Psalm 24 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 24 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it;
Verse 2for he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers.
Verse 3Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place?
Verse 4Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully.
Verse 5They will receive blessing from the Lord, and vindication from the God of their salvation.
Verse 6Such is the company of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah
Verse 7Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in.
Verse 8Who is the King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle.
Verse 9Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in.
Verse 10Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah
Devotion
“And who shall stand in his holy place?” asks the psalmist. Not me, I think, as I read the answer: “those who have clean hands and pure hearts.” But remembering my baptism reorients my thoughts. With water and the Word, the stain of sin was washed away, leaving me with clean hands. With water and the Word, I was reborn with a pure heart. You and I were “set apart” which is what “made holy” means. People who are not baptized are also loved by the Lord. The gift of baptism adds the assurance that you are officially adopted as a child of God when the water pours over you.
The main point of a psalm is often in its middle verses. At its center this psalm reassures God’s blessing-soaked people that those who seek the Lord receive salvation from the One who reigns gloriously over all the earth.
Prayer
Almighty God, when in the busyness of our days we forget who we are called to be, remind us of our identity as your beloved children. May we daily remember that your Spirit remains with us, guiding and upholding us. Amen.
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