Advent for this year is wrapping up, as we move quickly with the last few days before Christmas. As many Christians know, Advent is the season, beginning four weeks prior to Christmas, where we prepare for the celebration of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, and also as we look forward to His Second Coming. Though the birth of Christ was over 2,000 years ago, we still celebrate it, just as we celebrate the birthday of any loved one, especially noting how significant His birth is to our salvation. His Second Coming is still in the future, and could occur at any time. That is something every Christian should be preparing for. Our psalm today is one that speaks of this coming event, as it looks forward to Jesus Christ’s entrance into Jerusalem to establish His millennial kingdom.
King David wrote this psalm, possibly to commemorate the return of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. During the reign of the previous king, King Saul, the Philistines had stolen the Ark of the Covenant, and kept it in their country. After David became king, he completely conquered the Philistines, and one of the first things he did was to return the Ark, bringing it into his capital city of Jerusalem.
As David begins the psalm, he first acknowledges that Yahweh is Creator of all things (vs. 1-2). As the Creator, He owns everything. This is a direct contradiction to paganism, evolutionism, and humanistic worldviews. The phrase “all its fullness” means that every creature, all nations, and their resources belong to Him (Psalm 50:10-12). We are not the owners of them, we are just the stewards.
As Christians, we can take comfort in this thought. The truth that God is the Creator and Owner of everything, not only on this earth, but throughout the whole universe, should anchor our trust. The God who owns all of creation is fully capable of caring for, and providing for His children!
David continued with his psalm by asking the question of who is worthy to approach God? (vs. 3-6). He is not asking who can go into the tabernacle, but instead he is asking who can truly stand before a holy God. His answer is someone who has both clean hands and a pure heart - both outward and inward purity. Also someone who has not practiced idolatry and is not deceitful. This is not a statement promoting salvation by works. Rather, it describes the character of those who belong to God, those who have been justified by faith through the finished work of Jesus upon the cross, have accepted Him as their Savior, and are walking in obedience.
In ancient times, a bowl of water was placed at the entrance of the place of worship so that everyone who came to worship the Lord could wash their hands before coming inside. What dirty objects are we clasping in our hands, holding onto for dear life? When was the last time you checked to see if your hands were clean? It is only possible through Jesus Christ. God desires both our actions to be clean (clean hands), and our motives to be pure (pure heart). The person who is in such a state is blessed by the Lord. With the imputed righteousness from the Lord Jesus, they have His favor.
As we continue in the psalm, we read King David’s dramatic and prophetic closing verses (vs. 7-10). This is where David was initially describing when the Ark of the Covenant was returned to Jerusalem, and the gates symbolically welcomed the presence of God. It is prophetic in that it looks forward to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, when the King of Glory enters Jerusalem to reign. Who is the King of Glory? It is Jesus Christ, the Divine Warrior, mighty in battle (Revelation 19:11-16). He is the Lord of Hosts, Commander of heaven’s armies.
This is not the meek and lowly Christ of His first coming. This is the conquering King returning in power. As we see in this psalm and in the Book of Revelation, Jesus is not only the Savior, He is King of all. Our worship should always reflect His majesty and authority.
The gates of Jerusalem tell a story of royalty, glory, splendor, and victory. They welcome the coming King, opened and lifted high! Remember, God is in control. He is on the throne, and all of the earth, and everything in it belongs to Him!
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