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THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION

Psalms: God's Nurture Of The Inner Man In The Life Of Faith

XXIV. David's Instruction On Qualifying To Be Blessed By A Sovereign, Holy God

(Psalm 24:1-10)

I. Introduction

A. Psalm 24 reveals what must occur for a person to qualify to be blessed by a Sovereign, Holy God.

B. We view that psalm from the Hebrew text for insight and application (as follows):

II. David's Instruction On Qualifying To Be Blessed By A Sovereign, Holy God, Psalm 24:1-10.

A. Part of verse one in this psalm comprises the introductory notes in the English Bible (Kittel, Bib. Heb., p. 994), so we stay with the numbering system in the English Bible.

B. We thus translate Psalm Twenty-Four as follows:

1. "The earth is Jahweh's, and that which fills all of it (melo', B. D. B., A Heb.-Eng. Lex. of the O. T., p. 571; "fulness, that which fills" + ah, "of it"; Ibid., Kittel); the whole expanse of land (tebel, Ibid., B. D. B., p. 385) and all who dwell in it," Psalm 24:1.

2. "For He (emph. pron.) founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the waters," Psalm 24:2.

3. "Who may ascend the hill of Jahweh? and who may stand in His holy place?" (Psalm 24:3)

4. "He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his life principle to emptiness; vanity (shawe', Ibid., p. 996) [that is, vain idols, cf. NIV] nor taken an oath deceitfully," Psalm 24:4.

5. "He will carry away [thus, receive] (nasa', Ibid., p. 669-672) blessing from Jahweh and vindication (sedaqah, "righteousness as vindicated; justification," Ibid., p. 842) from Elohim his Savior," Psalm 24:5.

6. "This is the class of righteous men (dor, Ibid., p. 189-190; often, the noun means "generation," but here it is a class of upright people) who seek Him, who seek Your face, O Elohim of Jacob. Selah," Psalm 24:6.

7. "Lift up your heads, o you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of Glory may come in," Psalm 24:7.

8. "Who is the King of Glory? Jahweh, strong and mighty, Jahweh mighty in battle," Psalm 24:8.

9. "Lift up your heads, o you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of Glory may come in," Psalm 24:9.

10. "Who is He, this King of Glory? Jahweh Almighty -- He (emph. pron.) is the King of Glory. Selah," Psalm 24:10.

C. Several observations clarify the essential thrust of David's thinking in this psalm (as follows):

1. In claiming that the earth is the Lords along with all of the objects in it (verse 1), David is setting the reader up to counter trust in idols in verse 4, the works of men's hands, for God owns all such objects.

2. Indeed, the unusual poetic word tebel (versus eretz) for the expanse of land (verse 1) along with the clarification that God founded that expanse of land on the seas and waters (verse 2) recalls Genesis 1:1-2, 9-10 where God began with a globe covered with water and separated the expanse of land from the waters. David's argument is clear: God created all that consists of the land and all of the objects located on it, so one is illogical worshiping any man-made idol or god in place of the true God, Jahweh Elohim of Israel!

3. Shifting from considering God alone as the Creator and thus the only God to worship, David reveals that one who desires to fellowship with that Sovereign, Holy Creator God in His presence must have clean hands and a pure heart, one who worships God alone as God and who does so in truth, not in deceit, v. 3-4.

4. Such a party will carry away from God's presence loads of blessings and vindications in divine verdicts in judicial cases with one's opponents (verse 5).

5. Accordingly blessed, the upright then honor the Lord of Glory as He enters Zion presumably having given great victory to His upright people, verses 6, 7-10; Bible Know. Com., O. T., p. 812-813.

Lesson: David revealed that since Scripture presents God as the SOLE Creator and God of the whole world, for one to qualify to fellowship with God in His presence and to be richly blessed and vindicated by Him, he must of necessity hold to GOD ALONE as His Lord in TRUTH versus harboring any allegiance to any competing false god in this world. Since other forms of idolatry affect even us Christians today (1 John 5:21), we believers today must not lean on any crutch for security or blessing aside from the Lord if we would enjoy His fellowship and blessing.

Application: (1) If we have not done so, may we trust in Christ to gain eternal life, John 3:16. (2) As believers, may we abandon all false crutches that supplant our reliance on Christ as our only Lord to enjoy His blessing.