Psalm 24

This Psalm was possibly written for the time when the ark of the covenant was brought to Jerusalem.

The starting point is that everything belongs to the Lord. He is a holy God, so who can possibly approach him and live. Remember that at David's first attempt to bring the ark back Uzzah had been killed by the Lord (2 Sam 6:6-8). So the fear of the Lord was a very real thing for David.

Those who can approach the Lord are those who have clear hands, a pure heart, and trust only in God. How does this apply to us? It is the blood of Jesus that makes us pure, we must also live good lives and trust in Him. There are two aspects to our interaction with God. One is on a "legal" level, the other is relational. The cross deals fully with our unworthiness, our uncleaness. It is also part of the relational side. The Father sent His Son to the cross because He wanted us to live in fellowship with Him. But there are two sides to a relationship, and for the relationship to work well we need to do our part. This includes the way we live and our trusting in the Lord.

The outcome of this is that we will receive vindication and blessing from the Lord.

The Psalm then closes with the sanctuary preparing for the entry of the Lord. When we return to God He comes to make His home with us (John 14:23). Note the majesty and glory of the  occasion that David is describing. When we turn to the Lord there is the same majesty and glory when He comes into our lives. It is the king of Glory who lives in us!