Psalm 8:1 declares that the Lord has set His glory above the heavens. Somewhere beyond the beautiful skies we enjoy, God has set His glory. Paradise, where those in Christ will spend eternity, captures and expresses God’s glory like no other place in the universe.
The glory of God is the display of His perfect holiness and majesty. We can experience His glory in part right now. The beauty of His holiness is seen and praised by angels who cry, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory" (Isaiah 6:3).
Who would want to leave such a place of glory? The King of Glory leaves it to bring His glory and salvation to us. He leaves it to help, comfort, fight for, and love us. But who is this King of Glory?
When there’s a knock at the door, we often ask, "Who is it?" David speaks of “everlasting doors” being lifted up for the King of Glory to enter. He asks, “Who is this King of Glory?” so people will seriously ponder who the King might be.
His words are recorded in Psalm 24:7-10 (NKJV): "Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory."
If we’re not attentive to what we’re reading in that passage, we may skip over a remarkable truth buried in David’s words. First, we are told that this King of Glory is none other than “the Lord strong and mighty; the Lord mighty in battle.” Mighty (Hebrew gibbor) means that He is a hero and champion always, especially in battle. The NLT Bible says the Lord is invincible in battle, meaning He is incapable of being conquered, overcome, or subdued. David knew that very well as the Lord defended him in his famous one-on-one battle with Goliath (1 Samuel 17:45,47).
Remember that the Goliaths we fight today are not flesh and blood giants; they are principalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness of this age, and spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12 NKJV). Our Lord is a hero and champion in the battles we face, just as He was in David’s battles.
This same word, gibbor, describes God in Zephaniah 3:17 (NKJV), The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty (hero) One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. It is the same word used to describe the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ, in Isaiah 9:6, For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty (hero) God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. The Lord is our hero and champion!
To emphasize the might of the Lord even more, David asks the question again in verse 10, "Who is this King of Glory? The Lord of Hosts, HE is the King of Glory," he declares. As if the Lord’s might in battle is not enough to acknowledge, David reminds us that our King of Glory, coming through the everlasting doors, is The Lord of Hosts. Heavenly Hosts, that is. Those are the Angel Armies of Heaven!
Consider the most powerful armies to have ever waged war on the earth—the Roman Army, Mongol Army, Ottoman Army, Nazi Germany Army, the Soviet Army, and the United States Army. Those military forces are like plastic toy soldiers compared to the Angel Armies of Heaven! Archangels like Michael and Gabriel take their orders from our King of Glory. There is not--nor ever will be--a more supreme and potent army than the Angel Armies of Heaven!
This mighty King of Glory stoops to an unbelievable level because of His great love and commitment to humanity. He comes knocking at the door of our hearts, seeking to save us from eternal damnation and a life of misery and defeat. Jesus Christ said this in Revelation 3:20 (NLT), "Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.”
The door to our heart is an everlasting one--everlasting life with the King of Glory or everlasting death in hell. It is powerful to lift your heart's everlasting door to Jesus Christ, and let the King of Glory, the Lord of Angel Armies, come in!! His glory will touch your life, and you will never be the same.
© 2023, Chris Custer Werre
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