"A Psalm for Today" - Psalm 24

Prelude

How do you react to the first verse of this psalm – The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it; the world, and those who live in it. What are the implications of this?

Introduction

Psalms, like this one, were written out of the life and faith experience of each writer. Psalms deeply reflect the highs and the lows of ancient people of faith. Because of their connection to real life, and the ultimate confidence in God often expressed within these psalms, they became very special writings to the people of God. Here were inspired words, set to music, to be used as part of community worship. Such words, as they were read and sung, would express how people felt about God and what they believed about God.

The gathered people of God, in synagogues and temples, would wholly engage with the faith contained in the words of such psalms. As the Jesus-following Christian community, from the first century on, also adopted these psalms, they would seek to understand how such words might apply to their current life situations. As an inspired Word from God to us now, we might also consider how the Holy Spirit is leading us to understand and apply these words today! So, this IS a Psalm for today.

My intention here, is to show that, through a full and growing appreciation of God’s intent in creation, we will be more prepared to embrace God’s active love toward all our neighbours right across this community and beyond. In being so convinced (in God’s creative genius), we will be more likely to get involved in the sort of initiatives that the Holy Spirit is already preparing the way for. As John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus, the Holy Spirit is preparing the way for us. Simply, this psalm brings exciting possibilities!

God’s Creation

The first two verses identify that everything created belongs to God. Everything belongs to God by creative right (because God created it). Yet God is NOT claiming this in any tyrannical or possessive way, but mainly to remind us … as to whom we should always be deferring  … for our own benefit and blessing. This, of course, has strong implications for how we treat all God's creation … including the environment and animals. From the beginning, God called humanity to be good stewards – to care for the earth and all its benefits (Gen 1:26-31).

We, as the tenants, are supposed to look after well … this place in which we are blessed to be living – just as the Owner would look after it Himself! The basic question to ask is whether we are exploiters of God’s generosity to our own ends, as if the earth belonged to us (instead of God), or, conversely and more correctly … are we grateful and good stewards (of all God’s gifts and resources)? Do we store up for ourselves and potentially waste, or do we share – giving away what is beyond our needs?

As part of the outcome of the ‘fall’ … that followed God’s perfect act of creation … in that inappropriate use of human freewill, came the inequitable distribution of resources … that just gets worse and worse from generation to generation. And humans have abused God's generosity, by using natural resources intended for good purposes ... to make weapons of war and erect fences of separation. Bad stewardship has resulted in a world full of injustice, unfairness, and huge economic inequality!

That the world belongs to the Lord, also indicates that God would ideally want to have a relationship with every human being ever born. This is borne out further when Jesus came for everyone, seeking out each and every one that was lost (John 3:16-17, Luke 15:1-10). In verse 8, there is a sense that God is actively in a "battle" for the hearts and minds of people of all generations everywhere. As we shall see, God enlists us to be part of this "battle", via his 'great commission' to make disciples from all nations (Matt 28:18-20).

God called Abram to the promised land, so that ultimately ALL nations and ALL people could be blessed (Gen 12:3). Jesus knows and loves everyone, including those that we don’t yet know nor yet love. God’s wants us to join with that vision of all the earth being the Lord’s. This is why we need a broad view of how God is moving around us, and what God might be leading us into. All of this locality and the community around us … ultimately belongs to God; God desiring that nothing is lost.

To the issue of the earth's fragility, where we witness, or even experience, events like drought, flood, cyclone and earthquake – this reminds us of our dependence on God … and that we can’t take life for granted. When you can’t trust the ground you’re standing on, what (or who) can you have faith in? Where is God in this? Answer: right in the midst! The very name of Jesus means, “God is with us” (Matt 1:23). Paul says that NOTHING can separate us from God’s love found in Jesus (Rom 8:35-39). 

As we know, with all the various diseases and medical conditions that can affect us – life itself is fragile. And then when we remark on the amount of evil and violence in the world – our need of God and a large measure of his peace (through which we can endure) is amplified in our minds. All the noise around us, all the stresses of living in a broken world, should lead us back toward placing our ultimate trust and allegiance in the God who only wants to love us. Whatever awaits you around the corner, God is already there. And the God that has defeated evil on the cross and at the open grave, can grant us victory over our circumstances.

This is a crucial element of faith, because, as Tim Costello puts it, “the earth is clearly in agony”. We live under various levels of stress, particularly relational anxiety. Yet, despite all this, we should, for the sake of the future, keep celebrating God’s creative and abundant goodness. The apostle Paul looks forward to the children of God being revealed as the creation is healed (Rom 8:19). And, ultimately we have the vision of the “new heaven and new earth”, where suffering and evil are past history.

In the meantime – our discipleship of Jesus … includes the good and just stewardship of where we currently live. Ultimately, God’s ways will win the day, but, in the present, God calls us into the “battle”. This also leads our thoughts in the direction of the need to help one another through the traumas of life. Some need to learn how to help others, some need to learn how to let others help them. As God’s intention for the earth, was for us to multiply and fill it (Gen 1:28) – we cannot think individually or selfishly, but rather see ourselves as part of a huge human family, which is represented by our own neighbourhoods.

And, as we come to know Jesus as our king, rather than Caesar (or whatever other alternative is before us), we also come to appreciate our local church as our spiritual community within our neighbourhood. Yet this spiritual community (or church) is NOT exclusive – it does NOT exclude our neighbourhood … NO! Rather we are a particular and unique resource for our neighbourhood. This is all the long way of saying that, on earth, and in life, we need each other ... we need each other to successfully tackle life's challenges. Community and teamwork is the genius of God’s creation! We were created by Divine community FOR human community!!

God’s Procession

We see in verses 3 to 6 of our Psalm 24, a description of those who are proceeding into the full appreciation of God’s creative and redeeming glory. These are worshippers, worshippers with integrity, integrity that counts! As the statement of the opening verses is a call to embrace God’s universal concern and care for all that he has created – verses 3 to 6 provide an explanation of how we are to partner God in this concern. This is about our character – who we are – who we are in Christ (Galatians 2:19-20)! We are supposed to be reflecting the character of God – the person of Jesus.

We could see this as worshippers heading for the ancient temple or synagogue, or to the modern church; or we could see this as the attitude of our hearts having already arrived in the place of worship. But as God is everywhere … at all times, this is best seen as the attitude we should bring to the whole of our lives. How can we be seen as God’s person in the cut and thrust of world affairs? As we read in verse 5 – how can we receive the best blessing, how can we prove the reality of our faith, and how can we enjoy the best relationships?

Answer: clean hands and a pure heart (v 4)! Here is an assessment of both our … visible conduct … and our internal motives!! This covers all our external behavioural patterns and actions (“clean hands”), and all our internal thought patterns and motivations  (“pure heart”). This means that we are given over to the truth, and do not follow any false paths. We do NOT give our ‘soul’ over to any ‘shams’ … that can only betray us and leave us empty! We should NEVER have intentions of misleading or harming our neighbour (CC Broyles). Jesus himself famously said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matt 5:8).

A fuller appreciation of God’s magnificent creative purpose, combined with a desire for “clean hands and pure hearts”, will open up space within this community for a great and broad response to the movement of God’s Spirit.

God’s Presence

As mentioned by both John and Rhett in their recent messages, we can’t allow other pursuits … that we might describe as ‘worthless’ or ‘less than best’ … get in the way of our peace, nor stop us moving forward (out of our comfort). As we look at verse 7, we need to have the “gates” of blessing wide open! Wide open – so that “the King of Glory may come in” (v7,9)!! And lest we be wrongly individualistic about this – this is also about opening the “doors” so that others might receive the blessing. And we know that so many people need the blessing of knowing the “King of Glory”!

Verses 7-10 envision open “doors” for the strong and mighty One to enter and transform our lives, and the life of our church, and the life of our community. This may have been acted out in ancient times with the “ark of the covenant”, representing the presence of God, being ushered through the gates of the holy temple. We need to acknowledge the Lord’s presence in our spiritual gatherings ... if we are to avoid just being at another meeting … if we are to experience something new from the Holy Spirit … if we are to fulfil God's intentions for us.

As John said two weeks ago, we need to worship God, so God can minister to our needs. God wants us to worship Him, because God knows the good results this can bring – as we humble ourselves and look into the face of purity and compassion (Matt 5:3,8). We need to acknowledge the Creator of the Earth … to release God’s power!

At the same time, these verses (7-10) also envision open invitation, welcome, hospitality, acceptance and belonging. There is space for everyone here, if they could just experience the “King of Glory”. How wide do we keep the “gates” of God’s Kingdom open for others, through the integrity and faith of how we do life (ourselves)? Do we see the possibilities of Jesus in the faces of all people (including of different backgrounds, experiences and lifestyles). Can we serve them in Jesus’ name (Matt 25:34-45)? If we were to exclude any people … by design or in effect, then we also would exclude ourselves!!

Conclusion

This takes us back to verse 4, and to whether we have humbly and fully surrendered ourselves to Jesus. It is the righteousness of Jesus himself that is being offered to us. Through the cross we find forgiveness and freedom, through the resurrection we find new hope and purpose. We become part of what God is seeking to achieve in the minds and hearts of all the people who live around us.

We become part of celebrating and serving all creation, as a forerunner for the time when we will live in the ‘new heaven and new earth’. Despite the pain around us, and the suffering within us, we come to recognise and appreciate God’s peace. And, in living and worshipping in all integrity, we open the “gates” of God’s Kingdom to all those that God loves. Amen!