity, as well as with industry. (Ecclesiastes 9:10 - Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.)
Most importantly, we must always refrain from dishonorable work, or from doing work in a dishonest manner.
b. Pure Heart. The heart represents our inner thoughts and motives. (Proverbs 21:27 - "The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable-- how much more so when brought with evil intent!") You see, holiness takes account of the thoughts behind the action, not just the consequences of the action. Jesus emphasized this when He said, "Your righteousness must exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees." (Matthew 5:20)
Today the attitude often is, "It's o.k., because it's not hurting anybody." No, there are some things that are inherently wrong in God's eyes whether or not anybody else sees them, or are affected by them. For example, a student may be tempted to cheat on a test, thinking that as long as there is no victim, there's no crime. But even if the grades of classmates are not affected, it's still wrong to cheat. An employee may take company products home thinking, "They're just going to throw them away anyway." But it's still wrong, unless permission is granted.
On the other hand, there are those who say, "We must be doing something right, look at how prosperous we are." This is the old "ends justify the means" argument, and we all know it to be faulty. Not only what we do, but the thoughts behind the acts are to be cleansed. It would be well if each day the prayer quoted at the close of every one of my high school assemblies would be repeated with sincerity, "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer." (Psalms 19:14)
c. Pure Words. There may be no false, deceitful testimony; our spoken words are to be both honest and courageous.
But, someone might ask, "Can't I come to God 'Just As I Am'"?
Jesus once told a story about a wedding reception (Matthew 22). One of the guests was found to be at the wedding feast without proper attire. Listen to what happened to him: "Then the king told the attendants, `Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"
But what about the statement we often hear, "You don't have to clean up your act before coming to Jesus"? That's very true, if you're coming to Jesus to have Him clean up your act! We come to him in faith that because of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, our sins are forgiven and we can come into the presence of God.
Going back to the story of the bringing of the Ark into Jerusalem, one big difference between the first attempt and the second was this: on the second attempt, sacrifices were offered at the very beginning of the trip. (I Samuel 6:13 - "When those who were carrying the ark of the LORD had taken six steps, he (David) sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf.")
In addition to the two questions, there is in this chapter an exhortation, it is given to us twice for emphasis: "Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in." Let's look at it this way: The King wants the presence of the Lord to be brought to the temple that is your heart. Will you open the doors to let Him come in?
The story behind this Psalm is given to us in the book of II Samuel, chapter 6 - it's the story of King David bringing the Ark of the Covenant up to the city of Jerusalem.
Ever since Moses had been instructed to make the Ark, when the children of Israel were in the wilderness, this rectangular shaped box had represented the presence of God in the midst of the people. During the wars with the Philistines, the Ark had been stolen, but then returned to Israel. According to 1 Samuel 7, the Ark had been kept for 20 years in a town called Kiriath Jearim, at the home of a man by the name of Abinadab.
But now, David had established his rule as king over all Israel, and after 7 1/2 years of ruling from the ancient town of Hebron, he had set up his headquarters in the newly captured the Jebusite town we now know as Jerusalem. At that time, David decided bring the Ark to Jerusalem, so that his city would become not only the political center, but also the religious center of the kingdom.
The story is one of trial and error - the first attempt was not successful. Abinadab had two sons, Uzzah and Ahio. Uzzah, innocently reached out to steady the Ark as it was being hauled on an ox cart, and he died. This stilled the celebration, and for three months the Ark was stored at the house of a man by the name of Obed-Edom, "and the LORD blessed him and his entire household."(verse 11)
Once again the celebration began when the second attempt was made, and the Ark was successfully brought to Jerusalem. During both of these attempts, there was great rejoicing. Verse 5 records, "David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating with all their might before the LORD, with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines, sistrums and cymbals."
During the second attempt to bring the Ark to Jerusalem, there were sacrifices, and "David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the LORD with all his might, while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets." (Verse 14)
I couldn't help but notice the words "with all their might". A friend sent me a list of Hymn titles as they would be if we were really honest:
Honest Hymns!
I Surrender, Some
Fill My Spoon, Lord
Oh, How I Like Jesus
I Love to Talk About Telling the Story
Take My Life and Let Me Be
Where He Leads Me, I Will Consider Following
Sit Up, Sit Up for Jesus
A Comfy Mattress Is Our God
Oh, for a Couple of Tongues to Sing
Go Tell It on the Speed Bump
My Faith Looks Around for Thee
Spirit of the Living God, Fall Somewhere Near Me
Blest Be the Tie that Doesn't Cramp My Style
For this special occasion, David wrote a hymn, Psalm 24 to be sung as the Ark, symbolizing the presence of the Lord, was brought to be set in the temporary tabernacle where it would stay until a temple would be built.
I. Within this short 10 verses, are two very important questions. The most important of the two is this one, "Who is this King of glory?" That question is answered in three different ways: He is the Owner of the Earth, He is the Judge, and He is the "LORD strong and mighty."
Who is this king of glory?
1. He is the Owner of the Earth (verse 1)
Some times we seem to get the idea that mankind has been given the earth to do with it whatever he pleases. Some might quote from the creation story the verse that says that man shall have dominion over the earth. But let's please notice, we are not the owners of the earth, we are only the tenant farmers, taking care of the land for the Owner. Whatever we do, we are like the servants who are accountable to the Master for how we treat His property.
Who is this king of glory?
2. He is the Judge (verses 4,5)
We'll get to this later, but we must not forget that God is holy, and expects us to approach Him in holiness. David is apparently preparing the Levites for their task of bringing the Ark up to the city and into the tabernacle. He learned his lesson, for evidently during the first attempt, holiness was not subscribed to - that's part of the explanation for Uzzah's death.
Who is this king of glory?
3. He is the ultimate Sovereign King of all. (verses 8-10)
At the end of this Psalm, God is described as the King of glory, "the LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle."
In the KJV, the wording is, "The LORD of hosts", whereas the NIV uses the word "almighty". The word is found 485 times, and most of the time (in the KJV) it is translated "host". It literally means "that which goes forth". It could be an army, angels, the sun, moon, and stars, or it could refer to the whole creation. In any case, God is the LORD, the One who goes forth and leads this host, and He is "strong and mighty . . . in battle."
In recent years, there's been a lot of talk among Christians concerning "Spiritual Warfare." And it's with good reason, we are engaged in a battle, and the Bible often uses warfare imagery when describing the Christian life. But we must always remember that, even as "the earth is the Lord's", so also "the battle is the Lord's." (1 Samuel 17:47)
And furthermore, participating in the Lord's battle is never for the purpose of hurting other people, even when we think they are wrong in their beliefs, or somehow against God. (There is absolutely no justification for abortion clinic bombings, threats against doctors; or even atheists who don't want mandated prayer to take place in school.)
We sometimes think, and it may be true, that some people only seem to "get the message" when it's accompanied by pain. There was a Student Minister working in our church by the name of David Herr. Dave was one of four brothers who were trained not to smoke. As each of them turned 12 years old, their father gave them a cigar and insisted that they smoke it, the whole thing. They coughed and gagged - and decided right then and there that they would never smoke anything again!
However, it's important for us to understand that it is not our role to inflict that pain. Like in a family, corporal punishment may be meted out by the parent with a young child, one who has not yet reached the age when they can understand verbal messages, but corporal punishment is never delegated to the other children in the family. Brothers and Sisters should never spank each other; yet sometimes in the church we think that is our job. Instead of taking seriously our job of "edifying" other members in the Body of Christ, we take it upon ourselves to punish them. We do this by breaking fellowship with them, saying unkind words, passing along untrue statements, or at times even by name calling. This certainly isn't what "Spiritual Warfare" should be about. Even more so, when it comes to our dealing with people outside the church, love is always required of us.
What a tragedy it is when people throughout history, even those claiming to be Christians, in the name of God, have hurt, or even killed other people.
II. But earlier I said there were two important questions asked and answered in this Psalm. The other question is, (verse 3) "Who may ascend the hill of the LORD?" In other words, who may approach the Lord?
The answer to this question is supplied: "He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false."
Only they can approach Him who are holy. What is called for here is purity in action, thought and word.
a. Clean Hands. The hands represent our actions, and more explicitly, our work. It is necessary that we do our work with integrity, as well as with industry. (Ecclesiastes 9:10 - Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.)
Most importantly, we must always refrain from dishonorable work, or from doing work in a dishonest manner.
b. Pure Heart. The heart represents our inner thoughts and motives. (Proverbs 21:27 - "The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable-- how much more so when brought with evil intent!") You see, holiness takes account of the thoughts behind the action, not just the consequences of the action. Jesus emphasized this when He said, "Your righteousness must exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees." (Matthew 5:20)
Today the attitude often is, "It's o.k., because it's not hurting anybody." No, there are some things that are inherently wrong in God's eyes whether or not anybody else sees them, or are affected by them. For example, a student may be tempted to cheat on a test, thinking that as long as there is no victim, there's no crime. But even if the grades of classmates are not affected, it's still wrong to cheat. An employee may take company products home thinking, "They're just going to throw them away anyway." But it's still wrong, unless permission is granted.
On the other hand, there are those who say, "We must be doing something right, look at how prosperous we are." This is the old "ends justify the means" argument, and we all know it to be faulty. Not only what we do, but the thoughts behind the acts are to be cleansed. It would be well if each day the prayer quoted at the close of every one of my high school assemblies would be repeated with sincerity, "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer." (Psalms 19:14)
c. Pure Words. There may be no false, deceitful testimony; our spoken words are to be both honest and courageous.
But, someone might ask, "Can't I come to God 'Just As I Am'"?
Jesus once told a story about a wedding reception (Matthew 22). One of the guests was found to be at the wedding feast without proper attire. Listen to what happened to him: "Then the king told the attendants, `Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"
But what about the statement we often hear, "You don't have to clean up your act before coming to Jesus"? That's very true, if you're coming to Jesus to have Him clean up your act! We come to him in faith that because of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, our sins are forgiven and we can come into the presence of God.
Going back to the story of the bringing of the Ark into Jerusalem, one big difference between the first attempt and the second was this: on the second attempt, sacrifices were offered at the very beginning of the trip. (I Samuel 6:13 - "When those who were carrying the ark of the LORD had taken six steps, he (David) sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf.")
In addition to the two questions, there is in this chapter an exhortation, it is given to us twice for emphasis: "Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in." Let's look at it this way: The King wants the presence of the Lord to be brought to the temple that is your heart. Will you open the doors to let Him come in?
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