Psalm 24 A Psalm of David.
This Psalm is prophetic of the LORD Jesus Christ. King David did not know the name of the Messiah, but through the anointing of the Holy Spirit he was given information about the coming Messiah which is seen throughout his Psalms and which is accurate as proven by history.
Verse 1 The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
King David begins by stating clearly and emphatically that the Earth belongs to the LORD, that everything under, on , and above the Earth is also the LORD’s, and that all the people and the critters that live on the Earth are also His. They do not belong to the Illuminati, the Rothschild dynasty, the royals, world leaders, corporations, or the bankers! Nothing belongs to us either, but everything we enjoy is a gift from the LORD and not an entitlement. Everything belongs to God, plain and simple. Why? Because He created everything.
Application: Mankind abdicated their rule when they sinned against God. At that point the Earth became Satan’s domain and he is called ‘the god of this world’. So he is running it for a time and causing havoc, but it still belongs to the LORD and He has the final say in His creation. Because everything is on loan to us, it is imperative that His children be thankful everyday for that which He has given us.
Verse 2 For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Genesis 1:1 To create means to make something out of nothing. So God created all that is and therefore He has ownership. First there was nothing and then there was water. “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” Genesis 1:2 So water was everywhere when God created light. “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. and God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night.” Genesis 1:3-5
Application: Man has never created anything. All man can do is discover what God has created and mess with it to make other things such as chemicals and materials. Man has discovered elements and how to put these together to make other substances. But the elements were always there as they were created by God. Light can be separated into seven different colors. It is interesting to realize that God is light and therefore contains these seven colors. Seven is the Biblical number for divine perfection. So all the colors seen by the eyes of mankind are from God. “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” James 1:17
“And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.” Genesis 1:6-10 The Hebrew word translated as “floods” is “nahar” and it means stream, river, or underground streams. So God founded the Earth upon the waters or the seas and established it on top of or over underground sources of water and around rivers and streams. So water is everywhere: above in the Heavens as rain, under the ground, running through the ground, and in the seas. All the waterways end up draining into the seas and so there is a continual circulation of the water that God created. And the seas are never filled up or increased regardless of how much river, stream, and rain water goes into them. Why? Because the Law of Thermodynamics is true and all matter, although it can change its appearance and condition, remains the same. There is never any more or any less because God created all matter and then said, “It is finished.”
Verses 3-4 Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
King David asks a question about who can stand before a Holy God. Since God is without sin the answer obviously cannot be anybody since, “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23 The only man who was ever without sin and who had clean hands and a pure heart was/is Jesus Christ. So again David is prophesying about the LORD Jesus. The Hebrew word translated as “clean” is “naqiy” and it means clean, free from, exempt, innocent, and free from guilt. Jesus Christ was/is the only man who never used falsehood or lying words to accomplish His goals. He stood against everything that was evil. He only spoke truth because He was/is, “…the way, the truth, and the life.”
Application: God created mankind. Man sinned and sin entered the world. “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men; for that all have sinned:” Romans 5:12 So God gave the Law (the ten commandments) whereby mankind was to live. Why? So that mankind would not destroy each other. However, no one kept the Law perfectly. Did God know that no one would keep the Law and so sin would still be in the world? Yep. So why did He give it if mankind could not keep it? Because sin had to have a remedy. And how was that remedy to come forth? God entered a body of flesh, Jesus, and kept His own Law. He was the Lawgiver and the Law keeper. Jesus had a dual nature as He was/is both man and God. So when that body of flesh was crucified and killed, all the sins of mankind were put on Jesus so that in His death, there would be a blood sacrifice that would take care of the sin problem forever. “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.” Hebrews 9:22 The word remission means the cancellation of a debt, charge, or penalty. Jesus Christ paid with His blood for all the sins of mankind because mankind could not keep the Law and that act of breaking the Law of God separated mankind from the LORD. Since Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, mankind can be at one (atonement – at one ment) with the LORD as mankind is covered by the blood of Jesus as long as repentance, baptism, and walking with the Holy Ghost/Spirit occurs. “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.” Romans 5:14 “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” 1 Corinthians 15:22 So because Jesus Christ was pure in heart and had clean hands, He was/is the only man who ascended into Heaven to stand in His holy place. And because He did, His children can also. Jesus’ Holy Ghost/Spirit dwells inside of His people administering the Law. So the Lawgiver and the Law keeper dwelling in converted Christian believers separates them as righteous from the unrighteous. Therefore, every true believer can and will ascend into the hill of the LORD and be able to stand because of the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
Verses 5-6 He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.
The greatest blessing a Christian can receive is the blessing of salvation and the promised eternity in Heaven. These blessings come from the LORD. And the only righteousness a Christian has is the righteousness of Jesus. And as it was in King David’s generation so it is today in that those people alive and living on Earth are the generation that should be seeking the LORD Jesus Christ.
Application: Blessings in the eyes of the LORD have no size: large or small. Everything God does for His people is a blessing and it is only mankind that gauges these blessings according to one’s own determination of importance or of size and according to material needs. Yes, being healed of cancer is a great blessing, but so is having a peaceful day at work or in the home. Just waking up in the morning and being able to breathe is a blessing from the Creator and sustainer of all things, Jesus Christ. Many blessings are not tangible but are felt. To be at peace when everything and everyone around you is falling apart is a blessing from the LORD. Pay attention each day and look for those blessings we deem to be small, but which are what makes each day good.
Verses 7-8 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. 8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.
What gates and what doors is King David singing about? They are explained below. The King of glory is the LORD Jesus Christ who is strong and mighty.
When the righteous who made up the Old Testament Church physically died, their spirit and soul went to a special holding place in the Earth which was divided into two compartments. One side was called Paradise or Abraham’s bosom. The other side was Hell or Hades where the unrighteous, unrepentant people went after physical death. Hell is/was not their final destination as at the end of time these lost souls will be cast into the Lake of Fire for eternity. Jesus spoke of this place as recorded in the book of Luke.
“There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: 20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, 21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; 23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. 25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. 26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. 27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: 28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. 29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. 30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. 31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. (Luke 16:19-31)
So Paradise was a special place, a beautiful place where the Old Testament saints went until Jesus came to Earth and fulfilled prophecy, provided a way of escape for the living from sin, death and Hell, and completed the process of remitting the sins of those saints living in Paradise. These saints had to wait until Jesus paid the price for their sins before they could ascend into Heaven. They were forgiven, but their sins had not yet been paid for. Remember what Jesus said to the thief dying on the cross at the crucifixion? “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, This day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:43 So when Jesus died and His body was put in the tomb which was above ground, He went down into the Earth, taking the thief with Him, and got those Old Testament saints which included Abraham, all the patriarchs and all the prophets and also King David, and took them out of Paradise and into Heaven. “Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.” Ephesians 4:8-10 And the graves of these souls resting in Abraham’s bosom or Paradise were opened as witnessed by many living in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. “And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose. And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city and appeared unto many.” Matthew 17:52-53 Now when a saint physically dies, the saint goes directly to Heaven, the grave of that saint to be opened on the Last Day when Jesus Christ returns to this Earth to judge it and ultimately destroy it. So the gates were those leading to Paradise which were opened, allowing the saints to ascend into the hill of the LORD and to stand in His holy place, and the doors are representative of Jesus Christ who said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
Application: Please note: Jesus did not go to Hell as is taught by many evangelical pastors and teachers. He went to Paradise and emptied it out so that it is no longer needed and He left Hell just as it was. It is heresy to claim that Jesus, who is without sin as both man and God, went to Hell. Plain and simple. The Scripture says what it says and means what it says.
Verses 9-10 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. 10 Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah. (Psalm 24)