Apparently Psalm 24 was read every Sunday after the morning service in the temple. There was a different psalm for each day of the week: on Monday it was Psalm 48, on Tuesday it was Psalm 82, on Wednesday it was Psalm 94, on Thursday it was Psalm 81, on Friday it was Psalm 93, and on Saturday (the Sabbath) it was Psalm 92.
The day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the ass, in fulfilment of the prophecy of Zechariah, was a Sunday. We can see how verses 7-10 could illustrate this incident in the life of the Saviour, and it is likely that many of the crowd would have heard these verses read that morning. (It is also possible that Jesus and his disciples would have recited the psalm together that morning.) Even if they had not been at the temple, they would have been aware of the scripture reading for that day.
At first glance, the psalm seems to refer to three different persons: the Creator (vv. 1-2), the Worshipper (vv. 3-6) and the King of Glory (vv. 7-10). The first reference is obviously to God, the one who had the power to bring the creation into existence and who rules over it. The second reference describes the kind of person who can ascend to worship the great Creator, and various qualifications are listed. Such are the requirements, only a person marked by great and comprehensive holiness could worship the Lord. The third reference describes a King returning from a victorious battle, approaching the gates of an ancient, prestigious city expecting an entrance.
It is generally assumed that David wrote this psalm to celebrate the arrival of the ark of the covenant in Jerusalem. Before then the ark, which signified the presence of God among his people as their King and Provider, had been in different locations with the people of God as they attempted to take control of the Promised Land. The last place to hold out was Jerusalem, and once David had captured it, he determined to find a place where the ark could be located and where the worship of God would be centred.
We can see how the arrival of the ark could relate to two of the three persons mentioned earlier. Since it symbolised the presence of God, it meant that the sovereign Creator was present; also since it had arrived when Jerusalem had finally been captures, it meant that the God who had been with his people in their battles was now present. But what about the other person, the worshipper of God? Who had the qualifications in himself to worship such a God? Obviously, many people met for worship, but they were only accepted because of the sacrifices that they offered. It was wonderful to have such a God in their midst, but who was suitable as a worshipper? Even their great king David was a sinner.
Coming to the psalm with New Testament eyes, we see how the psalm was fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. The New Testament tells us that he is the Creator, so he fulfils the first two verses of the psalm; it tells us that he lived a perfect life, so he fulfils the second section of the psalm; it tells us that he fought a great battle before he entered the heavenly city, which means that he fulfilled the third section of the psalm. The true meaning of the psalm is not that it is about three persons (Creator, worshipper and king) or about two persons (Creator/King and a worshipper); rather it is about one Person who combines within himself these three functions of Creator, Worshipper and King.
We can note in passing the connection that is often made between Psalms 22, 23 and 24, based on Psalm 23 being obviously a Shepherd psalm. It is suggested that in Psalm 22 we have the Suffering Shepherd, laying down his life for his sheep, in Psalm 23 we have the Good Shepherd leading his sheep through the desert, and in Psalm 24 we have the Chief Shepherd (1. Pet. 5:4). There is nothing wrong with that suggestion, although it does fail to include Psalm 21 which is also a Messianic psalm.
Jesus the Creator
The apostle John describes for us this divine activity of the Son of God: ‘All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made’ (John 1:3). This includes the invisible and visible worlds. Every angelic being was made by him. All the galaxies of the universe, with all their planets and stars and moons, were made by him. He, as the eternal Word, spoke them into existence. At his command, they all appeared. This is the case not only at the macrocosmic level, it is also the case at the microcosmic level. The Son of God made every blade of grass, put every colourful spot on the wings of the butterflies, created all the life forms that inhabit the world. It was the Son of God, along with the Father and the Holy Spirit, who made all this.
The New Testament also tells us that the Son of God keeps everything in existence. Paul writes in Colossians 1:16-17: ‘For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.’ By the word of his power he has been upholding all things since they were created.
At the head of this glorious creation he placed Adam and Eve, whom he had created in his image. He formed a place of worship for them in the Garden of Eden. There they were to lead the praise of the creation, and this was their ultimate role having been made in his image. If Adam had not sinned, then verses 3-5 of the psalm would have described him. His outward life (clean hands) and his inner life (pure heart) would be holy. There would have been no idolatry (vanity) or dedication to false gods. On behalf of the creation, he would have continued to receive the blessing of God. But he sinned, and there was no-one to lead the universal psalm. Instead of a song, all that could be heard was a groan, the groaning of creation.
Jesus the Worshipper
What did the Creator do after the punishment of death on Adam and his race had been announced? He revealed that a Champion would come who would undo the work of destruction, although he would be hurt in the process (Genesis 3:15: ‘I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel’). He himself would be the Deliverer and would do so by providing what Adam had failed to do (a perfect life) as well as pay the penalty for Adam’s rebellion. And he was going to do it in order for worship to restored, in order that humanity could ascend the hill of the Lord.
This involved the Son of God becoming a human, of being born in our messy world. He came to the womb of Mary by uniting a human nature to his divine Person. Although born of a sinner, he was sinless and pure. His holiness was seen in his childhood, his adolescence, and his adulthood. His outer life was clean, his hands were used for the glory of God, and he did not get involved in anything that would soil his character. His inner life was pure, a heart completely in love with God, a mind totally taken up with the purpose of God, and a will fully committed to the service of God. His whole life was an act of worship that thoroughly pleased the Father.
Jesus did this personally, as an individual. This was his delight. The law of God was in his heart, and he rejoiced to run in the way of God’s commandments. Fellowship with the Father through prayer was his frequent response, and there in the lonely desert or in other secret places he gave praise to God.
Jesus also did this publicly, as the representative of his people. From an early age his human mind grasped that he had been sent here on a mission of mercy. This mission did include acts of kindness performed for needy individuals, but his greatest provision for them was to provide the way by which they could be restored to function as worshippers of God. That was why he went out of his way to locate and meet with the woman of Samaria, to inform her that she could be changed into a worshipper of God. Every action of blessing that he did, every miracle that he performed, was designed to reduce the noise of the groan of creation and increase the volume of the song of worship. Is this not why he was disappointed with the ungrateful response of the nine lepers? Their groans had not been replaced with a song of worship.
Throughout his whole earthly life, including his death, he lived a beautiful, sinless life of obedience that qualified him personally and publicly to receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of salvation. He received these benefits on behalf of those he represented. Perhaps the single word ‘blessing’ covers all the benefits that he received on behalf of his people: the Holy Spirit in our hearts, the provision and protection of God in our lives, the certainty of the fullness of eternal life in heaven, are some of them. He also received righteousness on our behalf. This is his title as the exalted One, The Lord our Righteousness. He gives these blessings and his righteousness to each of his people.
Verse 6 says that there will be a generation who will become worshippers because of his perfect worship. They desire to worship God in perfect holiness but they aware of many faults within. Therefore they are thankful for the perfect life of Jesus that covers their defects and enables them, even now, to ascend the hill of the Lord and worship God in the beauty of holiness.
Jesus, the Victorious King (vv. 7-10)
These verses picture for us the ascension of Jesus, not to an earthly city with ancient doors that go back to the time of Abraham, but to the heavenly city, the New Jerusalem. In verse 7, we hear the cry to open the gates to let the victory parade proceed down the streets of heaven.
We can see that the King had left the city to fight a war and now he has returned in triumph. The war in which he engaged was against the powers of darkness and, while there were a few skirmishes before the great contest, the final battle took place at Calvary. It seemed a very uneven battle because on one side were arraigned the hosts of hell and the political and religious authorities of earth and on the other side stood the King. Except he did not look like a king apart from the unsightly crown of thorns on his head.
As in all battles there were spoils to be won. The goal of the King was to set the devil’s captives free. They were under the devil’s authority because of their disobedience to God’s law (Satan could demand their punishment). Paul relates in Colossians 2:14-15 how Jesus the King dealt with this problem: ‘cancelling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.’ The King bore the penalty and endured the wrath of God against the sins of his people, with the result that the devil can no longer insist that God should punish them. One aspect of his victory is that he has set his people free from the condemnation of the law.
But he also dealt another blow against the enemy because he relieved him of his power. Jesus entered the enemy’s country, death, and there destroyed him that had the power of death, and in doing so delivered them who were living in bondage to the evil one. The Light of Perfect Holiness shone into the dark world and snapped the chains that were being fashioned to maintain his people in slavery. On the cross, he released his people not only from the condemnation of the law but from the grip of the evil one who had blinded them in their sins. Of course, the working out of the effects of his victory would take place throughout history, but the basis of it is Calvary.
Therefore he left the earth and ascended to heaven, and his entry became a great celebration. Paul takes up the imagery of the Roman generals returning from their campaigns with the leaders of the enemy armies tied in weakness to the chariot wheels and applies it to the Saviour’s ascension. It was a complete victory, and because he won it the new song can be sung. The creation, which had no man at its head to lead its praise, now had a perfect Man, the triumphant King, leading the praise of the universe. Psalm 24 could now be sung not merely as a desire but also as a fulfilment.
Of course, we don’t yet see the whole of creation restored. There is still a vast amount of groaning taking place. But the groaning is not one of despair, instead it is one of hope connected to the revelation of the sons of God. The day is coming when the leaders of creation’s song will assemble, when they will all have been transformed into the image of the Perfect Worshipper. In the new heavens and new earth, where righteousness will dwell, there will be permanent songs of praise led by the Chief Musician, Jesus Christ, and his choir of the redeemed. What Adam failed to do will yet be realised. In that day, we will have clean hands and pure hearts, we will be perfectly sanctified.
Outposts of heaven
But we don’t have to wait for the new heavens and new earth to appear before we experience some of its privileges. Even now Jesus gives us foretastes of the perfect world. The gathering of believers, of those who have the first fruits of the Spirit in their hearts giving them samples of the glory to come as well as providing them assurance of it, meet to sing the new song. We ascend in spirit to the New Jerusalem and join in the heavenly celebration. Our gatherings are foretastes of the glorious gathering that is yet to happen.
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