In our first piece on Psalm 24, we heard the acclamation of the Lord, creator of all, to whom everything belongs, and to whom all owe reverence and obedience. Then, by the righteous inquiries of the priest, the people swore their oath of innocence to ascend God’s holy hill for worship. Saints and priests stand at attention in the temple for worship. Yet, something is missing—or more precisely, someone is. So in verse 7, a different voice takes the microphone. The identity of the speaker is unclear; it could be a Levitical song leader, or maybe it is the congregation as a whole, laity and clergy. Either way, they start talking to the architecture. “O Gates, O Ancient or Eternal Doors, Lift up your heads!”
To shout commands at the temple gates is a poetic device of welcoming and joy. It is like telling your front door to swing open to invite in your dinner guests. To lift up the head is the emotion of glee and joyful reception. When gates are shut and locked, they are grim and serious, stoic like the king’s guard of Buckingham Palace. When they fling open, however, they become giddy fans about to meet their hero.
Furthermore, the gates are called, literally, eternal doors, everlasting portals. This forever attribute discloses the link between heaven and earth. Under the law, the tabernacle was a piece of heaven upon the earth. The temple was a replica of God’s celestial throne room upon the mortal plane. The eternal doors merge the heavenly and the earthly within the domain of the holy. And who are the gates welcoming with such elation? It is the King of Glory. The doors slam open to greet Yahweh as he comes into his temple.
Yet, this seems odd. If this is the temple, why does God need to enter? Is he not already inside? It is this peculiar scenario, though, that allows us to be more specific about the liturgical setting, for the title “King of Glory” is unique to this psalm, but the use of glory here, combined with warrior imagery, evokes a distinct act of the Lord. This glory recalls the Glory Cloud of Yahweh that came down on Sinai and that moved over the Ark to travel with Israel. There is an echo here of the Song of the Ark from Numbers 10. There, the Ark with the Glory enthroned above would march into battle, conquer, and return to his people. And Moses would sing to the Ark, “Advance, O Lord, Scatter your enemies. . . Return, O Lord, to the myriads of Israel.” The King of Glory marks the Ark coming back to the holy place after battle.
We find the same sort of dynamic in 2 Samuel 6, when David brought the Ark to Jerusalem. These events were commemorated in Psalm 132, when David sings, “Advance, O Lord to Your resting place, You and Your mighty Ark!” We also find this festival in the history books. In 2 Chronicles 20, King Jehoshaphat led his victorious army back into the temple, and they processed into the holy courts with harps and trumpets and with the Glorious Lord within their ranks. The Ark did not always go with Israel into battle. But when it did for critical battles, Yahweh fought amid his armies, and he returned home in a victory parade. So, here, the King of Glory is identified as Yahweh of hosts. He is lauded as strong and mighty, powerful in battle. Literally, God is praised as the War Hero, the Valiant Warrior.
Therefore, the ceremony recorded for us in this psalm is the victorious Ark returning to Jerusalem, with the Majestic Divine Warrior riding on his portable throne, to enter the temple and to rejoice with his people. Indeed, the saints made it inside the temple in verse 6, and now, Yahweh enters in verse 10 to be amid his people. At the close, Psalm 24 pictures for us covenant communion between the Lord and his saints. The people are present as those who seek the Lord and who have a righteous standing in godliness. And God is present as the Conquering King, who won salvation and joy for his flock. This is the Glorious Savior dwelling with his saints in the splendor of the holy place, which is a clear foretaste of heaven. We fellowship with God in worship now, but the glory of our earthly worship is muted compared to the splendor of heaven.
Thus, the question arises: When does Psalm 24 become all it is supposed to be? When does the King of Glory commune with his godly children unceasingly? There were temporary experiences of this in the Old Testament, but these were always short-lived due to new enemies who arose and because the people’s godliness was fleeting. The people’s sin profaned the temple so that Yahweh could not return. In the exile, God abandoned his earthly sanctuary, and the people were scattered among the nations. After exile, however, the prophet Zechariah dusted off Psalm 24. In his day, Israel had returned from exile. God had permitted them to rebuild the temple.
And yet, even with the temple and people back, the Glory of the Lord had not returned. The saints stood in the temple waiting for the King of Glory. In chapter 9, Zechariah foresees this return, and he calls out to the people, “Rejoice greatly, Fair Zion. Raise a shout Lovely Jerusalem; Lo, your king is coming to you, victorious and triumphant.” Zechariah preached of Psalm 24 coming to fruition. Yet, there was one very noticeable change. Here, it is the King of Glory, but in Zechariah, the king comes humble and riding upon a donkey. The Saving God returns cloaked in humility, harnessed to a donkey without any pomp and splendor. And we know that what Zechariah announced came to pass in the life of Jesus.
In the triumphant entry, Jesus as the king of Israel returned to the Jerusalem temple. He walked through those eternal doors that echoed of heaven. But why did he come with such lowliness? Why were his clothes dull and his ride pathetic? Why did Christ enter as the Suffering Servant instead of as the King of Glory? He did so because his people were unwell. They stood in the temple, but they had lied. The oath of innocence to ascend the mount demanded ideal purity, hand and heart. Yet, those who sought God had stained hands and defiled hearts. They were forbidden holy communion with God due to their depravity and rebellion.
And it is the same for us. Can you answer these questions in the affirmative? Are your hands clean and innocent? Far from it! Soaked into our pours is the filth of our wickedness. Is your heart sincerely pure? Hardly, as vile perversions lord themselves over our every desire and intention. We can fake a pious exterior, but foul evil lurks within us. Due to innate depravity, we have no right to enter for communion with God. No one can! If all have fallen short, then the King of Glory enters an empty temple. Without us being righteous, God’s house is desolate, silent and absent from communion.
Therefore, Jesus entered first in humility. Christ came to lay down his life as a ransom for our sin. More so, our Lord first went to the altar to provide for us what we could not do for ourselves, namely righteousness. The worthy standard of righteousness to enter the temple has not changed. The Holy justice of God is the same—only the righteous have a right to his presence. And since this was impossible for us, Christ came to do it for us. He died and rose to make you the righteousness of God by faith, as a gift of grace. What is required here, which is so far beyond us, is precisely how Christ saves you, by imputing his righteousness to you, and recreating you in a new birth. Jesus rode a donkey and died as lamb to make you holy and to give you free access into his glorious presence for eternal blessing.
And since Christ saved you as the Suffering Servant, so he earned for himself and for us the full glory of Psalm 24. When did those heavenly gates open to welcome Christ? They did at his resurrection and ascension. In the splendor of the resurrection, the King of Glory entered heaven for us and before us. And when do we get to commune with the King of Glory in everlasting perfection? We join our Glorious King in our deaths and in the bodily resurrection. Thus, in Psalm 24, you behold your one, blessed hope—worshipping and enjoying God in the Heavenly Zion.
In this psalm, you see your present selves justified by faith, and you see your future selves glorious in holiness, rejoicing with your Beloved God without end. So, with love and faith, let us seek communion with our Lord presently in Lord’s Day worship, and with hope, may we eagerly await everlasting communion with the Lamb in heaven, and so all, the praise and adoration of our God, Yahweh of Hosts, the King of Glory.
Amen.
©Zach Keele. All Rights Reserved.
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Zach Keele
Rev. Zachary Keele grew up on a ranch in a small town named Crawford, Colorado. He attended Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania and received his Master of Divinity from Westminster Seminary California. He has served as the pastor of Escondido OPC since 2006.
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