Psalm 24 Commentary
In the first two verses, the LORD claims ownership of the earth and the world. There is a serious tone of exclusivity to the claim. There is no shared ownership.
Unlike pagans, believers understand and appreciate the LORD’S exclusive ownership of both the earth and the world. The earth may be thought of as the house while the term world can be the equivalent of the term home. The LORD owns both.
Attention may be drawn to man’s appreciation of the facts of ownership. Idolatry is when men and women begin to distribute ownership and control amongst themselves, other created beings, things, or even products of man’s imagination. At this point, man will have broken the first two commandments.
Of more interest probably is the fact that the LORD owns the world. The devil didn’t make the same claim but instead told the man Jesus Christ that the world had been given to him. Luke 4 verses 5 to 7. He could therefore give it to anyone he wished to. The term ‘give’ doesn’t sound good and we are encouraged to consider it a lie. It is the same that has been perpetrated over millennia, mostly in a make-believe world of satanism. But it’s all deception.
Mortals enjoy control and virtual reality is promising mountains. The showroom is still open. The devil is still taking individuals through the options. Many products are on display: politics, money, power, and positions. The list is only limited by man’s imagination. The factory is ever producing new and more subtle products. They are all meant to subtract from the total ownership exclusively enjoyed by the Creator God.
But who may stand in the holy place? The pagans? No. Your hands must be clean; your thoughts must be pure. You must stay away from idolatry and all its variants and versions.
Then the call is made, probably to the remnant: “Lift up your heads, you gates.” It’s a call to abandon idolatry and allow the King of Glory to come in. Let Him reign. The saint must forget the make-believe world; the virtual world created by either drug abuse or technology, and focus on the realities of the kingdom of the LORD Jesus Christ.
The chapter closes with verse 10 declaring that the Creator God still reigns on all the earth. The title of ‘King’ is a very strong reference to the universal reign of the Creator God, the LORD God Almighty, over His entire creation.
We mountain references the events of Mount Sinai and God’s presence there. Holiness was emphasized. Later on, the Sanctuary would be another place where the LORD would be found. How does man find himself in God’s presence?
The first picture includes an individual going up the mountain – Mount Sinai. It was an impossibility! Remember how Israel couldn’t stand in the presence of the LORD at Mount Sinai! The second picture is the exact opposite of the first. The King comes down and must enter the city. Let the gates be opened. He must enter an individual’s house. Let the door be opened.
This psalm may find its application in the events of Calvary. Here the King came down to town and knocked on the door – your door. Let the gates and the doors open. The mention of the “city” brings up the picture of inclusiveness. Everyone is involved. All the residents can receive the King. Yes, salvation is global. Yes, it is the “talk-of-town”. But the King should be the talk of your house. It is a personal visit. Open the door…
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