Psalm Reading for October 31, 2021

Note from Celeste: Since the alternative lectionary selections for October 31 are those for All Saints Day (which was one of Tom’s favorite celebration days in the church), I’m posting his SOAR studies from All Saints Day, year B.

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 24
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This Psalm of David is a hymn of praise in the mouth of a pilgrim who is coming to Jerusalem.

The Psalmist begins with a sweeping view of the earth from a distance, and then telescopes his focus as he zooms in upon the temple.

In a sense, the whole earth is the macro cosmic temple of the Lord:

The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it,
the world, and those who live in it;
for he has founded it on the seas,
and established it on the rivers.

Theologically, this is a reminder that all creation is under the Lordship and ownership of God.  Human beings are only short-term tenants of the world that belongs to the Creator.

Then the Psalmist turns to the mountain upon which the Lord is worshiped.  This hill is literally Mount Zion, but it is also metaphorically the place where the worshiper seeks the face of God.

The Psalmist asks the question — who is worthy to approach God?

Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place?

The answer?

Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,
who do not lift up their souls to what is false,
and do not swear deceitfully.
They will receive blessing from the Lord,
and vindication from the God of their salvation.

If the mount of the Lord is a place of holiness, only those who are holy are permitted to enter in and receive blessing.  The Psalmist makes it clear that only those whose actions are clean and whose hearts are pure are truly committed to seeking God:

Such is the company of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob.

The focus of the Psalmist now changes.  He has been describing the pilgrim who climbs the hill of the Lord, and the holiness required for the pilgrim to stand in his holy place.

But now he will describe what happens when the King of glory, the Lord approaches his city!  The Psalmist cries out that the gates of the city should be thrown open wide:

Lift up your heads, O gates!
and be lifted up, O ancient doors!
that the King of glory may come in.
 Who is the King of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in battle.

The Lord is returning to his city like a triumphant King who has been victorious in battle.  Such triumphant processions were common in the ancient world when a king had conquered and then returned to his city.  And we can’t help but be reminded of the triumphant procession of Jesus into the city of Jerusalem, with the waving of palms and the cries of “Hosanna!”

APPLY:  

In this Psalm we are permitted to see the worship of God from many perspectives.   We are reminded that:

The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it,
the world, and those who live in it.

As the great hymn written by Maltbie D. Babcock declares:

This is my Father’s world,
and to my listening ears
all nature sings, and round me rings
the music of the spheres.
This is my Father’s world:
I rest me in the thought
of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
his hand the wonders wrought.

We also catch a glimpse of what is required for us to approach the holy presence of God — clean hands and pure hearts; and a fierce devotion to the truth.

And we see that God approaches us as well.  He is the King of Glory, and we must prepare our hearts for his coming by opening the gates for him.  Again, I’m reminded of a great hymn, this one by Georg Weissel:

Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates;
behold, the King of glory waits;
the King of kings is drawing near;
the Savior of the world is here!

He urges us to:

Fling wide the portals of your heart;
make it a temple, set apart
from earthly use for heaven’s employ,
adorned with prayer and love and joy.

RESPOND: 

We are called upon in this Psalm to worship God as our Creator, our Savior, and as our King of Glory.

The only aspect of this Psalm that troubles me is my own inadequacy.  I’m aware of the holiness that is required to approach God:

Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
    And who shall stand in his holy place?
Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,
    who do not lift up their souls to what is false,
    and do not swear deceitfully.

But I’m also all too painfully aware that my own efforts to achieve that holiness invariably fall short:

all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:2).

The bottom line for me is that my efforts at holiness will always fail; but God has accomplished my holiness through the atoning death of Christ, and the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit.  Only because of what God has done am I qualified to stand in his holy place.

A meme I saw on Facebook captures my thoughts well:

Religion says God will love us if we change.
The Gospel says God’s love will change us.

Our Lord, when I view the wonders of creation, I worship you.  When I enter into a holy house of worship I worship you.  But I also confess my sins and gratefully receive your cleansing pardon and power over sin.  And I trust that as I open the gates of my heart to you that you do come in!  Amen. 

PHOTOS:

The photo used in "Psalm 24:3-4":  "Figures ascend the Manaslu Glacier on their summit push" by Mark Horrell is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.

Psalm Reading for July 11, 2021

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 24
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This Psalm of David is entitled “Entrance into the Temple.”  But what exactly is the Temple to which the Psalm refers?  Is the Temple that which is built by human hands, or the Temple of the created order, or the hearts of the worshippers?

The Psalm is divided into three essential units.  In the first section (verses 1-2), the Psalm relates to the Lord as Creator and Owner of all things.  The second section (verses 3-6), describes the moral and spiritual qualities necessary for the human worshiper to enter into God’s presence.  The third unit (verses 7-10), is an exhortation to the personified gates of the city that they be opened:

  that the King of glory may come in.

The first section provides a divine perspective.  God’s reign and presence are not limited to a dwelling place in the Temple or seated in the ark of the covenant.  His reign is universal, as is his Lordship:

The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it.

God’s claim to the title as Ruler and Owner of all is quite simple — he is the Creator of all:

for he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers.

The second section asks the vital question:

Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place?

Interestingly, the Psalmist does not offer the conventional answer — the Priests and Levites.  No, those who are qualified to climb this holy hill are not qualified by their titles or lineage, but by their character:

Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,
who do not lift up their souls to what is false,
and do not swear deceitfully.

They shall be vindicated and blessed by the God of their salvation. And perhaps the most significant quality required of those who are deemed worthy of climbing the ascent to the Temple Mount and standing in the presence of the Lord is their spiritual hunger:

Such is the company of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob.

The third section personifies the ancient doors of Jerusalem, as the Psalmist exhorts these gates to lift up their heads.  But even more significantly, the Psalmist justifies the purpose of opening these presumably long closed gates — the Lord and Sovereign of all the earth, and the one whom those of clean hands and pure hearts are seeking, is preparing to enter!

Lift up your heads, O gates!
and be lifted up, O ancient doors!
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is the King of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in battle.

APPLY:  

There are three dimensions to this Psalm that lift us to true worship.

First, we are reminded that the Lord is God, the Creator and owner of the universe that he has created — and we are not!  This provides a sound theological foundation for our perspective.  We own nothing at all — God is the owner of everything.  So, we worship the Lord as the one from whom all things flow.

Second, we are reminded that worship is never casual and careless.  The qualifications for entering into the presence of God require clean hands and pure hearts.  This is a moral imperative, that we enter worship only after scrupulous self-examination and repentance.  From a Christian perspective, we know that there is none of us who is worthy to come into the presence of God, except through the redemptive blood of Christ and his grace.  But his grace both pardons and cleanses us:

If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

Moreover, we are reminded that our response to the grace of God is to seek him with all our hearts.  God acts and we react in response to his gracious initiative toward us.  But by seeking him we find him who is already seeking us.  Jesus says: 

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened (Matthew 7:7-8).

Finally, we ask ourselves, where is the Temple into which God awaits entrance?  For us, is it not ourselves, the people of God? As Paul tells us:

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst  (1 Corinthians 3:16)?

We are to open the doors of our lives that the King of glory may come in.

RESPOND: 

Recognizing that God is Lord over heavens and earth is vital.  However, when that truth becomes real in our hearts, we begin to recognize the vast chasm between ourselves and God.  He is The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory.

How can we possibly come into his presence, and offer appropriate worship?  Only when, through his grace, we have been cleansed and made suitable:

who have clean hands and pure hearts,
who do not lift up their souls to what is false,
and do not swear deceitfully.

It is this quest, to know and worship the King of glory, that drives me to seek the face of the God of Jacob.  

Our Lord, purify my hands and my heart, that I may suitably worship and glorify you!  I seek you with all my heart, though I so often fall short.  Grant that I may see your glory!  Amen. 

PHOTOS:
The photo used in "Psalm 24:3-4":  "Figures ascend the Manaslu Glacier on their summit push" by Mark Horrell is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.

Psalm Reading for July 15, 2018

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 24
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This Psalm of David is entitled Entrance into the Temple.  But what exactly is the Temple to which the Psalm refers?  Is the Temple that which is built by human hands, or the Temple of the created order, or the hearts of the worshippers?

The Psalm is divided into three essential units.  In the first section, the Psalm relates to the Lord as Creator and Owner of all things (verses 1-2).  The second section describes the moral and spiritual qualities necessary for the human worshiper to enter into God’s presence (verses 3-6).  The third unit is an exhortation to the personified gates of the city that they be opened:

  that the King of glory may come in (verses 7-10).

The first section provides a divine perspective.  God’s reign and presence are not limited to a dwelling place in the Temple or seated in the ark of the covenant.  His reign is universal, as is his Lordship:

The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it.

God’s claim to the title as Ruler and Owner of all is quite simple — he is the Creator of all:

for he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers.

The second section asks the vital question:

Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place?

Interestingly, the Psalmist does not offer the conventional answer — the Priests and Levites.  No, those who are qualified to climb this holy hill are not qualified by their titles or lineage, but by their character:

Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,
who do not lift up their souls to what is false,
and do not swear deceitfully.

They shall be vindicated and blessed by the God of their salvation. And perhaps the most significant quality required of those who are deemed worthy of climbing the ascent to the Temple Mount and standing in the presence of the Lord is their spiritual hunger:

Such is the company of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob.

The third section personifies the ancient doors of Jerusalem,  as the Psalmist exhorts these gates to lift up their heads.  But even more significantly, the Psalmist justifies the purpose of opening these presumably long closed gates — the Lord and Sovereign of all the earth, and the one whom those of clean hands and pure hearts are seeking, is preparing to enter!

Lift up your heads, O gates!
and be lifted up, O ancient doors!
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is the King of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in battle.

APPLY:  

There are three dimensions to this Psalm that lift us to true worship.

First, we are reminded that the Lord is God, the Creator and owner of the universe that he has created — and we are not!  This provides a sound theological foundation for our perspective.  We own nothing at all — God is the owner of everything.  So, we worship the Lord as the one from whom all things flow.

Second, we are reminded that worship is never casual and careless.  The qualifications for entering into the presence of God require clean hands and pure hearts.  This is a moral imperative, that we enter worship only after scrupulous self-examination and repentance.  From a Christian perspective, we know that there is none of us who is worthy to come into the presence of God, except through the redemptive blood of Christ and his grace.  But his grace both pardons and cleanses us:

If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

Moreover, we are reminded that our response to the grace of God is to seek him with all our hearts.  God acts and we react in response to his gracious initiative toward us.  But by seeking him we find him who is already seeking us.  Jesus says: 

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened (Matthew 7:7-8).

Finally, we ask ourselves, where is the Temple into which God awaits entrance?  For us, is it not ourselves, the people of God? As Paul tells us:

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst  (1 Corinthians 3:16)?

We are to open the doors of our lives that the King of glory may come in.

RESPOND: 

Recognizing that God is Lord over heavens and earth is vital.  However, when that truth becomes real in our hearts, we begin to recognize the vast chasm between ourselves and God.  He is The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory.

How can we possibly come in to his presence, and offer appropriate worship?  Only when, through his grace, we have been cleansed and made suitable:

who have clean hands and pure hearts,
who do not lift up their souls to what is false,
and do not swear deceitfully.

It is this quest, to know and worship the King of glory, that drives me to seek the face of the God of Jacob.  

Our Lord, purify my hands and my heart, that I may suitably worship and glorify you!  I seek you with all my heart, though I so often fall short.  Grant that I may see your glory!  Amen. 

PHOTOS:
The photo used in "Psalm 24:3-4":  "Figures ascend the Manaslu Glacier on their summit push" by Mark Horrell is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.

Psalm Reading for July 12, 2015

START WITH SCRIPTURE:

Psalm 24

CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

CLICK HERE FOR .PDF FILE TO PRINT WITHOUT PICTURES

OBSERVE:

This Psalm of David is entitled Entrance into the Temple.  But what exactly is the Temple to which the Psalm refers?  Is the Temple that which is built by human hands, or the Temple of the created order, or the hearts of the worshippers?

The Psalm is divided into three essential units.  In the first section, the Psalm relates to the Lord as Creator and Owner of all things (verses 1-2).  The second section describes the moral and spiritual qualities necessary for the human worshipper to enter into God’s presence (verses 3-6).  The third unit is an exhortation to the personified gates of the city that they be opened  that the King of glory may come in (verses 7-10).

The first section provides a divine perspective.  God’s reign and presence are not limited to a dwelling place in the Temple or seated in the ark of the covenant.  His reign is universal, as is his Lordship: The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it.  God’s claim to the title as Ruler and Owner of all is quite simple — he is the Creator of all: for he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers.

The second section asks the vital question, Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place?  Interestingly, the Psalmist does not offer the conventional answer — the Priests and Levites.  No, those who are qualified to climb this holy hill are not qualified by their titles or lineage, but by their character: Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,
who do not lift up their souls to what is false,
and do not swear deceitfully.

They shall be vindicated and blessed by the God of their salvation. And perhaps the most significant quality required of those who are deemed worthy of climbing the ascent to the Temple Mount and standing in the presence of the Lord is their spiritual hunger: Such is the company of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob.  

The third section personifies the ancient doors of Jerusalem,  as the Psalmist exhorts these gates to lift up their heads.  But even more significantly, the Psalmist justifies the purpose of opening these presumably long closed gates — the Lord and Sovereign of all the earth, and the one whom those of clean hands and pure hearts are seeking, is preparing to enter!

Lift up your heads, O gates!
and be lifted up, O ancient doors!
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is the King of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in battle.

APPLY:  

There are three dimensions to this Psalm that lift us to true worship.

First, we are reminded that the Lord is God, the Creator and owner of the universe that he has created — and we are not!  This provides a sound theological foundation for our perspective.  We own nothing at all — God is the owner of everything.  So, we worship the Lord as the one from whom all things flow.

Second, we are reminded that worship is never casual and careless.  The qualifications for entering into the presence of God require clean hands and pure hearts.  This is a moral imperative, that we enter worship only after scrupulous self-examination and repentance.  From a Christian perspective, we know that there is none of us who is worthy to come into the presence of God, except through the redemptive blood of Christ and his grace.  But his grace both pardons and cleanses us:  If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

Moreover, we are reminded that our response to the grace of God is to seek him with all our hearts.  God acts and we react in response to his gracious initiative toward us.  But by seeking him we find him who is already seeking us.  Jesus says  “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened (Matthew 7:7-8).

Finally, we ask ourselves, where is the Temple into which God awaits entrance?  For us, is it not ourselves, the people of God? As Paul tells us:  Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst  (1 Corinthians 3:16)?  We are to open the doors of our lives that the King of glory may come in.

RESPOND: 

Recognizing that God is Lord over heavens and earth is vital.  However, when that truth becomes real in our hearts, we begin to recognize the vast chasm between ourselves and God.  He is The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory.

How can we possibly come in to his presence, and offer appropriate worship?  Only when, through his grace, we have been cleansed and made suitable:

who have clean hands and pure hearts,
who do not lift up their souls to what is false,
and do not swear deceitfully.

It is this quest, to know and worship the King of glory, that drives me to seek the face of the God of Jacob.  

Our Lord, purify my hands and my heart, that I may suitably worship and glorify you!  I seek you with all my heart, though I so often fall short.  Grant that I may see your glory!  Amen. 

PHOTOS:
The photo used in "Psalm 24:3-4":  "Figures ascend the Manaslu Glacier on their summit push" by Mark Horrell is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.