An Invitation to a Seeking Generation
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· 13 viewsThe Lord has established his dominion over the forces of chaos. And his presence has gone before to subdue kingdoms to his own. We are the temple of God. The triumphant company of the Lord of hosts is approaching. Lift up your gates (open yourself), and the King of Glory shall come in.
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Psalm 24 Introduction
Psalm 24 Introduction
Repatriation of the Ark
Repatriation of the Ark
The Psalm is commonly associated with the repatriation of the ark from Obed-Edom to the tabernacle David had in Jerusalem.
Interest in the presence of God
The form of this Psalm is a call and response expression of liturgy between an approaching people and an approaching God.
The psalm has three movements
Establishing God’s dominion
Inquiry into entrance and encounter
Invitation to entrance and encounter
Talmud designates it as a Psalm for use on the day after the Sabbath, which would be the first day of the week (WBC Ps 24). Perhaps there is an idea here of resurrection power?
Dominion: The Lord is the Creator
Dominion: The Lord is the Creator
1 The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; The world, and they that dwell therein.
2 For he hath founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the floods.
The earth is the Lord’s, by virtue of the fact that he created it.
The ‘deep’ upon which God produced creation is fluidity and chaos
In the Creation account, we see God seizing the chaos to bring order out of it
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
The Lord has subdued the chaos, and brought it under his dominion.
The work of dominion is ongoing. Chaos continues to threaten, and God is continuing the subduing work.
25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith, all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.
28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
Submission to God’s kingdom brings order and peace; rejection of God’s kingdom releases the destructive power of the chaos back into your existence.
Inquiry into Access and Encounter
Inquiry into Access and Encounter
The Hill of the Lord
The Hill of the Lord
The hill of the Lord, the holy place, is representative of the dominion of God.
The Lord has made the individual the foundation of this throne
His image and likeness, and conferred dominion
The kingdom of God is within you
The ‘capital’, if you will, is the human heart
20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
Desire for Encounter
Desire for Encounter
3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place?
Awareness of God leads inevitably to the question of who can gain access to his presence, or how.
There is a magnetic attraction; we may avoid in fear, or seek in curiosity and desire.
Qualifications for Encounter
Qualifications for Encounter
3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place?
4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; Who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, Nor sworn deceitfully.
5 He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, And righteousness from the God of his salvation.
Moral goodness is the criteria for entering the presence of the Lord, and standing within the stability of his dominion.
Clean hands
Pure heart
Removed from vanity
Consecrated oaths
Application for Encounter
Application for Encounter
6 This is the generation of them that seek him, That seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.
We are not perfect, but we are seeking perfection
Invitation to Entrance and Encounter
Invitation to Entrance and Encounter
Call to the Gates
Call to the Gates
God responds to desire!
7 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; And be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; And the King of glory shall come in.
8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle.
Gates are the point of access
Gates guard the city, but they also grant authorized access
Like Laodicea in Re 3.20, the door of our heart is a point of access, and the King of Glory knocks.
Lift up Your Heads
Lift up Your Heads
Lift up your heads! In confident expectation, welcome the triumphant one into your life.
8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; Even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; And the King of glory shall come in.
10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.
The imagery invoked here is of the ark returning triumphant from a war.
The Lord has gone out from you to subdue the threats of chaos from the enemies of your soul.
Victory in hand, the Lord seeks entrance back into his habitation
1 Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: Where is the house that ye build unto me? And where is the place of my rest?
2 For all those things hath mine hand made, And all those things have been, saith the Lord: But to this man will I look, Even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, And trembleth at my word.
5 Hear the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, That cast you out for my name’s sake, said, Let the Lord be glorified: But he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.
6 A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, A voice of the Lord that rendereth recompence to his enemies.
Lift up your heads, O ye gates! Urgency, anticipation and excitement rising.
First, passive “and be ye lift up”; then active “even lift them up”
The God who established the very foundations of creation upon a sea of chaos has already subdued the enemy of your soul. And now he seeks entrance into your abode.
Who is this King of Glory? The Lord, mighty in battle . . . the Lord of Hosts
Lift up your head. Faith! Hope! Expectation!
I stand at the door and knock Re 3.20
1. Open up; make room
2. Attitude: Faith, expectation, triumph
15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
3. Acknowledgement: who is this? Lord strong and mighty, mighty in battle… Lord of Hosts!
4. Seeing who this is, even more active and anticipating!