JEHOVAH’S COMING TO JERUSALEM

Lesson 5

Psalm 24:7–10

David and the Ark

David was anointed king and reigned over the tribe of Judah for seven years. The house of Saul, though doomed to failure—he was of the tribe of Benjamin—still held on to the rest of the house of Israel. It is true that in due time Israel would be under king David, but he had to wait those seven years. Then, when Ishbosheth had been killed, David became king over the whole people of Israel and reigned in Jerusalem for 33 years.

However, even though David was now king over the whole people of God, there was still something missing. The ark of Jehovah had been captured by the Philistines during the days of Eli, the judge. But, God so plagued the land of the Philistines that they soon found a way of getting rid of the ark and sent it back to Israel. It did not get to the place where it ought to be. It came just over the border of Israel and the Israelites of that area were very happy to see the ark back in their own land. However, they looked into the ark and God punished them for this. The ark was then brought into the home of Abinadab and here it stayed for 20 years! That ark, which denoted the presence of the God of Israel was in a private home for two decades! David realizes that this is not proper. He sends for the ark—but again they don’t do things properly. One who is not a priest, and therefore not qualified to touch the ark, holds it to steady it, and God strikes him dead on the spot! Let them have proper respect for the ark of God! Hurriedly it is brought into a neighboring home, the home of Obed Edom. But God is not a God of wrath who smites everyone who comes near the ark! He blesses the house of Obed Edom. David hears of the blessings (2 Sam. 6:12) and now sends for the ark to be brought to Jerusalem. The symbol of the presence of Jehovah belongs in the city of God, in Jerusalem. There David pitched a “tent of meeting” for the ark and there he hoped to build a temple for it. As the ark approaches Jerusalem, David sings Psalm 24 and teaches the people to sing this Psalm. It is a Psalm which welcomes God into His own city! It is a Psalm which looks much farther into the future and welcomes Jesus Christ into the heavens at the time of His Ascension! It is Messianic! There is indeed a fulfillment in the days of David, but a far richer fulfillment is coming in the time of David’s great Son!

A Wide Vision

It should also be noted before we deal with the verses 7–10 that we must not have a restricted idea concerning David’s vision of the presence of God. It is easy to assume that David, together with the people of his day, had the idea that God was restricted to that ark! Although an ark, a box, had been chosen by God to symbolize His presence, people would have to be far gone to bow down before a box! David emphasizes in the very first verse of this Psalm that the earth and everything in it, the world and all its inhabitants are Jehovah’s.

Who May Go Up

The Psalm also makes it clear that no one may ascend to the hill of Jehovah but he that has clean hands and a pure heart. It certainly has been made clear to David and all Israel that they may not deal with the ark of God as though they are dealing with something common. This error has cost lives. No, he that goes up to the hill of Jehovah, to Zion, must be of clean hands and pure heart. No one who is guilty of falsehood or swears deceitfully has a place there. But, those who may come there shall receive a blessing of Jehovah.

Raising the Gates

As the God of Israel comes into His city the Psalmist calls for the gates to be lifted up. They are not high enough to allow Jehovah to enter. Let also the everlasting doors which guard the city be lifted up. This lifting up is not necessary for the entrance of the ark, but for the entrance of Jehovah! He must not stoop to enter His own city! He is so great that these gates and doors do not allow adequate entrance the way they are normally. Therefore, lift them up!

The Royal Entry

The One who is coming into the city is the King of glory. He is Jehovah of hosts. He is not to be compared to the gods of the other nations and peoples, this God is the greatest! No gate or door is large enough to offer Him entrance. No city is able to contain Him. So David sings and rejoices when the ark of the covenant comes into Jerusalem. This will be Jerusalem’s greatest day! David is not the glory of this city! It is David’s God, the King of glory, Jehovah of hosts who will give luster to this city! David comes as a conquering hero, but it is Jehovah of hosts who is mighty in battle who has given victory to David over all his foes. Let the people realize that Israel is a Theocracy, where God is the true King. David only reigns by His grace.

Christ’s Ascension to Heaven

As was mentioned before, this Psalm sings of the coming of the ark of God into Jerusalem, but it also looks much farther into the future and speaks of the return of Jesus Christ into the heavens, from whence He had come. For some reason the ascension of our Lord is not celebrated like some of the other great days in the history of our redemption. The coming of our Lord in the flesh is celebrated by both church and world. Even His death, and surely His resurrection, are great days for believer and unbeliever. But, the ascension is virtually ignored. Why? This certainly is as important as any of the other links in that chain of events dealing with the salvation of His people. The Old Testament already shows us the proper attitude regarding the ascension in the Messianic Psalms. Not only Psalm 24, but also Psalms 47 and 68 speak of the ascension of the Christ. He indeed goes back to His Father as the conquering hero! He has accomplished all the work the Father had given Him to do. Now He can no longer stay here. It is profitable for His followers that He ascend. If He doesn’t, the Spirit will not come. If He doesn’t He will not be able to sit at the right hand of God and rule over both church and world. Christ has emphasized the importance of the ascension. His death and resurrection must now be followed by His ascension so that He may again share in the glory which was His before the world began.

The words of Psalm 24 may then be seen as a welcome greeting to the Christ as He ascends into heaven. This has never happened before. But, heaven is also not complete if He is not there. Lift up the gates and the doors and let this conquering King come into His throne-room! Although the men for whom He died and for whom He rose again may not see the importance or significance of the ascension of their Lord, the heavenly host welcomes Him with jubilation! Those who inhabit the heavens realize the significance of this event and they can break out in the song which was written for this purpose centuries before. He comes with clean hands. He comes with pure heart. He has not sworn deceitfully. He is worthy to enter this place. He has been so humiliated in the past. He took on Himself the form. of a servant, though He was the Son! He suffered lifelong here on earth. He was maligned. He was crucified. He was killed. He was buried. But, the time of humiliation is past! He rose from the dead! He did not rise to be a spectacle here on this earth where everything is mortal. No, He rose so that He might ascend to where He was before. He is now equipped to ascend. His work here on earth is finished and there is a great deal of work to be done above. He goes to prepare a place for His people. He goes to intercede for His people. He goes to send the Spirit of God upon His people. He goes to rule all things unto their destined end. The ascension is of great importance to His people.

Who Is the King?

The question is asked in Psalm 24 who this king of glory is. This question is repeated. The identity of the One who is coming into the holy city must be well established. But, the Psalmist finds no difficulty in identifying the Lord of hosts as the one who may legitimately come into this holy place. So it.is also in the final fulfillment of this Psalm. Who is this who demands entrance? It is the King of glory! He is not One who is an imposter! He is the One who is strong and mighty, mighty in battle! He has fought all His battles. He began in the wilderness where He met the opponent face to face and He bound the strong man. From there he goes out and robs his house; he casts the demons out! This Jesus is here identified with Jehovah! “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30). This was spoken of by the Psalmist ages ago! Let, therefore, the gates be opened wide and let the everlasting doors be opened wide so that there may be no hindrance for the entrance of this Savior into the heavens.

Seen in the light of this Psalm, the ascension of our Savior becomes something glorious in which the believer can rejoice. It is too bad that the Old Testament saint must teach the New Testament believer how rich he really is! But, therefore God has given us the whole Bible, both Old and New Testaments, in order that the picture might be complete. When men continually say to us: Where is your God, Where is your Savior? Our reply can be: Our God and Savior is in the heavens and from there rules all things!

The Ruling Lord

The ascension of Jesus Christ was one of the greatest deeds ever accomplished in the history of our redemption. This act of His gives the proper interpretation to all His previous works and also gives the assurance concerning those things which are still to come. We also shall ascend! He will rule over all things unto the coming of His glorious Kingdom. He will come again to judge the living and the dead at the end of the ages. He has all things under His divine control. Christ is in the heavens and all is well with His people!

Only when the proper recognition is given to the ascension as well as to all the other mighty acts of Christ will we have a complete gospel. Those who do not give sufficient weight to this event are coming up with a gospel which is not complete. Such a gospel ends in Joseph’s garden. Such a gospel ends with confused disciples. Such a “gospel” really is no gospel. But, rejoice, O child of God; Jesus is in the heavens and sits at the right hand of God!

Questions for discussion:

1. Israel was not to make any images of God in order to worship them. Yet, God was visibly represented by the ark. Is there significance in the fact that this was a box which contained several things? 2. Why did the presence of the ark in various places in Israel have such a strange history? Was it not cruel that Uzzah died when he meant so well? 3. Why can it be said that Saul’s kingship was doomed to failure from the beginning? 4. Why is the ascension the least of all the feast days in the church? 5. Is there a possibility of restoring ascension day to its rightful place on the church calendar? How can it be done? Most denominations do not even have a service on that day. Will we keep it much longer if we have combined services of several congregations?    

THE OBEDIENCE OF CHRIST

Lesson 6

Psalm 40:6–10

The Great Deliverance

In Psalm 40, as in many other Psalms, the poet first speaks of the difficulty in which he has found himself and later speaks of the deliverance which has been granted him. In this kind of context he often speaks of the deliverance which the Christ will bring in His own time. In this particular Psalm he has spoken of a horrible pit, of miry clay in which he was trapped. But, God rescued him and he now wonders how he may show true gratitude for the deliverance which was granted him.

How to Give Thanks

It is always a good question: How shall we give adequate thanks to God for what He has done for us? The Psalmist first approaches the problem negatively when he says: Sacrifice and offering thou hast no delight in; burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. It is important for us to realize that God had indeed required these offerings and sacrifices of His people! He had shown them that without blood there was no approach for them into the holy place. But, it was always a dangerous type of religion which Israel was called to practice. They had to bring the sacrifices—but, the mere bringing of these sacrifices accomplished nothing. The prophets were sent to Israel time and again to warn the people concerning an external religion. Sacrifices had to be brought, but, they had to be brought with a believing heart! Now when the Psalmist contemplates the giving of thanks to his God he finds the bringing of sacrifices wholly inadequate. Israel also had to realize, of course, that the blood of bulls and goats would not cleanse the heart of man. The thank-offerings too were not sufficient as an expression of thanks to the Most High. But, if He does not require the sacrifices and has no delight in all these offerings, how shall man approach Him? Man is not able to bring gifts in order to enrich Him! Gratitude must be expressed and the author of this Psalm feels it.

He now uses a very peculiar terminology to make clear how he will give thanks to God for the salvation He has given him. But, this manner of thanksgiving also comes from God! Everything originates in Him! He is the Author of life, of faith and even of the means to give thanks. All the Psalmist is able to do is to receive and receive some more. Psalm 116:12–13 gives a beautiful expression to this thought. “What shall I render unto Jehovah for all his benefits toward me?” The answer is “I will take the cup of salvation . . .” The only way a man will be able to render anything to his God is by taking more! So it is here. Sacrifices and offerings do not fill the bill. What now? God has opened his ears! God did it not the Psalmist! These words “mine ears hast thou opened” have been translated in different ways. This translation is one; others speak of “mine ears hast thou pierced;” and still others “mine ears hast thou digged.” The main thrust of these words is that he can now listen and thus be obedient! Obedience always was better than sacrifice! . . . In the idea of the “piercing” of the ears is the thought expressed in Exodus 21:6. The slave who did not wish to be set free, but wished to remain in his master’s employ, was taken to a door–post and his ear was pierced with an awl to show that he voluntarily remained in the employ of his master. Regardless of the translation, the idea of obedience is most prominent. This is the way in which he will show his gratitude to God.

The Savior’s Obedience

The writer to the Hebrews gives a different interpretation and translation to these words (10:4-10). He says: “Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body didst thou prepare for me.” This writer is following the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament called the Septuagint Version. This writer is also speaking by inspiration. How all the various parts are to be understood is very difficult to say and some of the best commentators simply say that they have not been able to find a convincing interpretation. Although the writer of Hebrews in 10:5 certainly adds an element which seems foreign to Psalm 40:6, the idea of the obedience which Christ only could bring is in the foreground in both instances. This is where the emphasis lies. He hears the word and fulfills it in obedience; He is given a body in order to fulfill all obedience which was required of man.

If the sacrifices and offerings do not suffice, the Christ says, “Lo I come!” He is the end of all sacrifices. He will bring the sacrifice which will complete all the sacrifices ever prescribed and no one may come with another sacrifice! He sets Himself over against the sacrifices of the Old Testament. With His coming all the answers are given to the spiritual problems of man. If sacrifices will not be acceptable where can man turn? Then He says, “Lo I am come!” By these words this Psalm is shown to be clearly Messianic. No one could speak these words in this context! Christ Jesus is the answer. He is the answer to the sacrifices and He is the answer to the expression of gratitude. The Old Testament is nothing without t he Christ. The Psalms may be ever so beautiful but they are empty sounds without the Christ!

It should come as no surprise to anyone living during the days of the Psalmist that the Christ would come to fulfill all that was lacking before. In the roll of the book, of the Torah, of the Book of the Law, it was written of Him that He delighted to do the will of God! Where does this teaching come in the books of Moses? Not in any particular passage but rather throughout this entire pentateuch. He is the message of the Old Testament! He is the heart of it. No one else has such a delight in doing the will of God. Even Moses had his difficulties with the will of God and went contrary to this will several times. David, though a friend of God, nevertheless sinned deeply in disobeying the will of God. But Christ can say, “I delight to do thy will, O my God.”

The obedience of Jesus Christ is referred to again in the New Testament. He was obedient even unto death (Phil. 2:8). Isn’t it strange that we hear so little about the obedience of Jesus Christ today? We constantly speak of what He has done, and rightly so, but the element of obedience is so often forgotten.

God’s Law in the Heart

That He is obedient is natural, because the law of God is written in His heart. The prophet Jeremiah writes of the fact that the law will be written on the hearts at the time of the “new covenant.” (Jer. 31:33). That is not yet the case at the present time in which the Psalmist is writing. There are even many today who believe that we are finished with that law because grace came through Jesus Christ, and we are therefore under grace rather than under the law. The law is written on the heart of Christ! That is the reason why He has such a delight in doing the will of God! When He renders His obedience, He renders the desire of His heart. He and the Father are One—both in being and in thought. What the Father desires, He desires.

Declaring the Gospel

David has experienced the goodness and the favor of God, and he also bears witness to the grace which has been shown him. He has proclaimed, he has borne witness, to the “glad tidings of righteousness.” This was the “good news” which he proclaimed. He was engaging in evangelism! He bore witness to the righteousness of God in the great assembly, i.e., in the gathering of His people, in the church! He bore witness to the righteousness of God. It is not a bearing witness to what has happened inside of him first of all, but he bears witness to the mighty works of God! This is true witnessing. He reiterates this thought by saying that he will not refrain his lips, he will not stop them from bearing witness to the great things his God has done. Jehovah is called in as a witness to this truth—“O Jehovah, thou knowest.”

In verse 10 he continues this thought. He had spoken of the fact that the law of God was written on his heart, but this is not sufficient. He will not hide that righteousness within his heart but will publish it abroad. He has declared, and will declare the faithfulness and the salvation of his God. The one grace tumbles over the other in these two verses! He has tasted of this faithfulness and the salvation of God. How can he then keep silence? How can you have a silent believer? The heart being filled with all the mercies the Lord has bestowed, the lips will have to speak. I have not concealed thy loving kindness and thy truth from the great assembly. David is the true man of God. He has indeed been highly favored by Him. David will now also speak of all that the Lord has done for him and thereby bring glory to the name of his God.

Jesus Christ has come to fulfill all the things David saw only in principle. He has been obedient and has also been obedient to the great missionary command. “I have glorified Thee on the earth.” “I have glorified Thy name.” Nowhere are the virtues and the attributes of God proclaimed more clearly than from the lips of Jesus Christ. He made the good confession when He was standing before His earthly judges. He did not refrain His lips. He came not to do His own will, but the will of Him who had sent Him. He sought not His own glory, but always glorified the Father from Whom He had come. He indeed brought the good news.

This section of this beautiful Psalm has much to teach us concerning the coming of our Savior, His purpose in coming and even in the proclamation of the good news of the gospel. There is much “witnessing” today which is no witnessing in the Biblical sense. The witnesses only testify of their own feelings. This is no true witness. We are “His witnesses!” We are to bear testimony to His greatness. This is stressed in this Psalm. This was stressed by Jesus Christ. We are His witnesses that He is God!

Questions for discussion:

1. Was there more danger of externalizing religion in the Old Testament than among us? Explain. 2. Is the law of God still important today? Should it be read in one of the services on Sunday? Is the reading of a New Testament passage just as effective? 3. Is the law of God written on our hearts? When will it be? How can the heathen who do not know the law keep the law by nature (Rom. 2:14, 15)? 4. Is all evangelism per se good? Why or why not? How should it be judged? 5. Is there a need of bearing witness to the greatness of God and His goodness to His own people? Or should this be done to those who do not know Him?