“The earth is the LORD’S, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it. 2 For He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. 3 Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? And who may stand in His holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood and has not sworn deceitfully. 5 He shall receive a blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 This is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face—even Jacob. Selah. 7 Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in! 8 Who is the King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, O gates, and lift them up, O ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in! 10 Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah.”
Despite my shameless pilfering of Tolkien’s book title for the title of my sermon, and although I probably shouldn’t even bring that fact to your attention, by the time we are done today I think you will be able to see that I could hardly have picked any other name. I did, in fact struggle with several choices, more than any other sermon in recent memory. In the end though, it kept coming back to this – we have before us a Psalm that deals with the coming of the Chief Shepherd of our souls; the King of Glory Himself, and there is much more to be said about it than what sits on the surface.
So let’s go in now, forgiving the preacher for his heavy-handed title, and listen to the voice, not of a man, but of the One exalted in this song of David.
THE RETURN OF THE KING FROM THE HOUSE OF OBED-EDOM –History
2 Sam 6:12-15, 1 Chron 15:25-28
Jewish tradition holds that this psalm was written in commemoration of the return of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. The Ark had been captured by the Philistines more than 100 years previously, then returned to Israelite control when misfortune began to befall the Philistines. Now that is a humorous story in itself, which we haven’t the time to pursue here, but since there was no place for the Ark in Jerusalem it was basically put in storage for many, many years, until David took control of Jerusalem and built a tent there so that tabernacle worship could resume and the Ark could be brought home.
There are a couple of places to go in Scripture to read about this.
1 Chronicles, chapters 13-15 give the detailed account, and 2 Samuel 6 is the shorter reading. Verses 12-15 there tell us:
“Now it was told King David, saying, “The LORD has blessed the house of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, on account of the ark of God.” David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with gladness. 13 And so it was, that when the bearers of the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling. 14 And David was dancing before the LORD with all his might, and David was wearing a linen ephod. 15 So David and all the house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the LORD with shouting and the sound of the trumpet.”
Commentators tell us that this psalm would probably have been sung by soloists and choirs of people responding to one another.
The soloist, for example, might sing verses 1 and two, then the choir would respond with verse 3 as a question, then another voice would answer with verse 4 and the choir would then respond with verses 5 and 6, and so on.
What made this such a joyous occasion was that the Ark had always symbolized the presence of Jehovah with His people. In fact, when the Ark was in its rightful place in the Holy of Holies, the presence of the Lord was indeed present there with His people and to receive the offerings of incense and the blood of sacrifice from the High Priest, who came there representing the nation.
It is noteworthy that throughout the entire reign of King Saul, no thought was apparently given to the reinstitution of tabernacle worship or to bringing the Ark back to Jerusalem. Finally, King David, this man after God’s own heart, following a great victory by God’s own blessing and help against the Philistines, brings the Ark back to its rightful place, and there is much joy in the holy city as it comes in the gates, its very presence a portent of Jehovah’s further blessing and closeness to His people.
THE RETURN OF THE KING FROM THE CROSS AND THE TOMB TO THE FATHER’S THRONE – Redemption
That is the account of an historical king and his moment of rejoicing at seeing the name of Jehovah exalted and the symbol of His power and presence in a place of honor with and among the people.
Now we have heard it said that Christ was concealed in the Old Testament and revealed in the New, and we understand that the very lives and events recorded for us in the Old Testament can be seen as types and shadows of what would come in the unfolding plan of God for the ages.
And when we come to the New Testament and the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles in particular – with some help from the epistles – we find another King with cause for rejoicing; another King in His rightful place.
For as the Ark, by which God’s presence dwelt and dealt with His people, was taken away and buried, away from the eyes of men and gone, undeniably, from their hearts also, so Emmanuel, meaning ‘God with us’, was rejected by sinful men and put away first from their hearts and then from their eyes in death.
“He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.” Isa 53:3
This One of whom the psalmist sang that the earth and all it contains are His by virtue of creation. “He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers”.
More, he belts out the truth in song that ‘the world and those who dwell in it’ are His also.
Now friends, it is one thing to say and even to confess that the world belongs to God, but the sin in us wants to raise its ugly hackles when we hear the declaration that we belong to Him. Because if we belong to Him, ‘the world and those who dwell in it’, then we are accountable to Him. If He made us, if indeed He owns us, then we are His subjects; even if not subjects of His Kingdom as those who have responded to His call and come in the obedience of faith; even we who have turned our backs and wagged our heads – even we who have mocked Him on the cross and scoffed at the news of His rising and sneered at the prospect of His imminent return – all we are His! And there will be a reckoning!
Because, my friends and family, there was another day in history when a King rejoiced; when a King was found to be in His rightful place, when the King of Glory rose bodily from the tomb in triumph over death! In triumph over Hell! In triumph over all principalities and powers both on earth and in the heavens! In triumph over the decree of debt that was against us, having nailed it to His cross! In triumph over your sin and mine, having taken it all on Himself as He hung between Heaven and earth, our Great High Priest between the Holy Throne and the sin-ruined world, making sacrifice with His own blood to appease the wrath of God forever, for all who believe.
He rose up bodily from the grave and then He rose up bodily into the clouds of the sky and beyond, to sit in His rightful place of authority, which He had with the Father before the world was.
Listen:
“But the LORD was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. 11 As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors.” Isa 53:10-12
And as these words of the Old Testament prophet were about to be fulfilled, Jesus on the night He was betrayed, prayed these words:
“Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, 2 even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. 3 “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. 4 “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. 5 “Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” Jn 17:1-5
Then later, the writer of the epistle to the HEBREWS confirmed that it was He, Jesus, who ‘…because of the suffering of death (is) crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone’, and who now sits at the Father’s right hand.
Then in John’s vision of things yet to come he stands in Heaven hearing the words of another song of rejoicing, as the King sits in His rightful place, with these words ringing:
“Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. 10 “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.” Rev 5:9-10
So when we come back to our text and read these words again;
“Lift up your heads, O gates, And be lifted up, O ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in! 8 Who is the King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, The LORD mighty in battle.” Vs 7-8
We get the picture of a risen Jesus, returning from the battle that destroyed the work of the Devil, that removed sin as far from us as the east is from the west, that took the decree of debt that was against us out of the way, that broke down the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile and between nations and between men and between man and God, and we see Him entering triumphantly through the gates as the angels of God shout ‘Glory!’ and His praises ring throughout the splendor of the Heavenly kingdom as He takes His rightful place at the Father’s right hand, having purchased redemption for all whom the Father would call to Himself.
THE RETURN OF THE KING FROM HEAVEN TO DAVID’S THRONE – Vindication
Then we come to yet another vision of fulfillment of this prophetic song of the minstrel which amazingly, was composed before he himself received the promise, and we see the King of Glory returning to take His place on David’s own throne in completion of the prophecies of old.
For it is after this historical reentry of the Ark into the city that we read of Nathan’s charge from God, to go to David and promise him a successor, a son, who would complete the desire of David’s own heart and build a temple.
And although the promise directly relates to his son, Solomon, we also understand it to be a covenant from God to David to raise up the King Eternal who would rule from the throne of David with a reign that would never end. Hear 2 Sam 7:12-13
“When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 “He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever”
Then in verse 16,
“Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”
In Psalm 89, not written by David, one that is Messianic throughout, this is recorded in verses 3 and 4
“I have made a covenant with My chosen; I have sworn to David My servant, I will establish your seed forever and build up your throne to all generations.”
The promise is repeated twice by the prophet Isaiah.
Then one day the angel came to Mary, a virgin, and declared to her that she would bear a son in her womb and that she would name Him Jesus. And the angel said:
“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” Lk 1:32-33
So to see the fulfillment of this promise of God who cannot lie and does not change, we go all the way to the end of one story and the beginning of another – to Revelation 21, and read the first 7 verses:
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. 2 And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, 4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” 5 And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” 6 Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. 7 “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.”
And once again we find a rejoicing King, in His rightful place. And we see a justified and glorified church adorned with glory and fit for the Bridegroom, both she and He vindicated forever and forever to reign in righteousness over the world to come.
THE COMING OF THE KING TO THE OPEN HEART –Invitation
But we are not done. There is one more sense in which we find the King of Glory coming in to take His rightful place.
First though, let’s go back to our text to see what preparation must be made for the arriving Sovereign.
Verses 3-5
“Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? And who may stand in His holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood and has not sworn deceitfully. 5 He shall receive a blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation.”
What have we here? Why, we have the qualifications and the disqualifications set before us in brief.
Who may ascend to stand in righteousness before Holy God?
The one who has clean hands. That means one who has not sinned with his body. It means one who has never done an act of evil or allowed his members to be used for unholiness or unrighteousness.
The one who has a pure heart. Oh! Even in my heart I must be pure? Barring any wrong done with my physical members, still, even in my innermost being I must be faultless from beginning to end?
But there is more, you say? What is this? Can I bear to hear more?
Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood. What does that mean? That my religion must be always pure and undefiled? That I must never have accepted a lie for my own benefit and comfort? That I have never entertained an idol? But what of the things most precious to me? What of even my precious wife and children? Have even the best of things been an idol in my heart?
And what of my own precious will? Have I ever sought that selfishly?
Woe is me, for there is even more. ‘And has not sworn deceitfully’. Promises broken? Vows made with no intention of keeping them faithfully? Is any one of guilty of that? No, rather I should ask, can any one of us claim innocence?
No, for the writer to the Romans has indicted us all.
“THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; 11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; 12 ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.” 13 “THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE, WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING,” “THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS”; 14 “WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS”; 15 “THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD, 16 DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS, 17 AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN.” 18 “THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES.”
Then we are undone! What’s the use? The Psalmist himself has sealed our fate when he set the bar high; too high!
But look! Off in the distance… Who is that who is coming with hands held out in welcome?
He is the One who the Father made to be sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
He is the One who went down into death so He might bring many sons to Glory.
He is the One who rose triumphant from the grave, never to die again, having inherited all authority in heaven and on the earth, and who says to all who will, ‘Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest”
He is the One who says, “He who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life”.
He is the One to whom the Father has said, “Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of His kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore, God, Thy God hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above thy companions.”
He is the One whose hands are clean and heart pure. He is the One who never lifted up His soul to falsehood and no deceit was found in His mouth. He is the One who is able to ascend into the hill of the Lord, and this is what you need to understand today.
He is the King who rejoices every time He takes His rightful place in the human heart.
He is able and He desires to do so, in you.
One preacher proclaimed:
“The most practical truths any Christian can know are that God is all-powerful, all-wise and all for you” –John Piper, “God’s Covenant With David” Dec 18, 1983, Bethlehem Baptist Church
He is all for you and He wills to be all with you, now and forever. Look! Up ahead! Who is that coming? Why…
Quickly! Open the gates of your heart! Lift up your head and open your mouth and praise and glorify Him forever – for the King of Glory is coming in!
And who is this King of Glory, you ask?
Why, “The Lord strong and mighty. The Lord mighty in battle, who has fought the fight and won; who comes to you as the victor over your sin and guilt and over the enemy of your soul, and over your unrighteousness so that you can be clothed with His righteousness and be ushered into the Throne room by His grace.
Who is this King of Glory?
Why… Jesus Christ, the Lord of Hosts!
He is the King of Glory!
Selah.
