Psalm 24: The Earth is the Lord’s!
Recently science has begun to explore the spiritual realm, trying to put “God” under the microscope. Scientists try to study religious phenomena using scientific methods. However, no scientist, not even Einstein or Stephen Hawking, can adequately explain creation and the Creator. Psalm 24 reminds us of this.
The Earth is the Lord’s, the psalm begins. It’s not ours. It’s God’s. We are but temporary residents. The earth is but a small part of God’s creation. God’s is a spiritual realm which encompasses miracles and wonders we can’t explain.
Psalm 24
Written in three parts, Psalm 24 was originally used for a procession. The first section, comprised of the first two verses, reminds the listener of the God of creation who first brought forth life upon the earth when God’s spirit swept over the water and God breathed life into creation. All creation belongs to God for God is the creator. He founded the earth and established it.
It’s not us who created God, contrary to what some may say, but God who created us. The evidence for God is everywhere. Some scientists point to discoveries and claim them for their own, but they are only finding what God has planted upon the earth. As one commentator states, “Science is a sort of treasure hunt, with scientists as the hunters—all honor to them; but the originator of the treasure is God.” (Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. 4, p. 133) They would never have been able to discover anything had God not made it.
Psalm 24 – Who is the True Worshiper?
The second section, verses 3-6, recounts who the true worshiper is. It asks the questions, who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? Who shall stand in his holy place? Reminiscent of Psalm 15:1-2ff where the answer to this question is, “He who walks blamelessly and does what is right, and speaks truth from his heart. . .” The answer here is simpler, “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.” (vs. 4) Those whose hands are not stained by murder or theft or taking a bribe or other sins; those who do not sin with their hands or hearts shall enter the Temple.
God will bless this person, his cause will prevail. In a ritual setting, the priest might pose this question about who is worthy of entrance into the Temple, then conclude that those gathered possess these qualities, “Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob.” (vs 6)
Stand Before the Gates and Knock
The procession moves on to the gates of the Temple where the people call out for the gates to be opened, singing back and forth in an antiphonal song where one side sings one verse and the other the next. In triumph, at the words “Who is the King of Glory? The Lord of hosts!” he gates lift so that all may enter. And what are the gates that need to be lifted? Perhaps the gates of unbelief. The procession is complete and all those who are worthy, who believe in God the creator, enter in.
Encountering the Spiritual Realm
Part of the nature of an encounter with God’s spirit is that it changes us. As Barbara Bradley Haggerty notes in her book, Fingerprints of God, after examining numerous studies of religious experiences: “I began to perceive a theme. Simply put, when you bump against the spiritual, something changes. First, your brain begins to operate differently, even at resting state. Second, your interior life is transformed. Your priorities and loves, how you choose to spend your time and with whom you choose to spend it—all that changes in blink of an eye.” (pp. 276-7)
According to scientist Dean Radin, 96% of the universe is “dark matter” or “dark energy.” We don’t know what it is. This means that all of our theories and supposed knowledge is based on just 4% of the observed universe. And yet there are those who claim emphatically that there is no God. Foolishness. They think themselves wise when they are not. Myself, I prefer to leave room for mystery, acknowledging that what I do not understand far exceeds what little I do. If there are mysteries to be discovered, it is because our God put them there at the beginning of creation.
Waiting for the Light to be Turned On
Jesus tells the disciples they cannot understand what he is saying but when the Spirit comes they will understand. It’s like a light bulb waiting to be plugged into a source of power. When the Spirit comes, the light goes on and the apostles are changed in ways they couldn’t have imagined before this. There is still so much that we don’t know, don’t understand. There is so much that is dark matter, so much within our own brains waiting for God to light it up as he did at the first Pentecost. We need only acknowledge our God for who God is then stand at the gate and knock, waiting for God to open those gates.
Procession through Life
This past weekend, we remembered those who have died that we might have the freedoms we enjoy. Psalm 24 includes a message of hope, that there is more to this life than we know. It reminds us that God reigns in a spiritual world and will welcome us someday. No one who lives a life of service and love, whose heart is pure, is lost. Their sacrifices are not forgotten. They have entered the gates of the Temple.
For the rest of us who continue on this procession through life, may God’s healing love keep us on the way that leads to God until that time that we stand at the gate and knock, confident that are God will open to us.
This post is part of a series of blog posts on the Psalms. Sign up to follow this blog and and receive a free copy of Still Dancing the second book in my Dancing through Life Series. click here to sign up
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