ANOTHER TRIUMPHANT ENTRY.
Psalm 24:7-10.
The Scottish Metrical version of Psalm 24:7-10 is strong here, and lends itself to an almost antiphonal liturgy, suitable for combined male and female voices.
“Ye gates, lift up your heads on high; ye doors that last for aye,
Be lifted up, that so the King of Glory enter may.
But who in glory is the King? The mighty Lord is this:
Ev’n that same Lord that great in might and strong in battle is.
“Ye gates, lift up your heads: ye doors, doors that do last for aye,
Be lifted up, that so the King of glory enter may.
But who is He that is the King of glory? (The King of glory) who is this?
The Lord of hosts and none but He, the King of glory is.”
(There may follow a chorus of Alleluias and Amens.)
We may refer to a historic circumstance in David’s own life, when he first brought the Ark of the Covenant, symbolic of the presence of God, into Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:15). ‘The mountain of Your inheritance’ had been anticipated back in the song of Moses, after the people passed through the Red Sea (Exodus 15:17) - in context this was not a reference to Sinai, but to a mountain in the land. The Psalm echoes the celebration of God’s triumph (Psalm 24:10; cf. Exodus 15:1; Exodus 15:21).
“Glory” speaks of ‘weightiness’: majesty, honour; abundance (cf. Psalm 24:1), greatness, importance. When we ‘glorify’ God we add nothing to Him, but ‘ascribe’ the glory that is already His (Psalm 29:1). Even ‘the heavens’ declare ‘the glory of God’ (Psalm 19:1).
Now the Ark was home at last, where Melchisedec had passed through the same gates to meet Abraham with bread and wine, and to pronounce a priestly blessing (Genesis 14:18-20). Yet the Ark of the Covenant is symbolic of something else. The ultimate ‘presence of God with men’ (cf. Ezekiel 34:30) is Jesus, the Word become flesh who ‘tabernacled’ among us (John 1:14).
Jesus died for us, triumphed over death on our behalf, rose again, and ascended into heaven. As a Man He has entered glory that we may follow. The gates have opened wide for Him, and even now we are bold to enter in to the throne of grace (Ephesians 3:12; Hebrews 4:16).
