Psalm 24 - The Other Side of the Cloud
- Chad Werkhoven
- Mar 6
- 4 min read
Find out why you're welcome to stand in the LORD's holy place.
Psalm 24 (ESV)
A Psalm of David.
1 The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof,
the world and those who dwell therein,
2 for he has founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
3 Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
4 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.
5 He will receive blessing from the LORD
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah
7 Lift up your heads, O gates!
And be lifted up, O 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 gates!
And lift them up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is this King of glory?
The LORD of hosts,
he is the King of glory! Selah
Q&A 46
Q. What do you mean by saying,
“Jesus ascended to heaven”?
A. That Christ,
while his disciples watched,
was lifted up from the earth to heaven
and will be there for our good
until he comes again
to judge the living and the dead.
Summary
A psalm shouldn't have to begin the way Psalm 24 does - with a statement of basic truth that ought to just go without saying. Of course the earth is the LORD's, as well as everything in it! But as most of us read this psalm on a Friday, it's exactly what we need to be reminded of. After working hard this past week in a effort to increase our grip little by little on what we try to stuff into our own pockets, we need to know that none of it is really ours. All of it - the world and all who live in it - belong to the One who founded and established it.
It's also good to read this as we begin to prepare ourselves for the upcoming Lord's Day. In a sense, this is what we do as we assemble with the saints in the Lord's house - we ascend the mountain to stand in His holy place. For we know it's there that we'll receive blessing from God.
But Psalm 24 also gives us an ugly reminder as David answers his own question. The only ones qualified to ascend this mountain are those who have clean hands and a pure heart. We've spent the last week skimming through the book of Leviticus, which spells out in great detail exactly what kind of cleanliness and purity the LORD demands. And the more we read God's Law - His covenant terms and conditions - the more it becomes clear that we're anything but clean and pure. Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD? Certainly not us!
But this is the wonderful good news of the Bible! You have a scapegoat who carried your sins away, having atoned (paid) for them with His own blood. In their place, He's given you His own perfectly clean hands and pure heart. Because of this, you're not only welcome in God's holy place this Sunday, but it's where you'll spend eternity, because you've been vindicated by God your Savior.
Dig Deeper
Psalm 24 ends with a poetic recitation of the strong and mighty King returning to His city after being mighty in battle and securing victory for His people. He is the One whose hands are clean and heart is pure, and so the city gates are lifted up so that the King of glory may come in. This scene is so glorious that David repeats it, with the second rendition only slightly expanded from the first.
But this picture of victory isn't just hopeful fiction. David here, inspired by the Holy Spirit, narrates an event that would take place over millennia after David wrote these words - an event that the disciples would see the beginning of, but then wonder what happened as Jesus ascended and a cloud hid Him from their sight as they looked intently up into the sky (Acts 1:9-10). Psalm 24 captures what happened on the other side of that cloud!
Jesus' triumphal entry into the lifted gates of heaven wasn't His first triumphal entry. We'll be celebrating Palm Sunday soon, where Jesus was received into Jerusalem before a cheering crowd who echoed the second question in David's psalm: who is this King of Glory?
10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”
11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Psalm 24:10 - Who is He, this King of Glory? The LORD Almighty - He is the King of Glory!
One of the New Testament's favorite description for Christians is a person who is in Christ. So as Christ victoriously ascends the mountain of the LORD to stand in His holy place, you went right on in with Him!
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, the Triune God, the LORD Almighty - He is the King of Glory!
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for bringing you into His holy presence in Christ, and pray that you'll make going into His presence here on earth to receive a blessing a priority as you look forward to the Lord's Day;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
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