Restful Worship

The Sovereignty of God

Psalm 24 is one of the most packed Psalms, describing virtually the entirety of the Christian faith, or more specifically, your duty as a Christian in this life. It has an incredible flow from start to finish, emphasizing what we as Christians should focus on every moment of our existence.

This passage underscores the concepts we should think about, our duty as Christians, but also the privilege and enjoyment that comes with it. The goal is to teach us that the sovereignty of God leads to the salvation of God and results in the splendor of God.

The earth is the Lord's and all it contains,
The world and those who dwell in it.
For He has founded it upon the seas
And established it upon the rivers.

David starts with a description of who God is—not as a God who tries or wants, but as a God who does and owns. He owns the entirety of the earth. The very earth you walk on is not yours, but the Lord's. Everything that fills the earth—the pews you sit on, the building, the streets, the sidewalks—all belong to the sovereign Yahweh.

David did not distinguish: those who dwell in the earth belong to the Lord. If you are an unbeliever, you have not escaped God's grasp. All your sin and rebellion happens in the hand of the Lord, for you belong to Him. He has the absolute right to do with what is His as He pleases.

Predestination is God's predetermined plan for all creation. He sets boundaries of nations, places people in their locations. He owns everything because He created everything. He founded the earth upon the seas and established it upon the rivers—His creative power over all things. God still sustains His creation; Jesus upholds all things by the word of His power.

Proper worship starts with recognizing who God is. Without beholding His sovereignty through ownership, creation, and sustaining, we miss out on depths of our salvation. Our comfortable lifestyle often traps us in the mundane, too busy for God. But dwelling on His magnificence changes everything.

The Salvation of God

Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord?
And who may 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.

These questions arise from beholding God's sovereignty. Who can ascend His hill or stand in His holy place? Clean hands—not guilty of wrongdoing—and a pure heart—not guilty of sinful desires. This is impossible for us to fulfill perfectly.

Legalism cleans the hands publicly to sin freely privately. But the criteria is absolute: clean hands, pure heart, not lifting the soul to falsehood or worthless things, not swearing deceitfully. How can any of us meet this?

He shall receive a blessing from the Lord
And righteousness from the God of his salvation.
This is the generation of those who seek Him,
Who seek Your face, even Jacob.

Salvation already exists; verse 4 is not obligation but opportunity. Because God is the God of our salvation, He bestows blessing and righteousness. Those saved long for clean hands and pure hearts, resting in what God produces. Salvation produces seekers of God, people of clean hands and pure hearts who do not devote themselves to worthless things.

This is a psalm of rest—a song for dwelling on these truths every day. We rest because we trust the God of our salvation.

The Splendor of God

Lift up your heads, O gates,
And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
That the King of glory may come in!
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
The Lord mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O gates,
And lift them up, O ancient doors,
That the King of glory may come in!
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
He is the King of glory.

The King of glory is worthy to enter. He is the one with clean hands and pure heart. We enter by being found in Him. Faith means resting in Christ, who secures our salvation perfectly.

The blessing is God speaking well of you—declaring you innocent in justification, conforming you in sanctification.

Living It Out Daily

Dwell on this psalm daily:

1. Acknowledge who God is throughout the day. Verbalize His ownership. Know the God you serve fuels motivation for evangelism and service.
2. Accept His description of believers. Seek God's face like Jacob, wrestling until blessed. Use accessible Scripture to plumb its depths.
3. Ascribe glory to the King. He enters because He is worthy—the Lord strong and mighty, Lord of hosts, King of glory.

Acknowledge God, accept His lifestyle for believers, ascribe glory to the Lord of glory. This brings a high-quality life loving, enjoying, and glorifying Him.