Psalm 24 King James Version (KJV)
1The earth is the Lord's, and
the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. 2 For
he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods. 3 Who
shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in
his holy place? 4 He that hath clean hands, and a
pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity (nothingness), nor sworn deceitfully.
5 He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and
righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 This
is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. 7 Lift
up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the
King of glory shall come in. 8 Who is this King
of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty
in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even
lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord of
hosts, he is the King of glory.
A choir from South Korea sing verse 7-10 of Psalm 24 set to the magnificent score of Handel’s Messiah. It is joyful and a true expression in song of an acknowledgement that the ‘earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.’ Handel's setting, formed by the King James Translation, was shaped in a very different age, the 18th century. But its focus, on the messiahship of Jesus, as drawn from the prophecies and psalms of the Hebrew bible, is as valid today for us, perhaps especially today. Praise refocuses the tired body, lethargic mind and flat-lining heart.
This original psalm's setting was for the throng of the congregation of worshippers to recite or sing as they entered the temple. It was to be a psalm full of praise, refocusing the worshipper away from themselves to the true character of God, who truly does inhabit the praises of the people.
Singing is one of the wonderful things of life which is best accomplished by lifting up your head and singing out with all one's heart. It is best also to sing without books so that the whole body, mind, heart and strength combine. And no-one hears a singer if they are looking down at their boots, that's what my first choir master would say. He was right! Sing with your head held high.
Psalm 24 is more than untutored praise, however. It is very specific. It has a theological outlook which proclaims God's reign over all the earth (based upon the belief that God created it all). It then asks two questions: who can stand and worship in God's holy place, living under his reign? And who is the King of Glory, whose reign is being sought?
The first question is answered: those with 'clean hands' and 'pure hearts' can do this. And this is made possible first by deciding not to worship 'nothingness' ('vanity' in the KJV, or 'what is false' in the NRSVA). And it is also made possible by no longer acting deceitfully to others. This sense of our responsibility to God and to neighbour is mirrored in Jesus' teaching, particularly in his Sermon on the Mount. Scholars have suggested a very close link between Psalm 24 and Matthew 5. In 5.8 Jesus teaches: 'Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.' In Psalm 24.6, this idea is spelled out too, that those who have clean hands and pure hearts are 'the generation of those who seek thy face'.
In these days, when our heads and hearts are turned so much by the horrible realities of Covid-19, the psalmist reminds us that our primary task should be to answer the question, who rules the world? Who is sovereign? Psalm 24 begins and ends with strong assertions that God is the king of glory and inhabits the praises of his people. But it also asks the tough ethical questions, how do we live under the reign of God? The great ethical teacher and theologian Stanley Hauerwas and co-writer William Willimon, in their 1989 book, Resident Aliens: Life in the Christian Colony, said this: 'The primary ethical question is not, What should I do now? but rather, How does the world really look?... our ethics derive from what we have seen of God.' When we see the world as the place of God's reign we also grow in a sense of grounded-ness in lives of unreserved trust.
In my experience, singing God's praises helps me to see God in this world, even when God's reign seems to be far off. Singing God's praises with a head held high and an open heart recalibrates our lives and attunes us to the heartbeat of heaven on earth. And what a day that will be when we can all sing God's praises again together. What a day!
The opening verse gives us a new perspective. When some are feeling stir crazy by having to stay at home, when mood can be significantly lowered, the psalmist declares with utter confidence that the whole earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, including our own little homes. Once again the big picture is displayed before us if only we were to “lift up our heads”. When our world narrows because of grief and suffering we need others to be bearers of hope of something bigger, and to point us to God’s eternal reign. And music and singing can help us do this, as I’m finding myself as I keep singing this Easter “Sing of the Lord’s goodness”.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9fsAKZHq-w
As we know, church doors are firmly locked during the lock down but what a day of celebration it will be when we enter them again. The “everlasting doors” will be flung open with joy and I’m sure songs of praise. Maybe this is the psalm that can be used at our church doors on our first day back for public worship. A procession of the congregation, approaching the doors, with heads lifted high in praise, then with a festal shout enter the place of prayer and worshipping the king of glory. We will need creative imaginations and inspiration to create new liturgies for such a joyous occasion.