Lift up your heads, you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in. Ps.24:7
In Psalms 24, verse 1 declares God possess everything on the earth because God made everything. Verse 3 describes the hill of the Lord as Zion. It was a hill in Jerusalem. Solomon built the temple on it and he did this after David died. The holy place was the tent with the Ark in it. The temple is where the Ark was housed. Verse 4 defines righteousness as being a person with “clean hands and a pure heart.” It is when we desire to be righteous that we are a forgiven people. Verses 7-10 remember the time when David brought the Ark into Jerusalem. Where God’s law is revered, God is with the people. God was so great that Jerusalem needs no protection! So this faith is proclaimed by declaring that the gates should, "Lift up your heads". Jerusalem was a city long before David came. Many kings had lived there but they were not kings of the Jews. But what makes Jerusalem unique, is that the Law of God dwells is this city.
The Jews believed that God was their king and they believed that he went everywhere with the Ark. It was a picture of God as king of Jerusalem. The Psalm calls God "the king of glory" four times. God had special servants and the Jews called them priests. The priests shouted, "Who is the king of glory?" and all the people answered, "The LORD!"
The Catholic Catechism reminds us that our “glory” comes from God. In paragraph 2809 we are told:
The holiness of God is the inaccessible center of his eternal mystery. What is revealed of it in creation and history, Scripture calls "glory," the radiance of his majesty. In making man in his image and likeness, God "crowned him with glory and honor," but by sinning, man fell "short of the glory of God." From that time on, God was to manifest his holiness by revealing and giving his name, in order to restore man to the image of his Creator.
The core value of Psalm 24 is that of Hope and Zeal which is taught through the Psalm. It gives us the Hope that God is “the King of glory” and he will forever watch over, teach and take care of us. He wants us to have a pure heart and forgive those around us, just like he forgave the people of Jerusalem. We are taught we too are to “stand side by side with all people.” We are all burdened by the same struggles and weaknesses. Zeal is also taught within the Psalm, because God wants us to forgive others such as he forgave the people of Jerusalem. We are to continue his good deeds and make sure that all people know of him and his greatness from this day forth. We are to keep God in our hearts and show his love within our action, just like the Jews kept the Law that was in the Ark. How will you show solidarity with others today? How will you take the step to reconcile with others? How will you show obedience to God’s law?
An Act of Hope prayer:
When I read this passage I get a feeling of hope within myself. It shows that even long ago people had hope of God taking care of them and showing them right from wrong. It shows unity within our culture, even back then, and it gives me a sense that I may not save the world, but I am going to try to make a difference within my own little circle. I also find that when I read this passage I want to reflect on my life, and find those that I have shunned throughout my life, and go to them and ask for forgiveness, just as God forgives me. I hope that someday I can use this passage as a guideline to my life. I want to show hope and forgiveness to all that I know and love in my life.
ReplyDeleteThis passage gives me the comfort of know that I am be looked out for. The welcoming of forgiveness in this passage gives comfort that even when committing wrongs by repentance sins can be forgiven. This passage shows that God will always care and love his creation. I hope that this passage will guide me in my life to show forgiveness and to care for all people.
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