Psalm 24 is one of those psalms that just keeps getting put to worship uses. There’s a good chance it was used in the Temple worship rituals – the call-and-response is the giveaway. In this context, it was probably used to signal an entrance – v7 and v9 both amount to a call to ‘Open up and let God in!’
Then, since the 18th century, the words of this psalm have been part of one of the best known pieces of Christian music, Handel’s ‘Messiah’. Trivia for the day? The Royal Melbourne Philharmonic has apparently performed ‘Messiah’ at least once every year since 1853.
I have a compelling childhood memory of this song that still lifts the hairs on the back of my neck. It’s a powerful thing to hear the question, ‘Who is the King of Glory?’ and then a 1,000 voice choir answer, ‘The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord marching into battle!’
The interesting thing is that Handel includes Psalm 24 in a section of ‘Messiah’ that deals with the Annunciation – the arrival of God here on earth as a human baby. This is a psalm that begins with a Creator who owns all things, who offers blessing to those who acknowledge Him as the true God. And it ends with an exultant shout – the One who is arriving is peerlessly powerful, a winner of battles and of glory.
I’ve heard the Christmas story so many times that I sometimes forget how strange it is – how much proof that God’s ways are not like my ways. Because the One who arrived is all of those things and more – He truly is God our Saviour. But He came as a baby – more likely to use his fist as a meal-substitute than to win a fight. And when it came down to it, He won the fight to save us by losing, by dying.
Psalm 24 is a song to sing from a mountaintop. There’s such confidence in knowing that God is truly capable, that He put everything together and He can take out any enemy. But I think it’s worth remembering that we are not called to empty triumphalism. The One Who Came dealt with His enemies – us – by loving us. Matthew 5:44 says, ‘Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.’ The weapons you have available are pretty unimpressive compared to Jesus’. He’s still asking you to put them down.
– Karyn Lochore