Psalm 24
The psalms were written when Christianity was not a human thought. Our great temptation—our natural inclination—is to “Christianize” the Psalms. At times we pervert the point of a psalm.
Godly people tend to think that people are owners of the earth, not caretakers. As much as we do, we only “tend” what God gave. We may discover new dimensions, but we can only capitalize on what we discover. What we discover was there before we realized it existed. The earth belongs to God—we only use it for a short period.
The issue is this: who has right relationship with God? The emphasis was and is mind boggling! The emphasis is not on who, where, or what. The emphasis is on purity of hands and hearts, freedom from idolatry, and freedom from deceit. These are the people who seek and worship God. Though not an all encompassing answer, it is a mind-boggling answer.
The true King of Israel was (and is) God--not David nor any human who ruled the Israelites. Recognition of the identity of Israel’s true king was never simple. Though David sat on Israel’s earthly throne, he understood God was Israel’s true King. David’s task was to represent God well as he led the nation in God’s values and ways. Representing God was and is never simple!
Jerusalem should welcome God as its King! More than empty ceremony or repetitious procedure was involved. A deep appreciation of God’s identity and worthiness was the only appropriate way to welcome God as King.
Enthroning God in the temple surpassed crowning a human king over Israel!
Link to other Writings of David Chadwell