Psalm Category: Temple Entrance Liturgy

Central Thought: Psalm 24 declares that Jesus Christ is the King of glory because of His marvelous works of creation and redemption.

Key Word: Sedaqa (V. 5). Sedaqa is best translated as “righteousness” (see NASB). The Bible teaches us that no one, in himself, is righteous before God (Ps. 143:2 and Rom. 3:23). Yet worshipers here are declared righteous by God. How can this be? These verses can onlybe understood by looking to Christ’s redemptive-historical work as the second Adam. By Christ’s obedience we are made righteous (Rom. 5:19). We can ascend God’s holy hill only through the merit of Christ.

Psalm 24

Psalm 24 addresses three themes central to Reformed theology. It reveals a Reformed view of worship, Christ’s kingship, and the doctrine of justification.

A Reformed View of Worship (vv. 1-10): Psalm 24 is a liturgical psalm. These ten verses provide us with a biblically inspired pattern of worship.

Consider the structure of the psalm for a moment. It begins with a worshipful indicative that focuses on God’s creative power (vv. 1-2). Next comes a confrontation with God’s standard of righteousness (vv. 3-4), followed by the declaration that God provides us with righteousness (vv. 5- 6). Finally, the psalm concludes with a proclamation of the victory of God our Savior (vv. 7-10).

This pattern is reflected in traditional Reformed liturgies: call to worship (vv. 1-2); reading of the Law (vv. 3-4); declaration of pardon (vv. 5-6); and the preaching of the gospel (vv. 7-10). In addition to providing us with a worship structure, this psalm gives us a worship theology. First, it reminds us that worship is dialogical in nature. That is, worship involves God spealdng to His people through His appointed representative and the people responding to Him. We see this dialogical structure in the antiphonal question-and-answer exchanges found in verses 3-4 and 8-10. Many scholars believe that the priest, standing in God’s stead, is asking the questions and the congregation is responding.

Second, it reminds us that worship is predominantly vertical in nature. The dialogue is from God to man and then man to God. This vertical view stands in contrast to the horizontal view held by so many in the contemporary worship movement, where the emphasis is placed on interaction among the worshipers.

A Reformed View of Kingship (vv. 1-2 and 7-10): Psalm 24 also provides us with a Reformed view of Christ’s kingship. In verses 1-2, Christ’s kingship is expressed through His universal authority over creation. He is King of the earth and everything in it (Matt. 28:18; John 1:3; and Heb. 1:2).

In verses 7-10, Christ’s kingship is displayed through His victorious triumph over our enemies in the work of redemption (Col. 2:15). He is not only our creator King, but also our warrior King. Note the military language that dominates verses 8-9 (“strong and mighty;” “mighty in battle,” etc.) Christ is King over the realm of this world and the realm of redemption. He is the King of nations and the King of the Church. This is why Reformed Christians must seek the exaltation of Jesus in all realms of life.

A Reformed View of Justification (vv. 3-6): In verses 3-6, this psalm reveals the Reformed doctrine of justification. In verse 4, perfect obedience to the moral law of God is unequivocally pronounced as God’s eternal standard of righteousness (see Westminster Confession of Faith, 19:1-2). Verse 4 describes the entirety of the moral law in two sets of couplets. First, the phrases “clean hands” and “pure heart” bring together the idea ofexternal and internal holy perfection. One could connect the phrase “clean hands” to the ten commandments and “pure heart” to the sermon on the mount (Matt. 5:8). The second couplet brings together idolatry and swearing falsely. In this couplet, we find a summary of the great commandment: to love God (avoid idolatry) and love our neighbor (avoid false testimony).

Psalm 24 tells us that, in order to enter God’s presence, we must have perfect righteousness. We know that we are unable to provide this type of righteousness in ourselves. Verse 5 declares to us the promise that “God our Savior” will grant those who seek Him (v. 6) this righteousness. In other words, we are counted as righteous because God, through the sole instrument of the gift of faith, imputes Christ’s righteousness to us. This is the Reformed view of justification (see Westminster Shorter Catechism, 33), and what a glorious doctrine it is! Christ is indeed the King of glory!

—Anthony Selvaggio