The Gospel In Psalm 24
Psalm 24
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READ Psalm 24.
There are three main sections in this psalm:
· Vv.1-2 – the earth and everything in it belong to God.
· Vv.3-5 – starts with the question: Who can enter God’s presence?
· Vv.7-10 – talk about welcoming the King of glory
It is believed that this psalm was probably written for the time when King David brought the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem.
· The Ark represented the presence of God.
· The reference to the gates suggests the gates of the city.
· That day was a huge celebration. We can imagine the joy and the singing. Imagine God Himself being in their city and dwelling with them.
If we consider the first section and the last section, the psalm is bracketed by statements of God’s majesty and holiness
· He created all things
o He is eternal. He existed before everything else.
o He is powerful.
§ “Founding it on the seas and establishing it on the waters” takes us back to Genesis 1 when God created order out of chaos; when He spoke and everything appeared.
· He owns all things
o He created it! It is His.
o Everything. No exceptions. Everything belongs to God.
o Including us. “The world and all who live in it” (v.1)
· That implies our rightful duty is to honour and serve our Creator.
o We did not create the world.
o We belong to Him.
The last section repeatedly refers to “the King of glory”. “Who is this King of glory?”
· “The Lord strong and mighty. The Lord mighty in battle.”
So, the psalm starts and ends with these big proclamations of who God is.
· The huge, powerful, majestic God
· The God who created and owns us and therefore to whom we owe everything, including our lives.
· The God whom we are to worship and serve – because He is the Almighty and He owns us.
But, then in v.3 there is this question: Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in His holy presence?”
· We have this picture of a big, majestic, glorious God. Who can stand in His presence?
The answer is no one.
Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
· We might remember the Israelites at Mount Sinai.
· Moses did go up the mountain into the presence of God.
· But no one else could.
o There were strict commands that they were not to even touch the foot of the mountain. They did so only under threat of death (Ex 19).
· The psalm, v.3: “Who may stand in His holy place?”
o God is holy. We have biblical examples of people falling on their faces when they realise they are in the presence of God.
o God is utterly holy. In His presence people know that they are sinful and cannot stand before a holy God.
§ His holiness is like a burning fire that will destroy all that is not holy.
§ In God’s presence we all know that we deserve only judgement.
o “Who may stand in His holy place?”
But the psalm doesn’t say “No one”.
o V.4 - “Those who have clean hands and a pure heart.”
§ Clean hands. Sinless. Hands imply outward actions. So, the person who has done nothing wrong; who is blameless.
o Pure heart
§ The heart speaks of inner motivations.
· Why do we do what we do? Are our motives pure? Are our desires pure?
o That gives slight hope. Apparently, some people can enter God’s presence.
§ But how many people are sinless and have pure motives?
§ The answer is still “No one”.
o V.4 – “Those who do not put their trust in an idol or swear by a false God.”
o We can think of idols and false gods as being made of wood or stone or metal. We don’t have gods like that.
§ But we know that we can have idols as well.
§ An idol is anything that takes the place of God. Anything we love more than God. Anything we are trusting in other than God.
o Those who have put something in the place of God, cannot enter the presence of God.
o That is all of us, so again no one can enter God’s presence.
o If we were sinless; if we had pure hearts, we could but no one is like that.
o We have a tension: the holiness and majesty of God at the beginning and end of the psalm and this question in the middle.
Except for one thing!
o Jesus had clean hands and a pure heart. Jesus did not trust in any idols or swear by any false Gods.
o Jesus was/is able to go into the presence of God.
o The psalm doesn’t mention Jesus but there are hints.
o When we read this psalm not only in its Old Testament context but in the light of the New Testament, we know that Jesus was able to go into the presence of God on our behalf.
o And Jesus died taking our sins on Himself and we can be forgiven.
o We can have clean hands.
§ Even though we have done much that is shameful and our hands are stained and dirty, they can be washed clean. Miracle of miracles: our hands can be clean.
o Forgiven for the past and the Holy Spirit changes us. He changes our very hearts. Slowly but surely, if we cooperate with Him, we are sanctified. We are made holy!
§ We are transformed to be more like Jesus.
· Even the motivations of our hearts change.
o We become less self-centred.
o Our desire is increasingly to do what is right and to honour God.
§ Our outward actions forgiven and our inner motivations changed.
When we know that we can be forgiven and changed, there is hope.
o The answer was “No one can enter God’s presence”.
o But now the answer is, “Actually, it is possible. It is possible for those who trust and follow Jesus and who are therefore forgiven and transformed.”
o How come Moses was able to go up Mt Sinai when no one else was?
o He wasn’t perfect. We know that. He was very flawed.
o It was only by the mercy of God.
o It was only because he hungered after God and wanted to follow faithfully.
v.6 – “Such is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face, God of Jacob.”
o Those are the people who can enter God’s presence.
o Those who seek Him.
o Those who hunger after God.
o Those who want Him and want to be in a relationship with Him.
o Those who are not just doing their own selfish thing but who want to know this God who created the whole universe, the God to whom they owe their lives.
I skipped v.5! But look at the promise of God.
v.5 – “They will receive blessing from the Lord, and vindication from God the Saviour”
o They will receive blessing. That is a promise.
o Trusting in God might mean sacrificing
§ Sacrificing those selfish ambitions.
§ Watching others indulge in things we cannot indulge in
§ Watching others apparently prosper.
o But God’s promise is ultimate blessing.
o They will receive blessings from the Lord
o God’s gifts will be far greater than anything we are asked to sacrifice now.
o Note two important phrases:
o Vindication
§ To be vindicated means that you were accused but you have been cleared of blame or suspicion.
· We do not deserve this, but by the mercy of God, we have been forgiven.
· No one can stand before God but that there is the possibility of forgiveness.
§ To be vindicated also means to be shown to be right
· The decision to seek God will be shown to be the right one.
· It might look foolish but, in the end, it will be seen to be the wise decision.
o The other hint is: From God their Saviour
§ It is not the perfect who can enter God’s presence, it is the saved.
· Those who were lost but have been found
· Found by God in His mercy. It is God who is their Saviour.
o Initially, this psalm seems to require perfection – clean hands and a pure heart – but dig a little deeper and we see it is those who didn’t have clean hands but their hands have bene cleaned, who didn’t have pure hearts but their hearts have been transformed.
Clearly, there is an implied invitation: Seek God and receive His salvation. No one can stand in God’s holy presence, except those who have been forgiven for the past and who live now for Him – with a pure heart. The implied invitation is to join the generation of those who seek Him.
But maybe that invitation is not just implied. Maybe the psalm is quite explicit in urging us to let Jesus into our lives.
7 Lift up your heads, you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is this King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
the Lord mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is he, this King of glory?
The Lord Almighty—
he is the King of glory.
In the first instance, that was probably about bringing the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem.
People also see it as Jesus being welcomed into heaven after His death and resurrection and ascension.
And it is possibly all of those things. But, it is also a call to us.
o Lift up your heads.
o Look to God.
o Get your eyes off the things of this world – the things that are so attractive and look secure. Lift up your heads. Look to God.
o Open the gates that the King of glory may come in.
o Welcome Jesus into your life. Let Him is.
o Who is He?
o He is the Almighty
§ The One who created us and owns us. The one we are to honour.
§ The One who is strong and mighty to do miracles.
· The One who is able to save and transform us.
o Let Him in.
This psalm is a reassurance
o It reminds us who God is.
o He is holy.
o He is strong and mighty
o He is able
o He is merciful
o He is the Saviour
The psalm is a reality check that we need to take seriously
o Who can ascend the mountain of the Lord?
o You have to have clean hands and a pure heart – no sin and selfless, godly motives.
This psalm says there is hope; there is a way.
o Jesus was sinless. His motivations were pure.
o God is willing to save.
o We can be vindicated.
This psalm is an appeal to us.
o Seek Him.
o Let Him in.
This psalm is a promise
o They will receive blessings from the lord and vindication from God their Saviour.
This is the gospel
o For us
o But also the gospel we are to share with others
o God is holy.
o We cannot stand before Him
o But there is salvation available in the one who had clean hands and a pure heart – Jesus
§ The one perfect sacrifice
o God promises blessings and vindication.
o And therefore, we urge people to look to Him, trust Him, and follow Him.
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