Psalm 24 1 Meaning

Psalm 24 1 Meaning: Since we’ve already established that David wrote this psalm on the occasion of the Ark of the Covenant entering Jerusalem to the tent he built for it, we’ll move past the superscription and we’ll come to the first contemplation David has regarding God’s presence.

Psalm 24 1 Meaning
God’s Awesome Power

And that is this – the awesome power of this one whose presence we enjoy.

^KJV Psalm 24:1 <A Psalm of David.>

The earth is the LORD’S, and [the fulness thereof/all it contains];
the world, and [they that/those who] dwell [therein/in it].

The earth	is the Lord’s	and the fullness thereof
the world		and they that dwell therein

“To the Lord the earth and its fullness, the world and the ones dwelling in it.”

The Earth and Its Fullness

Consider your great privilege, brethren. The God whose presence you enjoy created the world. Literally – in the Hebrew word order – to the Lord, the earth and its fullness. The Lord has the sovereign right over the whole earth.

Psalm 24 1 Meaning
Things

He owns the grass. He owns the trees. It’s his air that you are now breathing without paying him a penny for it. It’s his water that he created that you and I have in such abundance. It pours down on our gardens and into our public reservoirs without the Lord requiring any payment.

Psalm 24 1 Meaning
People

And it’s not just that God owns stuff. He owns people. All of them. Every one. Look at that arm of yours. Give it a pinch and realize that God crafted that just for you in your mother’s womb. He owns you. He owns me. He owns Donald Trump the same as he’s owned Barak Obama. Kim Jong Un is in his hands and will some day give account to him.

Psalm 24 1 Meaning
Societies

Individuals are his and so are societies. This is not to say that the Lord is happy with what every individual or society is doing. That’s not an area that David is delving into yet. He’s simply letting our minds run over all the things that belong to the Lord.

So, survey all that is the Lord’s.

Psalm 24 1 Meaning
God Dwells in You!

And then remember the awesome fact that he dwells in you. Treasure the fact that as we gather together for our worship services today that this one to whom belong all things is the same one who walks amidst his churches. He’s the one who promised to be with us always as we pursue Great Commission work together as the church.

How powerful is this one whose presence we enjoy.

God’s Authority

Well, a person might wonder why the earth is the Lord’s. What gives him the right to it? David addresses that in verse 2.