There should be no doubt in the heart of a Jesus-follower about whose world this is. It is the LORD’s (Ps 24:1). And He has the right to set the qualifications for entry and in habiting His world. And He does (vv3-4). We must be clean by His standards, not our own. Not everyone meets these standards. When we do, blessings follow (vv5-6). But we must invite the LORD’s presence in our lives (vv7 & 9). The writer uses imagery of ancient city doors that were drawn up to open and dropped for protection against an enemy. He calls on these doors to be opened. He is really calling on the people to open up their hearts in order to receive Him into their lives. What have you done to signal your welcoming of God’s presence in your life?
When slander comes our direction it can feel as though the world is coming to an end. Psalm 54 briefly captures some of that desperation. He feels powerless (v1) and unheard (v2). Godless people are attacking him (v3). He speaks in faith of the LORD’s sustaining power (v4) and of his enemies’ destruction (v5). And when deliverance comes, he will be ready in worship. The LORD has been faithful in the past, and he has confidence He will be with him in the future.
There is just something about the LORD’s presence that satisfies like nothing else. Psalm 84 begins with a wonderful picture of that yearning and satisfaction. Ever fiber of his being wants the LORD (v2). He sees a bird nesting in the Temple and hears its song and is jealous because it can live in the Temple and he can’t (vv3-4). You might say that this kind of longing for a physical place does not happen today. But I know many people who have gone to Israel so that they could walk where Jesus walked, be baptized in the Jordan River, and float in the Dead Sea. Some visit Rome to walk through the Basilica of St Peter or to Wittenberg to see where Martin Luther started the Protestant reformation. Places can have meaning.
Psalm 114 recounts the effect of God’s presence in the life of Israel at one particular moment in their history. The Psalmist compresses the Exodus from Egypt and their entry into the Promised Land into a quick succession of events instead of two events separated by forty years of wandering in the desert. No geography can prevent the LORD from accomplishing His purpose. He asks these geographic elements why they fled (vv5-6). And then he answers his own question. They fled because the LORD was present. His presence accomplishes His will.
Battle is a common theme in Scripture. Being part of the force that protects a nation is an honorable profession. The Psalmist asks for the LORD’s help in his military endeavors (Ps 144). The presence of the LORD in battle is not a contradiction in His character. He is loving and just. He cares for His people and punishes wrong doing. These are not mutually exclusive. It is “both/and” not “either/or”. If we think “either/or” on this issue then our image of God is incorrect, too small, too anthropomorphic. The LORD can be on one side in a battle, opposing some and upholding another. He does not always sit on the sidelines, but becomes involved in battle.
The Arnold Journey 