Psalm 24: What Would You Do?

The earth is the Lord’s…

Imagine for a moment you had created a world, would you not want to explore it and see your creation? Would you not want to sample the experiences of the world and take joy in it’s intricacies and beauties? Do you think there would be a point when you decided you would want to share it?

What if you decided to populate it with a species of living beings that you made to be somewhat like you? Would you have given them free reign over the entirety of your creation? Would you have continued to spend time with them wanting to see what they were going to do with it? Would you have taken pleasure in seeing them take care of creation? How would you have felt when they used their abilities to make something new?

What if, for some reason known only to you, you told them there was only one thing they couldn’t do? How would you feel when, despite everything you had freely given them, they chose to do that one thing? Would you cry? Mourn? Overlook their choice? Destroy them instantaneously? Or would you grieve their choice and then expel them from the painless beauty of your world?

Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?

If you chose to let them live would you keep your eye on them? Would you try to protect them from harm or would you allow them to do anything they wanted even if it led to eventual pain? Would you give them new rules to keep them in line with the hope they would realize their error, grieve their decision, and turn back to you? Would you provide a way for them to rectify the situation?

What about the rest of creation, would you still allow your creatures do things in and with your creation? Would you applaud all of them in their creative work, or would you reserve your applause only for those who chose to listen to you? What would you do if the things they built slowly became more important to them than you? What if they eventually forgot you and spent all of their time praising each other for the things they had done, what would you do then? Would you be upset? Would this finally be enough for you wipe them out, or would you stay your hand?

He will receive blessing from the Lord
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

What would you do if there were some who tried to remember you and follow your rules? Would they be your special people? What if no matter how hard they tried they always failed? What would you do then? Would you blame them, give up, and declare them rotten to the core, or would you do something special to bring them back to you? If so, what would that be?

Would you go and live with them in the world you created and established? Would you show them how they were supposed to live? Would you show them love? Would you promise to create a new place of beauty for them, or would you make them create it? Would you offer to protect them until your new home for them was created? Would you cover their rottenness with some of your own goodness or would you expect them pay for it? Would you stand back or would you guide them to your new place of peace and beauty? If so, once they arrived would you make it so they could live there forever?

Lift up your heads, O Gates!
And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.

Maybe this is what Psalm 24 is all about. Maybe it’s about how the God of the universe, the one who created us, is making things right. Maybe it’s about how he looks in on his creation and finds the ones who want to come back to him. Maybe it’s about how it grieves him that we can’t do it on our own, yet still try. Maybe it’s about how he has gone out of his way to provide for us his righteousness. Maybe it’s about how he guides us to the gates of his holy city and lets us in. Maybe it’s about how when we arrive we will find him waiting for us so we can continue the relationship we had before we chose to go our own way. Maybe it’s about us finally going home.

And maybe all of this is cause for great rejoicing.

Or maybe I am wrong. Maybe this isn’t what Psalm 24 is about at all. But then again…

Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
he is the King of glory!