"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"
Psalm 24
Three points may be made in the interpretation and application of the Psalm. The first relates to the Ascension of Christ. What is meant by that is this: the opening two verses proclaim the name of the Lord as worthy of the worship of all He has created. He has made us that we might worship Him and glorify His Name. It is in this connection that the question naturally arises in 3, 'Who shall ascend...?' God is holy and only those who are holy may approach Him. But whose hands are clean, or whose heart is pure? Were David's? Are ours? This, plainly, sets an impossible standard, for all, without ex- ception, fall short of it. Does this, then, mean that God must dwell alone in His heavenly hill? This is where the second part of the Psalm comes into its own. As Spurgeon says, its latter verses 'reveal to us the great representative Man, who answered to the full charac- ter laid down, and therefore by his own right ascended the holy hill of Zion'. Now, the genius of the Psalm is that it presents the scene of a victor returning to the city, having won the spoils of battle, and earned the right by conquest to enter into the city. It is, in fact, the picture of our Lord's ascension, entering into heaven for us, 'Now to appear in the presence of God for us', as Hebrews 9:24 puts it.
Look, ye saints! the sight is glorious;
See the Man of Sorrows now;
From the fight returned victorious,
Every knee to Him shall bow.
This, indeed, is the Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. The Lord of Hosts, He is the King of glory.