Heart of a Psalmist - Worshipping Christ Through The Psalms

The greatest benefit of our salvation is the gift of eternal life and the hope of being with him forever! “ My sheep recognize my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more pow- erful than anyone else. (Jn.10:28,29)

“ The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”

1 Keller, page 35 2 Keller, page 52 3 Keil & Delitzsch 4 Keller, page 116 5 Spurgeon

PSALM 24: WHO IS THIS KING OF GLORY? Christ’s Entrance to Heaven

This majestic psalm opens the doors of worship to all the inhabitants of the earth and celebrates the King’s entry into the heavenly Jerusalem. It is a psalm that was traditionally sung on Sunday by the church through the centuries as a remembrance of the Messiah’s resurrection and ascension to heaven. Historically it might have been written to celebrate David’s capture of Jerusalem and victory over the Jebusites: “ But David captured the fortress of Zion, now called the City of David…and David real- ized that the Lord had made him king over Israel and had made his kingdom great for the sake of his people Israel.” (2 Sam. 5:7,12) or during the placement of the ark in Jerusalem, the world-wide capitol of worship: “ So David went there and brought the Ark to the City of David with a great celebration…with much shouting and blowing of trumpets. The Ark of the Lord was placed inside the special tent that David had prepared for it.” (2 Sam. 6:10,15,17) It begins with a vision of the Lord’s earth and then narrows to the Lord’s hill, then his holy place and finally to the gates of eternity. It could be explained as God’s love for his world, God’s love for his worshippers and God’s love for his warrior King. It is outlined with three vital questions:

I. WHO RULES THE WORLD ? (1,2) II. WHO MAY CLIMB THE MOUNTAIN OF THE LORD ? (3-6) III. WHO IS THIS KING OF GLORY ? (7-10)

INTRODUCTION :

“ A Psalm of David. ”

Like Psalm 23, this is one of 17 psalms with the simple introduction.

I WHO RULES THE WORLD ? (1,2)

“ The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. For he laid the earth’s foundation on the seas and built it on the ocean depths.” (1,2)

Verse 1 is quoted in 1 Corinthians 10:26 to help teach the Gentile Christians how to live in an idol- atrous world. Paul addresses the problem of eating meat offered to idols by quoting Psalm 24: “ You may eat any meat that is sold in the market-place. Don’t ask whether or not it was offered to idols, and then your conscience won’t be bothered. For ‘the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.’” (1 Cor. 10:25,26) The larger issue is to make God’s salvation available to more people by avoiding offenses. “ I don’t just do what I like or what is best for me, but what is best for them so they may be saved.”(1 Cor. 10:33)

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