The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it.
That, my friends, is a statement of
faith. It is like saying, “I believe in
God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.” It is a declaration regarding who made the
earth and where we fit in it!
The earth is the LORD’s, not ours. That’s not to say we shouldn’t be here. I think of my children and my house. I own the house, but it is still their home,
too. It’s important to know that this
world belongs to God. Even though we
wait for an eternal home in His glory, which Jesus has prepared for us by His
death, resurrection, and ascension, we can rightly say, “This is home – at least
for now.” As we sojourn on Earth, we
dwell on our Father’s property. We have
every right to represent Him, speak up for Him, and live in His way.
Having confessed that the earth is the LORD’s, the psalmist asks the
question, “Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?” He
is asking, “Who can come into God’s presence?
Who can worship him?” We would be
quick to answer, “We will! We do!” But we must be careful to not think ourselves
worthy of this honor. Only those with
clean hands and a pure heart can enter God’s presence. Only those whose souls are completely honest
and who do not lie can rightly worship Him.
I fall short of those descriptions. How about you?
There is only one person that fits the bill,
and that is Jesus, the Word made flesh, who came to earth to make God known,
reveal His love, and win our salvation.
In Him, our sins are forgiven. Having been buried with Him in baptism,
our hands are cleaned and our hearts are purified. Given new life in the Spirit our souls are
honest and we do not lie! Therefore we
truly can enter God’s presence and worship Him because Jesus, the King of kings
and Lord of lords, has declared us worthy through faith in Him - and what the
King says goes.
In joy and gratitude we call this world to
welcome the King and to receive the salvation He has won for us by His own
blood. “Lift up your heads, O
gates! Be lifted up, O ancient doors!”
And how does the world respond? Luther comments, that this psalm, “calls on
the ‘doors’ of the world, that is, the kings and princes, to make way for the
kingdom of Christ. They and those who
for the most part rage against Him (Psalm 2) ask, ‘Who is this King of glory?’
as if they were to say, ‘This beggar!
Yes, this heretic! This
criminal! Shall he be a king and shall
we yield and submit to him? We shall
not!’”
Yet we know that this King of glory is the LORD of hosts, or as we used
to say, “LORD God of Sabaoth.” The idea of LORD of hosts is a bit
ambiguous. Sabaoth literally means, “armies.” Who is the King of Glory? He is the LORD who commands the armies of Heaven; the
angels and archangels who are His servants and messengers! This world will submit to Him, and its rulers
will bow before Him!
We live in this world confident in Jesus, our
God and King, before whom the angels bow and worship. He is the one who brings us into
worship. He is the One who makes us
children of God.
This is my Father’s world; Oh, let me not forget That though the wrong
seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father’s world; Why should my heart be sad? The Lord is king, let the heavens ring; God
reigns, let the earth be glad!
Amen.
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