The King of Glory

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1. Observe

   What two questions does the psalm ask in verse 3, and how are they answered?

   • "Who is mighty? Who is wealthy?" — Answered by warriors and kings
   • "Who is wise? Who is righteous?" — Answered by elders
   • "Who may ascend Yahweh's hill? Who may stand in his holy place?" — Answered: "He who has clean hands and a pure heart; who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood and has not sworn deceitfully"
   • "Who created the earth? Who founded the seas?" — Answered: Yahweh

2. Observe

   How is the King of Glory identified in verses 8 and 10?

   • David, the anointed
   • Verse 8: "Yahweh strong and mighty, Yahweh mighty in battle"; Verse 10: "Yahweh of Armies! He is the King of Glory!"
   • Solomon, the wise
   • Moses, the lawgiver

3. Interpret

   Why does the psalm declare Yahweh's universal ownership (v. 1) BEFORE asking who may stand in his holy place (v. 3)?

   • Because all human worship operates within the prior reality of God's total ownership of the world — the ethical question of who may approach is grounded in the more basic fact of who owns; we don't approach God on neutral ground we own and offer to him, we approach as creatures returning to the creator
   • Because the editor put them in random order
   • Because the universal lordship is unimportant
   • Because the ethical requirement applies only to non-Israelites

4. Interpret

   Why must both "clean hands" (outward action) and "pure heart" (inward disposition) be present (v. 4)?

   • Because outward acts without inward integrity are hypocrisy, and inward intentions without obedient actions are self-deception — biblical holiness is the integration of inner motive with outer deed, not one substituting for the other
   • Because clean hands matter more
   • Because a pure heart is sufficient on its own
   • Because they're really the same thing

5. Apply

   How does "the earth is Yahweh's, with its fullness" (v. 1) change your relationship to possessions, time, and abilities?

   • It makes them irrelevant
   • It re-frames everything from "mine" to "entrusted" — possessions become stewardship rather than ownership, time becomes a gift to be invested rather than a possession to be consumed, abilities become deployed gifts rather than personal achievements; the question shifts from "what should I do with what's mine" to "what does the Owner want done with what he has given me"
   • It means God will take everything from you
   • It only applies to tithing

6. Apply

   What does it mean to "lift up the gates" of your heart for the King of Glory?

   • That you'd consciously identify and surrender the low-hanging interior resistances — pride, hidden grudges, fear, secret sin, control — that block fuller welcome of Christ's reign, and deliberately yield those areas instead of letting them quietly bar the gates
   • That you'd remodel your home
   • That you'd build a literal door
   • That you'd write a poem

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