Psalm 24 - The Earth is the Lord's

Psalm 24 is all about the sovereignty of God. As we read through Genesis this week, the theme of God’s sovereignty has definitely been prevalent in all my thoughts. Psalm 24 is a wonderful condensing of what I've learned over the past week.

The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.

-            The LORD created everything, therefore, everything is His.

Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.

-          Those who seek God are saved by His righteousness… His righteousness. He is the measure of righteousness. People read the Bible and see the way the LORD has judged the world for His sin; they've read about the war and the carnage against the unrighteous, while He blesses the nation He chose. They say He’s unjust, unrighteous, unworthy of worship. The problem? They’re not the judge of righteousness, He is. I’m not the judge of righteousness, He is.

-          When Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they became “like God”. They set themselves as judges over their own actions. In so doing, they created the need to justify themselves before their Creator. In His righteousness and love, He sacrificed His Son so that those who believe in Him would be judged righteous.

Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle! Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory!

-     Who is this God? He is the King of glory. Lift up your heads, Israel! Open up your heart! Let the King of glory come in! Let the One who is mighty in battle, the One who is strong and mighty, the One who has a great army; let Him come in!

This week has been full the gut wrenching realization that I fail to see Him for who He really is. I fail to see Him in the fullness of His glory. And yet, I’m loved by Him. In the words of A.W. Towzer in ‘The Pursuit of God’, “All the time we are pursuing Him we are already in His hand.”

What a wonderful relief it is to know that, while I’m on this quest (this battle against my own flesh and the powers of darkness) to see who He really is, He already knows who I am, is holding me in His hand and it is HE that is doing this work in me. PRAISE GOD!