Wednesday, April 26, 2017

JESUS our King of Glory (Ps.24)

King David writes another psalm with prophetic references to Jesus, which were already truths for people back then.  First of all, David talks about receiving righteousness from the God of salvation...

(Psalm 24:4-5)  He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood and has not sworn deceitfully.  He shall receive a blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

This message is echoed in these New Testament verses...

(2 Corinthians 5:20-21)  Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christas though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Then we see David appealing to us that we be "like" Jacob and seek God's face...

(Psalm 24:6)  This is the generation of those who seek Him,
Who seek Your face—even Jacob.Selah.

From the previous devotional entries, we know that anytime anyone has seen God, it has been THE angel of the LORD (the Jesus of the Old Testament, God manifested).

The verse that follows this is...

(Psalm 24:7)  Lift up your heads, O gates, And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in!

These New Testament verses nicely tie together these two verses from Psalm 24...

(Matthew 7:7-14)  "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?  11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!
12 “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
13 Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it..."
We know that Jesus is the door, from New Testament verses such as this...

(John 14:6)  Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me..."

David ends this psalm with an encouragement - to let the King of glory enter your life.  These verses are also prophetic, explaining how Jesus will have victory over death (after His work on the cross) and eventually will reign as King over all the earth (in the Millennium)...

(Psalm 24: 8-10)  Who is the King of glory?  The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.  Lift up your heads, O gates, and lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in!  10 Who is this King of glory?  The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah.

This encouragement is echoed in the New Testament.  When we believe and receive Jesus into our lives, we are born again - we become children of God...

(John 1:12-13)  But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

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