Thought for the day – Psalm 24

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Psalm 24

1 Of David. A psalm.

The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; 2 for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.

3 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. 5 He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Saviour.

6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob. Selah

7 Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 10 Who is he, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty—he is the King of glory. Selah

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Psalm 024–Creator and Holy King of Glory

(Verses 1-2) The whole Bible teaches (endorsed by God the Son who should know!) that God created the universe in six days and rested to mark one day in seven as special. (He was not tired!)

The universe is His and all in it. He founded and established it. That includes our world and its people. A good starting point for a ‘God Psalm!’ To reject God as Creator is to deny His word, the Bible. Better believe God’s word and God the Son.

Not a single fact – but some weak popular theories and opinions – can disprove God as Creator. He alone was here at the time!

(Verses 3-6) God is not just the Creator. He is the Holy God, seeking fellowship with men and women both now and in eternity in Heaven. But God is holy, clean and pure, and we are not. So, we have a problem. All of us are unholy in thought, word and deed. We cannot approach God nor stand in His presence, any more than darkness can survive light, unless He becomes our ‘Saviour’ (verse 5). Our sin excludes us from God and Heaven unless we repent from it and trust that Jesus bore our sins in His body on the cross, when punished for us, and rose again to live for ever. He saves all who admit and turn from their sins and ask Jesus into their lives. He enters and stays by the Holy Spirit. Then, with God’s help, the Christian fights those sins he once did not care about.

Psalm 24 mentions some sins that may stop a sinner from repenting and receiving eternal life, or ruin a Christian’s life through failure to forsake sins and surrender to God. Here they are: uncleanness, impurity, idolatry, telling lies (even on oath.) We need to be forgiven for and freed from these and many other sins. Only Christ can do that. But He will bless all who trust in Him and try to keep clean and pure from sin. God counts them righteous before Him. Why? they have a Saviour, Jesus. All must ‘seek’ God in personal, real, repentant prayer.

(Verses 7-10) Learn about the coming of the ‘King of Glory’, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is ‘the LORD Almighty’ and being one in the three Persons in the Triune Godhead, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God came in flesh, that first Christmas. He comes now through the Holy Spirit when any sinner trusts Him as Saviour. He will come finally, as King of Kings and LORD of Lords at His glorious second coming, to judge those who have not turned from sin and trusted Him, and to bless forever all who have.

Does that include you?