Written by Efe Abbe
The Word
The King of Glory Entering Zion.
A Psalm of David.
1 The earth is the Lord’s, and [Lit its fullness]all it contains,
The world, and those who live in it.
2 For He has founded it upon the seas
And established it upon the rivers.
3 Who may ascend onto the hill of the Lord?
And who may stand in His holy place?
4 One who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to deceit
And has not sworn deceitfully.
5 He will receive a blessing from the Lord
And [i.e., as vindicated]righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6 This is the generation of those who seek Him,
Who seek Your face—even Jacob. Selah
7 Lift up your heads, you gates,
And be lifted up, you [Lit everlasting]ancient doors,
That the King of glory may come in!
8 Who is the King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
The Lord mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, you gates,
And lift them up, you [Lit everlasting]ancient doors,
That the King of glory may come in!
10 Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of armies,
He is the King of glory. Selah
-Psalm 24:1-10 NASB
15 [Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation: 16 for by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him…
…[God] made you alive together with [Christ], having forgiven us all our wrongdoings, 14 having canceled the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.
Colossians 1:15-16, 2:13-15 NASB
Reflection
In this Psalm, David proclaims that the rightful owner and true sustainer of the Earth—its resources, creatures, cultures, and peoples—is Yahweh, the One True God (vv. 1-2, see Genesis 1:1). David reveals that as Supreme God, Yahweh Himself is the standard of holiness and righteousness, set apart in “His holy place” (v. 3-4), so he asks: who qualifies to approach such holiness?
After giving the requirements to approach God’s holiness, David sets an interlude. A pause. Then he breaks into a post-war victory cry, depicting Yahweh the victorious King returning from vanquishing His enemies (vv. 7-10). Yahweh, “strong and mighty, mighty in battle…the lord of armies (or hosts)”, Yahweh, the King of Glory. This is a party and victory procession for God; the King has won!
God’s victory is certain because He is Creator and rightful owner of all the earth but when I read the requirements to approach God (v.4), I know I don’t meet them. And the Bible is clear that humanity doesn’t. So who does?
Application
Many generations after David, his descendant Daniel received a vision in Babylon showing God’s judgment against evil kingdoms (Daniel 7). After passing judgment, God presented “[o]ne like a son of man” before Himself (Daniel 7:13) – someone qualified, as David prescribed, to stand in God’s presence. This “son of man” received “dominion, honor, and a kingdom, so that all the peoples, nations, and populations of all languages, might serve Him” (Daniel 7:14) – the blessing David highlighted for the one qualified to ascend to God’s holiness. Even many generations later, Jesus called Himself the “son of man”, revealing He was the One uniquely qualified to enter God’s presence as seen in Daniel’s vision (Luke 19:10, Mark 10:45, Matthew 26:64). Paul described Jesus as “the image of the invisible God” through whom all things were created—the rightful owner of everything (Colossians 1:15-16).
So how does God’s victory connect to Jesus being uniquely qualified to enter His presence? Jesus came to earth, experienced our real human temptations without sinning (Hebrews 4:15), with the singular purpose of laying down His life for rebel humanity. God laid all our sins and their eternal consequences on the only blameless person to live, the son of man. What looked like failure – Jesus’ cross – was God’s mysterious plan to free humanity from the slavery we sold ourselves into and to “disarm the rulers and the authorities,” “making a public display of them” and triumphing over His enemies (Colossians 2:13-15).
The good news for us is that God not only triumphed over all spiritual darkness, in His love He made a way through Jesus’ resurrection, to include us in His victory and to bring us also into His presence. Our God is our champion!
Prayer
Dear God in Heaven, You are the One True and only God and You have shown this by all that You have made. Thank You for Your generous salvation and victory through Jesus Christ, our Lord, amen.
City Life Starter 
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