“The
earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they
that dwell therein. For He hath founded it upon the seas, and
established it upon the floods. Who shall ascend into the hill of
the Lord, or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean
hands and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity,
nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord,
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.” -Psalm 24:1-5
(KJV) [Read Psalm 24]
Scholars
believe this Psalm was written for a very special event. It marks
the occasion recorded in 2 Samuel 6 when King David brought the Ark
of the Covenant from the house of Obed-edom to a special tent
prepared for it on Mt. Zion in Jerusalem. The entourage had started
out with a large number, 30,000 chosen men. They had the ark on a
new cart, one especially for the purpose, although God had commanded
that the ark be carried by Levites, with poles placed through rings
on the side of the ark so that the sacred ark would not be touched by
human hands. When the donkeys stumbled, one of the men, Uzzah,
reached out and touched the ark. He lost his life because of this
act. David was so disturbed that he left the ark for three months in
the home of Obed-edom, but after that he declared that the Ark would
be moved to Mount Zion. There was much rejoicing in the streets,
dancing and singing before the Lord as the Ark was carried on its
journey.
Psalm
24 is divided into three distinct parts. Verses 1-2 declare God as
the Creator of the universe and the Sovereign over all. Verses 3- 6
ask who receives blessings from the Lord and answers the question.
Verses 7-10 are a call to worship and a response.
Maybe
you, as I, grew up in a church where responsive readings from the
back of the hymn book were a part of Sunday morning worship service.
The responsive reading was a solemn and sacred time when God’s Word
was honored and read meaningfully by pastor and congregation.
Imagine a great host of people ascending the hill of Mt. Zion, with
the Ark of the Covenant being borne on poles and carried by the
Levites. The worship leader (a chosen person—likely the chief
priest) began the Psalm and the people answered in unison. It was a
meaningful time of worship, a time of remembering who God is, what He
has done in Creation, and why the people should worship Him.
The
priest would ask: “Who is this King of glory?”
And
the people would answer with confidence: “The Lord strong and
mighty! The Lord mighty in battle!”
Then
everyone in unison would say: “Lift up your heads, O gates! And
lift them up, O ancient doors, and the King of glory may come in.”
Again
the priest would ask: “Who is this King of glory?”
And
with great emphasis and meaning the people would answer: “The Lord
of hosts; he is the King of glory!”
The
Psalm represents a joyful and significant time of worship. We need
outstanding occasions in our worship, maybe a time of dedication of a
building for the glory of God; an occasion of Homecoming and
welcoming back those who were once a part of the local fellowship; a
commemoration time of goals reached and God’s kingdom moving
forward. But every Sunday should be a time of rejoicing together and
praising God that He is our Creator and our King. Selah!
Ethelene
Dyer Jones 01.24.2016
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