Psalm 24 Continued…
Psalm 24:5 He will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God his Savior.
Of course, the qualifications announced in verse 4 are not the description of a believer. All they point to is that the intending worshiper should want to come in, even though he undoubtedly remained a sinner.
But back a thousand years earlier, that is all this God of Jacob ever asked of Jacob, not perfection of life, but just sincerity of purpose. That is sufficient for God to grant a person his blessing. The blessing is the gift of salvation, the righteousness of God (Genesis 15:6). However, nobody on God’s earth is able to meet these standards (v. 4). “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Good works and religious character cannot save us. The only way we can enter into God’s presence is through the merits of Jesus Christ, which means that we must repent of our sins and put our faith in Him.
Psalm 24:6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob.
The procession has accepted the priestly challenge (v. 4), and verses 5 and 6 describe the blessing given those who meet the requirements—they enter, and as they move into the inner court, the priests pronounce a blessing upon the entering worshipers, who have come to the sanctuary where the Lord, Jacob’s (Israel’s) God, dwells.
To “seek God’s face” means to have an audience with the King (Genesis 44:23), and this is now possible through the work of Christ on the cross (Hebrews 10:1-25). God’s righteousness is a gift, not a reward for good works (Romans 3:23-4:9).
“Those who seek Him” is a designation that may also be applied to the citizens of the church age—people who have received grace from the God who loves the unworthy.
Now picture this procession as it enters the sanctuary singing:
Psalm 24:7 Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
Then comes the most exalted and colorful part of the psalm, which glorifies the Lord as “King of glory” and “is a strain from primitive times in Israel.” It represents vividly a greatly beloved ritual that had its distinctive place in ceremonies connected with the annual enthronement of the Lord at the Hebrew New year.
The ark was taken from the most holy place to the foot of Mount Zion, where the procession formed. It was the most sacred symbol of the presence of the Lord, the throne of the invisible King. The ark was the glory of Israel (1 Samuel 4:21-22). The King of glory was the Lord, Israel’s spiritual Monarch, enthroned above the cherubim (Psalm 80:1).
The ceremony which was about to be enacted was one such as was performed as an integral part of many festivals in ancient Babylon, the ceremony of the opening of the gate by which entrance into the Temple was granted to the people. We may be confident that the same was true for Israel (Psalm 100:4). The prototype of this procession with the ark may be seen in 2 Samuel 6:12-17, and especially in 1 Kings 8:1-7 (Also see Joshua 3:14).
The ark was carried by the priests, and the worshiping throngs follow in a joyful mood and festive spirit, for in such a ceremony, as was the case in ancient Babylon, the populace participates with tremendous enthusiasm. The procession reaches the ancient Temple gates, on which are present the marks of the centuries since the days of Solomon. The throngs of worshipers who are seeking entrance call out their appeal to the gates. The gates, as in Isaiah 14:31 are addressed. They must lift their heads high because “the high and lofty One . . . whose name is holy” (Isaiah 51:15), and whose “glorious throne was set on high from the beginning” (Jeremiah 17:12), is about to enter!
These are bold personifications indicating that the city gates needed to stretch themselves to make way for the awesome entrance of the great King. By doing so, they too participate in worshiping Him. Yet the Great King is represented only by that little six-foot box which was known as the Ark of the Covenant. Yet that little Ark was sufficient for God’s purposes. For the whole gracious plan of the King of glory was represented in what that box stood for, just as, in later years, that same gracious plan was made known in full to the whole world in the person or the Son of God.
The administration of an ancient city was transacted at the city gates, so the gates were to those people what the city hall is to citizens in the western world today. David was commanding the whole city to welcome the Lord and give honor to Him.
PRAY
Father may we come into your house with praise and thanksgiving in our hearts!