Psalm 24 Devotional
By Pastor Lawrence

Sometimes referred to as an entrance psalm, Psalm 24 was likely used when the Ark of the Covenant was first brought to Jerusalem. As David is witnessing this long-awaited event, the thought comes to his mind that the king of all the world, who created it in wisdom and glory is about to take up his abode in the city of Zion. And as God’s people are ushering the very symbol of his throne into the midst of the city, the question is asked: “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord, and who shall stand in his holy place?”

This is not the first time such a question is asked. Already in Psalm 15 David has asked a similar question, “who shall sojourn in your tent, and who shall dwell on your holy hill? And like in that previous psalm, David provides an answer, but this time his answer is not as elaborate but more of a summary of what he said previously, for this time the emphasis isn’t on the qualifications but on the one who is coming who meets those very qualifications, for Psalm 24 has an additional section that is lacking in Psalm 15 that actually gives us a glimpse of the coming king.

The qualifications themselves are simple but all-encompassing. The one who ascends God’s holy hill needs to have clean hands, which refers to one’s works, a pure heart, which speaks of one’s inner moral integrity, and a pure tongue that doesn’t speak falsely or in vain. Naturally, no one can perfectly meet these qualifications. Perhaps David suggests that people should, at least outwardly, be sanctified through the cleansing waters of the bronze laver and the shedding of blood on the altar to approach the Lord in His holy temple. But if the earthly tabernacle is merely a replica of the heavenly one, continual washings and sacrifices would never be enough to ascend God’s heavenly hill.

Therefore, even though in the latter part of the psalm, David likely had the Ark of the Covenant in mind when speaking of the King of Glory himself ascending the hill and entering into the gates of Zion, that same Ark along with its mercy seat was intended to point us to Christ Jesus himself, the King of glory. Surely, that what Matthew had in mind when describing Jesus entering into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, when the crowd cries out “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” This is the king of glory they had been looking for, the righteous one who met all the qualifications of God’s holy law to enter the temple based upon his own merit. And this same king who also overcame the forces of darkness and death also ascended God’s heavenly hill based upon the merit of his own righteousness.

So, when we read this passage as Christians today and ask the same question, “who can ascend God’s holy hill?” The obvious answer for us who believe is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and we rightly trust in his name alone for our salvation, that we too might enter into God’s heavenly gates based upon the righteousness of Christ and his pure blood shed on our behalf.

But we’re not meant to leave this passage with that thought alone, but each time we go to the Lord in prayer, we come before God’s holy throne solely in the name of Christ. And each time we are also reminded that God calls his people to live up to the name by which they are called to be holy as our heavenly father is holy. Of course, there is never a time in which we can do this by our own merits. Through the mighty power of Christ and the sanctifying influence of the Holy Spirit, we can confidently offer Him our hands, hearts, and tongues in worship, knowing that God will accept our offerings with hearts cleansed from an evil conscience.