1 The earth is the LORD's, and the fulness thereof;
the world, and they that dwell therein.
2 For he hath founded it upon the seas,
and established it upon the floods.
3 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.
5 He shall receive 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 [God of] Jacob. Selah.
7 Lift up your heads, O ye gates;
and be ye lifted 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.
9 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.
JW: This psalm is generally thought to have been composed by David, upon bringing the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom, into the tabernacle which David had built for it, 2 Sam. 6.12, 17. Wherein he hath a farther prospect to the temple, which he earnestly desired and intended to build. Moreover because the tabernacle, and temple, and ark, were types of Christ, and of his church and of heaven. David extended his thoughts to them also, or at least the Holy Ghost designed to comprehend them under these typical expressions. He shews God's sovereignty over the world, ver. 1, 2; who shall receive his blessing, ver. 3-6; an exhortation to receive Christ, ver. 7-10.
3: 'The hill' - Zion or Moriah, the place of God's sanctuary and special presence. Having asserted God's dominion over all mankind, he now proposes an important question, by whom God will be served, and his blessing enjoyed.
4: 'He' - whose actions and conversation are holy and unblameable. 'Pure heart' - careful to approve itself to God, as well as to men; ordering a man's very thoughts and affections according to God's word. 'Vanity' - Who doth not value or desire the vain things of this life, such as honours, riches, pleasures; but makes God his portion.
7: 'Lift up' - He speaks here of the gates and doors of the temple, which by faith and the spirit of prophecy, he beheld as already built, whose doors he calls 'Everlasting,' not so much because they were made of strong and durable materials, as in opposition to those of the tabernacle, which were removed from place to place. These gates he bids lift up their heads, or tops, by allusion to those gates which have a portcullis, which may be let down or taken up. And as the temple was a type of Christ, and of his church, and of heaven itself; so this place may also contain a representation, either of Christ's entrance into his church, or into the hearts of his faithful people, who are here commanded to set open their hearts and souls for his reception; or of his ascension into heaven, where the saints or angels are poetically introduced as preparing the way, and opening the heavenly gates to receive their Lord and king, returning to his royal habitation with triumph and glory. 'The king' - The Messiah, the king of Israel, and of his church, called the King, or Lord of glory, 1 Cor. 2.8, James 2.1, both for that glory which is inherent in him, and that which is purchased by him for his members.
8: 'The Lord' - He is no ordinary person, no other than Jehovah, who hath given so many proofs of his almightiness, who hath subdued all his enemies, and is now returned in triumph.
I wrote in this post on Charles Wesley's 'Hymns for the Nativity of Our Lord' that this Psalm came to mind as we think about making preparations during the season of Advent for the arrival of the King. Jesus was born a king, after all. With that said, I really like what John Wesley wrote in his comments on verse 7 (see bold portion above). In a class I took on Psalms in college, I recall the professor going over this particular psalm. He elaborated on the 'heads' of the gates to describe them in like manner as Wesley does above. But the professor (Dr. Owen Dickens) also made the inference that the command for the 'heads' of the gates to be lifted up was a way of saying, remove them. Think of a top (horizontal) part of a door frame. To remove the gate's head means that as the King of glory enters, nothing is to be above Him. You can't box, or frame, or gate God in. Nothing is more glorious or has a higher status than the King of glory.
This is great preparation for the community to worship: Clean your hands; Purify your hearts; Seek the face of the God of Jacob because in Christ, the King, he has made it revealed.
As a final note, there is the reference to battle imagery, which strengthens the case that this at least has something to do with Christ's return to the right hand of God in his ascension. Wesley brought this out not only in his comments on verse 7, but also in verse 8: "...subdued all his enemies..." You may be aware of the various pictures, or theories, of the atonement. One of the more well-known is called Christus Victor (click here for some other posts related to this idea). What makes this picture so vital to our understanding of salvation is that it paints Christ's resurrection and ascension as central to the atonement in a way that other pictures/theories do not. This is illustrated by the belief that Christ, through his dying has battled and through his resurrection has defeated death and the powers of evil. While the battle continues for us, their demise is certain and has been guaranteed by Christ's bodily resurrection, which has foretold our own.
Nothing goes above Christ, but some really good news is that he brings us (or will bring us) to his dwelling place to enjoy the royal party forever.
3: 'The hill' - Zion or Moriah, the place of God's sanctuary and special presence. Having asserted God's dominion over all mankind, he now proposes an important question, by whom God will be served, and his blessing enjoyed.
4: 'He' - whose actions and conversation are holy and unblameable. 'Pure heart' - careful to approve itself to God, as well as to men; ordering a man's very thoughts and affections according to God's word. 'Vanity' - Who doth not value or desire the vain things of this life, such as honours, riches, pleasures; but makes God his portion.
7: 'Lift up' - He speaks here of the gates and doors of the temple, which by faith and the spirit of prophecy, he beheld as already built, whose doors he calls 'Everlasting,' not so much because they were made of strong and durable materials, as in opposition to those of the tabernacle, which were removed from place to place. These gates he bids lift up their heads, or tops, by allusion to those gates which have a portcullis, which may be let down or taken up. And as the temple was a type of Christ, and of his church, and of heaven itself; so this place may also contain a representation, either of Christ's entrance into his church, or into the hearts of his faithful people, who are here commanded to set open their hearts and souls for his reception; or of his ascension into heaven, where the saints or angels are poetically introduced as preparing the way, and opening the heavenly gates to receive their Lord and king, returning to his royal habitation with triumph and glory. 'The king' - The Messiah, the king of Israel, and of his church, called the King, or Lord of glory, 1 Cor. 2.8, James 2.1, both for that glory which is inherent in him, and that which is purchased by him for his members.
8: 'The Lord' - He is no ordinary person, no other than Jehovah, who hath given so many proofs of his almightiness, who hath subdued all his enemies, and is now returned in triumph.
I wrote in this post on Charles Wesley's 'Hymns for the Nativity of Our Lord' that this Psalm came to mind as we think about making preparations during the season of Advent for the arrival of the King. Jesus was born a king, after all. With that said, I really like what John Wesley wrote in his comments on verse 7 (see bold portion above). In a class I took on Psalms in college, I recall the professor going over this particular psalm. He elaborated on the 'heads' of the gates to describe them in like manner as Wesley does above. But the professor (Dr. Owen Dickens) also made the inference that the command for the 'heads' of the gates to be lifted up was a way of saying, remove them. Think of a top (horizontal) part of a door frame. To remove the gate's head means that as the King of glory enters, nothing is to be above Him. You can't box, or frame, or gate God in. Nothing is more glorious or has a higher status than the King of glory.
This is great preparation for the community to worship: Clean your hands; Purify your hearts; Seek the face of the God of Jacob because in Christ, the King, he has made it revealed.
As a final note, there is the reference to battle imagery, which strengthens the case that this at least has something to do with Christ's return to the right hand of God in his ascension. Wesley brought this out not only in his comments on verse 7, but also in verse 8: "...subdued all his enemies..." You may be aware of the various pictures, or theories, of the atonement. One of the more well-known is called Christus Victor (click here for some other posts related to this idea). What makes this picture so vital to our understanding of salvation is that it paints Christ's resurrection and ascension as central to the atonement in a way that other pictures/theories do not. This is illustrated by the belief that Christ, through his dying has battled and through his resurrection has defeated death and the powers of evil. While the battle continues for us, their demise is certain and has been guaranteed by Christ's bodily resurrection, which has foretold our own.
Nothing goes above Christ, but some really good news is that he brings us (or will bring us) to his dwelling place to enjoy the royal party forever.
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