Psalm Devotional
The King of Glory
Psalm 24 addresses three themes central to Reformed theology. It reveals a Reformed view of worship, Christ’s kingship, and the doctrine of justification.
Psalm 24 is a liturgical psalm. These ten verses provide us with a biblically inspired pattern of worship.
Consider the structure of the psalm for a moment. It begins with a worshipful indicative that focuses on God’s creative power (vv. 1-2). Next comes a confrontation with God’s standard of righteousness (vv. 3-4), followed by the declaration that God provides us with righteousness (vv. 5- 6). Finally, the psalm concludes with a proclamation of the victory of God our Savior (vv. 7-10).
This pattern is reflected in traditional Reformed liturgies: call to worship (vv. 1-2); reading of the Law (vv. 3-4); declaration of pardon (vv. 5-6); and the preaching of the gospel (vv. 7-10). In addition to providing us with a worship structure, this psalm gives us a worship theology. First, it reminds us that worship is dialogical in nature. That is, worship involves God speaking to His people through His appointed representative and the people responding to Him. We see this dialogical structure in the antiphonal question-and-answer exchanges found in verses 3-4 and 8-10. Many scholars believe that the priest, standing in God’s stead, is asking the questions and the congregation is responding.
