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

He is the Only King Who demonstrates His power and authority over all of mankind; and in Him is all honor, glory, majesty and wealth.

From Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance:

King: 4428. מֶלֶךְ meleḵ: A masculine noun meaning king… it is used of the Lord who demonstrates His power and authority over Israel (Isa. 41:21; 44:6); and over each individual (Ps. 5:2[3]; 44:4[5]).

Glory: 3519. כָּבוֹד kāḇôḏ, כָּבֹד kāḇōḏ: A masculine singular noun meaning honor, glory, majesty, wealth.

In Psalm 24, David lifts up His praise and in Psalm 25 David lifts up his petitions, pleading for His protection against every enemy; His guidance to know His ways, truth and paths; and His pardon from his sins and transgression.

Both Psalms point to Him, the King of Glory, Who alone is deserving of all praise and Who alone has all power to answer every prayer.

Consider Him, the King of Glory

• He is the King of Glory, exalted and holy.
  • Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord?
    And who may stand in His holy place? (24:3).

• He is the King of Glory, strong and mighty in battle.
  • Who is the King of glory?
    The Lord strong and mighty,
    The Lord mighty in battle. (24:8).

• He is the King of Glory, Lord over every created being.
  • Who is this King of glory?
    The Lord of hosts,
    He is the King of glory. (24:10).

• He is the King of Glory, Who is to be approached in humility, worship and faith.
  • To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
    ² O my God, in You I trust… (25:1-2).

• He is the King of Glory, Who teaches us His ways.
  • Make me know Your ways, O Lord;
    Teach me Your paths, (25:4).

• He is, the King of Glory, Who leads us in His Truth.
  • Lead me in Your truth and teach me… (25:5).

• He is, the King of Glory, the God of our salvation and hope.
  • For You are the God of my salvation;
    For You I wait all the day, (25:5).

• He is the King of Glory, unchanging in His compassion and lovingkindness.
  • Remember, O Lord, Your compassion and Your lovingkindnesses,
    For they have been from of old. (25:6).

• He is the King of Glory, good and upright to instruct sinners.
  • Good and upright is the Lord;
    Therefore He instructs sinners in the way, (25:8).

• He is the King of Glory, Who leads the humble in His justice and way.
  • He leads the humble in justice,
    And He teaches the humble His way, (25:9).

How do we respond to Him, the King of Glory?

Let’s let the reality set in. He is the King of Glory; the King of all honor, glory, majesty and wealth. Anything that is honorable, He is more so; anything that is glorious, He exceeds; anything majestic, bows before Him; anything of value, pales in comparison. We must never approach Him in a cavalier or casual manner. He is not the Man Upstairs, the Big Guy, our Homeboy, or any other term that reduces Him to our station.

He is the King of Glory; and because He is the King of Glory, we must never presume, that in and of ourselves, we are fit to come into His presence.

Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord?
And who may stand in His holy place?
⁴ He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood
And has not sworn deceitfully, (24:3-4).

Which one of us can say we measure up to the righteous requirements that qualify one to stand before Him? Can we say our hands are clean, that we’ve never committed any unwholesome action? Can we say our hearts are pure, that we’ve never had any impure thoughts or motives? Can we say we’ve never set our minds and affections on something other than Him, the King of Glory? And can we say we have never twisted the truth or been underhanded? We all know the answer to each of these questions, and the verdict is rendered. We are guilty; our hands are not clean, our hearts are not pure, and our fidelity and commitment to truth wavers.

But there was One, One Who perfectly fulfilled every prerequisite to stand before Him, the King of Glory.

Jesus, Who bore our sins that we would be made alive in the spirit and brought to God in Christ.

For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, (1 Peter 3:18).

And when we place our faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins, we are granted access to His throne of grace.

For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need, (Hebrews 4:15-16).

Through Jesus, the God of our salvation, we receive His righteousness and are then enabled to ascend the hill of the Lord and stand in His holy place to receive His blessings.

He shall receive a blessing from the Lord
And righteousness from the God of his salvation, (24:5).

But, even after being born-again, we still have the flesh to contend with; and we still sin. Coming into the presence of the King of Glory always requires a heart preparation that will open the way for Him to come in.

Lift up your heads, O gates,
And lift them up, O ancient doors,
That the King of glory may come in! (24:9).

Heart preparation is an honest confession and repentance of sin, and an understanding that it is only according to His goodness and love, demonstrated through His Son, that we are made acceptable in His sight.

Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
According to Your lovingkindness remember me,
For Your goodness’ sake, O Lord. (25:7).

And heart preparation will lead to clean hands, a desire to live in His righteousness, and a purity of heart and faith.

Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart, (2 Timothy 2:22).

Today, let’s respond by inviting Him, the King of Glory, to come in as we agree with His Word through prayer. And while we pray, let’s focus on Who He is; He is the King of Glory. Let us approach Him in reverence and worship, confessing our sins and receiving His forgiveness through Christ.

He is the King of Glory and He wants to share His intimate secrets with us! Let us look to Him today in faith as we trust Him with every affliction, every trouble, every distress, every enemy; knowing He will guard our soul as our refuge and deliverer. Oh, may we always find ourselves enraptured, because through Jesus Christ, we have been gifted the privilege to come before the holy and perfect presence of Him, the King of Glory. And absolutely nothing could be better than that!

The secret of the Lord is for those who fear Him,
And He will make them know His covenant.
¹⁵ My eyes are continually toward the Lord,
For He will pluck my feet out of the net.
¹⁶ Turn to me and be gracious to me,
For I am lonely and afflicted.
¹⁷ The troubles of my heart are enlarged;
Bring me out of my distresses.
¹⁸ Look upon my affliction and my trouble,
And forgive all my sins.
¹⁹ Look upon my enemies, for they are many,
And they hate me with violent hatred.
²⁰ Guard my soul and deliver me;
Do not let me be ashamed, for I take refuge in You.
²¹ Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,
For I wait for You, (25:14-21).

Let’s Grow Together!