The King of Glory Entering Zion

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(2 Samuel 6:16) And as the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal Saul's daughter looked through a window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart.

David, with a large and loud procession, was finally bringing the ark of the Lord to its resting place in the city of David.  His first wife, Michal, Saul's daughter, watched from a window and saw David leaping and dancing before the Lord.  She despised him in her heart probably because she thought such behavior was beneath the dignity of the king.  She appears to have the same distant relationship with the Lord as did her father and did not understand the love and joy David had for Him.

(17) And they brought in the ark of the Lord and set it in its place in the midst of the tabernacle that David had pitched for it; and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.

David had prepared a place for the ark and pitched for it a tent (1 Chronicles 15:1).  Those who bore the ark on their shoulders now brought it and set it down in that place.  David then offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.

(2 Chronicles 1:4) But the ark of God David had brought up from Kirjath Jearim to the place David had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it at Jerusalem.

David had brought the ark of the Lord from Kirjath Jearim to the place he had prepared for it in Jerusalem.

(Psalm 15:1) (A Psalm of David) Lord, who shall abide in Your tabernacle? Who shall dwell in Your holy hill?

It is reasonable to assume that David may have composed this short psalm when he had moved the ark of God to Zion.  He contemplated who should be able to dwell in the Lord's tabernacle and who should dwell in the holy hill of Zion.

(2) He who walks uprightly and works righteousness and speaks the truth in his heart.

Only one who walked uprightly in honesty and integrity, upholding the commandments of the Lord, one who practiced what he believed with good works, and who spoke the true feelings of his heart with no deceit in him, only that sort of man could dwell in the Lord's tabernacle.

(3) He who does not backbite with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor.

Only one who did not speak evil against his neighbor, do any evil against him, or spread gossip about him, could be allowed to dwell in the Lord's tabernacle.

(4) In whose eyes a vile person is despised, but he honors them who fear the Lord; he who swears to his own hurt and does not change.

Only one who despised evil and evil doers but honored those who feared the Lord, and one who kept his word and did not renege even to his own detriment, was one who could dwell in the Lord's tabernacle.

(5) He who does not put out his money at usury, nor takes reward against the innocent. He who does these shall never be moved.

He should be one who never lent his money at usury, with interest, to profit himself.  He should never take a bribe against the innocent.  The one who did the things in this short psalm could stand firm in the tabernacle of the Lord and never be moved.

(Psalm 24:1) (A Psalm of David) The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof, the world, and they who dwell therein.

It is believed that this psalm was indeed composed on the occasion of bringing the ark from the house of Obed Edom to Mount Zion.  David began by declaring the earth was the Lord's, including everything and everyone in it.

(2) For He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the floods.

The earth is the Lord's because He created it and laid its foundation on the waters.  It was firmly established on the floods and cannot be shaken.

(3) Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in His holy place?

Similar to Psalm 15, David again asked who should be sufficiently holy enough to ascend the hill of the Lord and stand in His holy place.

(4) He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. 

Only one whose actions and conversation were holy and unblameable, who had not desired the vain things of life such as honors, riches, pleasures, and the like, who had not borne false witness nor failed to keep his promises, should be allowed in the Lord's holy place.

(5) He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

Such a person would receive blessings from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.  It's interesting to note that he must be righteous to receive righteousness.  It is only through salvation in Christ that anyone is ever considered righteous because Christ's blood covers his sins, as everyone, even the one the world may consider the most righteous, sins and falls short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

(6) This is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face, O Jacob. Selah.

As Jacob is another name for Israel, and the psalmist surely did not mean to say people were seeking Jacob's face, I believe the sense is that "O Jacob" (Israel) is the generation of people who seek the Lord to truly have a relationship with Him.  Selah is a pause to reflect.

(7) Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in.

This does appear to mean the gates and doors of the tabernacle David had prepared for the ark.  The King of glory was coming to rest there.

(8) Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.

Who is the King of Glory for whom the gates should come to attention and open up?  The all-powerful Lord Almighty God who had shown His power in many times delivering His people from their enemies.

(9) Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in.

David repeated the exhortation from verse 7 to awaken all to the great importance of what was being witnessed there.  Their Lord God, King of glory, was coming to rest there among His people.

(10) Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah.

The Lord of hosts, Lord of men and angels, Lord of the universe, Lord of the worlds and everything in them, is the King of glory.  All true glory is concentrated upon the one true God.  It was an incredible honor and blessing that such a God, Israel's God, was coming to rest among them.

There is a prophetic glimpse of the future held in this psalm, a time when the gates of heaven would open before Jesus, and His saints would be considered righteous because of His salvation and would be able to go through the gate to everlasting life in heaven.