The Call To Let YHWH Enter His Holy City, Bringing About A Revelation Of Who He Is (Psalms 24:7-10).
‘Lift up your heads, O you gates,
And be you lifted up, you ancient (everlasting) doors,
And the King of glory will come in.'
The call now goes out that YHWH might enter in and take possession of what has been His from ancient times. For from of old it had been the city of the Most High God, Who was clearly identified as YHWH, both by its own priest from ancient times (who identified God Most High as Abraham's God), and by Abraham specifically (Genesis 14:18-24).
The gates are to ‘lift up their heads'. Comparison with Job 10:15 suggests that this indicates a pride in what is about the happen. The gates can lift up their heads because, although His coming has been delayed, He is here at last. The King of glory will pass through the gates of Zion to His new dwelling place on the mount.
Note the emphasis on the ancientness of the city. All Israel knew of Salem as the place from which in the distant past blessing had come to Abraham, and to whose king-priest Abraham had paid his dues because he was the priest of the Most High God. The word ‘olam, often translated everlasting, rather indicates ‘into the ancient past', or ‘into the far distant future'. It would only later (in the far distant future) come to mean ‘everlasting'. At this time there was no concept of strict everlastingness, except as time without end when looking into the future.
So those ancient gates are now to open in order to admit ‘the King of glory' as the Ark passes through them. He is seeking His rightful earthly dwelling place. Like his son Solomon, David was aware that ‘even the heaven of heavens could not contain Him' (1 Kings 8:27), yet he gratefully recognised that YHWH was also pleased to invisibly manifest Himself on earth on His sacred throne, the Ark of the Covenant of YHWH, and would henceforth do so in His holy city, Jerusalem. Note 2 Samuel 6:2 where the Ark of God ‘is called by the Name, even the Name of YHWH of hosts, who sits on the cherubim' while once the Ark had been captured ‘the glory had departed' (1 Samuel 4:21-22).
For us the Tabernacle and Temple in which the Ark was housed has been replaced by the people of God as the Temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16; 2 Corinthians 6:16), and our cry is therefore that the living God, the King of Glory, might enter among us, His people, and subsequently reveal His glory.
‘Who is the King of glory?'
The question then comes back, ‘Who is the King of glory?' Let Him be identified if He is to enter and take possession of His holy city. How can they be sure that He has the right?
‘YHWH strong and mighty,
YHWH mighty in battle.
The reply is powerful. He is ‘YHWH the Strong and Mighty', He is ‘YHWH Who has proved Himself mighty in battle'. That is why the usurpers have been turned out of Jerusalem. That is why the Philistines have fled before David. That is why the city is His. And all this is further evidenced by their past history, written in their sacred writings, which reveal how He has delivered His people again and again, commencing with the defeat of mighty Egypt, and continuing with all that followed. So let them recognise that it is the Strong One and the Mighty One, the Great Victor, Who seeks to enter in.
We can compare for this the words of Exodus 15:2-3; Exodus 15:18, ‘YHWH is my strength and my song, and He is become my deliverance' --- ‘YHWH is a man of war, YHWH is His Name' --- ‘YHWH will reign for ever'. Here then parallel ideas are proclaimed in proclamation of a new deliverance.
For us this is a reminder that our God is strong and well able to fight our battles and protect us, and that our Redeemer came as the mighty One in order to deliver us through His cross (Isaiah 59:16-20), and as the King of glory.
Lift up your heads, O you gates,
Yes, lift them up, you everlasting doors,
And the King of glory will come in.'
Again the call comes. Let the ancient gates be opened that the King of glory might enter. The point is being emphasised by repetition. The required twofold witness must be given.
‘Who is this King of glory?'
Again the question comes back, ‘Who is this King of glory?' But possibly this time we are to understand a request for more information about this Mighty One Who is about to enter. Who and What is He?
‘YHWH of hosts,
He is the King of glory.' (Selah).
And now is given the decisive reply, it is ‘YHWH of hosts, He is the King of glory'. YHWH of hosts is a comprehensive title. It includes the thought that He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and of the sun, moon and stars, and of all their host (Genesis 2:1, compare Isaiah 24:3), and of the heavenly beings (Psalms 148:2; 1 Kings 22:19). And it also includes the thought that He is the Lord of the hosts of Israel (Joshua 5:14; 1 Samuel 17:45; and often). He is thus the One Who has all power in heaven and on earth, and Who is over all. He is the One Who leads forward His people to victory. He is the Almighty. He is truly the King of glory.
‘Selah.' Again a musical notation probably suggesting, ‘pause and think of that'.
Meditation.
We may see also on this Psalm a picture of Jesus making His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, when, as Creator of heaven and earth, He entered Jerusalem as its King to approach the Temple mount, offering Himself to a world who would not receive Him. And it is even more a picture of His even more triumphal entry into Heaven after His resurrection, when He ascended and entered the new Jerusalem, ascending the heavenly Mount Zion (Hebrews 12:22) in order to receive His crown. But how different were the welcomes of earth and Heaven.
‘The earth is YHWH's and its fullness,
The world, and those who dwell in it.
For he has founded it upon the seas,
And established it upon the floods.'
Initially we have here the declaration of the great power of the Creator. And this we know was the power of the One Who was about to seek entry into Jerusalem. For it was from a position of such power that He came among us as a man upon earth. ‘All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made' (John 1:3). For He ‘is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, for in Him were all things created, in the heavens and on the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers, all things have been created through Him and to Him, and by Him all things hold together' (Colossians 1:15-17). He is the One ‘by Whom also He made the worlds, Who being the outshining of His glory and the stamped out image of His substance, and upholding all things by His word of power --' (Hebrews 1:3). This was the One Who sought to enter Jerusalem in humility on an asses colt as its King, and Who in return was spurned, rejected and crucified.
But rising again He sought again to enter Jerusalem, but this time it was the heavenly Jerusalem, and in this case the angels waved their palm branches in welcome, and the Lord of the heavenly Temple bid Him welcome. He was not wanted on earth, but Heaven had waited for this moment.
‘Who shall ascend into the hill of YHWH?
And who shall stand in his holy place?'
‘He who has clean hands, and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood,
And has not sworn deceitfully.
He will receive a blessing from YHWH,
And righteousness from the God of his salvation.'
As Jesus rode onwards into Jerusalem we can here the question from those who stand by. ‘Who can ascend into the hill of the Lord, and Who will stand in His holy place?.' And the reply comes, ‘He Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth' (Isaiah 53:9; 1 Peter 2:22), ‘Who when He was reviled, did not revile again, Who when He suffered did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him Who judges righteously' (1 Peter 2:23). ‘He Who knew no sin' (2 Corinthians 5:21). ‘He Who was tempted in all points like we are, and yet without sin' (Hebrews 4:15). He Whose hands were clean and Whose heart was pure, Who had not lifted up His soul to falsehood and deceit, and had not sworn deceitfully.' This is the One Who will receive the blessing of YHWH. But He needed to receive no righteousness, for He was righteous through and through, and He Himself was the God of salvation. Yet in spite of that He had no welcome on earth, for they could not bear the way that His life shone out. And so they consigned Him to the cross.
But, once He was risen, how different was the story for as He rode towards the heavenly Jerusalem the angels ran to meet Him and bid Him welcome, rejoicing in His sinlessness which He had retained in spite of His sojourn among the cesspits of humanity, and the Lord of Glory Himself came forward to receive Him personally and welcome back His Son, and sat Him at His Own right hand far above all.
‘This is the generation of those who seek after him,
That seek your face, Oh Jacob. (Selah).'
For here was the perfect example of those who seek Him, of those who seek the God of Jacob. This was the son of Jacob, Who alone among all the sons of Jacob, had sought God truly from the heart. And it was because of this that He would be able to lead many sons of Jacob to glory.
‘Lift up your heads, O you gates,
And be you lifted up, you everlasting doors,
And the King of glory will come in.'
And as Jesus approached the holy mount in Jerusalem on the asses colt the call came from Heaven, ‘lift up your heads O you gates, and be lifted up you everlasting doors. That the King of glory might come in.' They cried it out as loudly as they could. They could not believe that no one heard, it was so clear to them. But earth was deaf to their cries, and no one opened the doors for Him, and when He entered the Temple He was ignored, and when He cleansed it He was crucified for His pains. The earthly Temple in Jerusalem had no place for the King of glory.
But how different again it was after His resurrection. For as He approached the heavenly city of Jerusalem and the call came for the gates to be opened up, the angels ran and vied to remove the bars, that they might be the first to welcome back the One Who was the Joy of Heaven.
‘Who is the King of glory?'
This was the question that with supercilious faces was asked by the chief priests and the scribes and the people of Jerusalem. Who is this man? Whose son is He? Have you not heard what these people are saying about you? But as the angels asked the question it was not because they did not know the answer, but in order that it might ring out to all creation, this is the King of glory.
‘YHWH strong and mighty,
YHWH mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O you gates,
Yes, lift them up, you everlasting doors,
And the King of glory will come in.'
Had Jerusalem but known it, the One Who entered could have changed the world. But they did not know. The strong and mighty One, mighty in battle was among them and they knew it not. And He would need all of that. For the battle lay ahead and it was against forces that no man could ever have dreamed of. For as He hung on the cross He disarmed the principalities and powers which had for so long held men in darkness, and made an open show of them, triumphing over them in the cross (Colossians 2:15).
And thus when after His resurrection He was welcomed though the gates of the new Jerusalem, it was as the victor leading a host of captives in His train (Ephesians 4:8).
‘Who is this King of glory?'
Again the angel cry goes up in order to glorify the Victor. Who is this King of glory Who leads these captives in His train?
‘YHWH of hosts,
He is the King of glory.' (Selah).
And the reply comes, ‘He is YHWH of Hosts (Matthew 28:19; Philippians 2:8-11), He is the King of glory'. The King had returned to the glory that was His before the world was (John 17:5).