What does it mean that God is the King of glory?

"Lift up your heads, O you gates.! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in" (v. 7). The gates of men's hearts have been for centuries closed to the true King of Israel, and the nation Israel has been specially guilty in this regard. What a change will take place when the Lord Jesus comes to assert His own rights! The gates of the city of Jerusalem will be opened wide at that time to receive Israel's true Messiah; and the doors are spoken of as "everlasting." Why? Because He will take His place of supreme authority for eternity: nothing can ever again challenge this King of God's appointment.

"Who is this King of glory?" The answer is clear and decisive: the King, the Lord Jesus, is Jehovah strong and mighty, Jehovah mighty in battle." The reason for asking the question is that men might be challenged to recognize that the Lord Jesus is no less than Jehovah. In fact, the declaration is made the second time, with the same question again asked (vv. 9-10), for the matter is one of the greatest significance. If people will not face this, they are guilty of insulting Jehovah, and the consequences of such unbelief must involve eternal destruction.

(vv. 7-10) The closing verses of the psalm celebrate the entry of Christ, as the King of glory, into the sanctuary in the midst of His people. The question is raised, “Who is this King of glory?” The answer tells us of the glory of His person and His work. He is Jehovah, strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. For His people He gained the great victory at the cross, over every enemy. Thus we have not only His creatorial claims to the kingdom, and not only His rights as the perfect Man, but also the righteous ground of all blessing for His people, the mighty victory of the cross.

Again the question is raised, “Who is this King of glory?” And now we learn He is not only the Lord mighty in battle, but He is “The Lord of hosts.” He is the One who associates the vast host of the redeemed with Himself. He is the One strong and mighty that maintained the holiness of God and gained a great victory for His people at the cross. He is the One who, as the Shepherd, led His people through the wilderness journey, and He is the One who, as the King of glory and the Lord of hosts, will bring His people into the millennial blessing of the kingdom.

This is truly a millennial psalm, in the form of a dialogue of which there are many instances in the Hebrew writings (Ps. 91; Isa. 53:4). It contains just an acknowledgement of Jehovah's title to the earth — He founded it and established it; it is His and all that it contains. Then follows the question "Who shall ascend into the hill of Jehovah?" etc. The answer is, he of clean hands and a pure heart, free from idolatry and profaneness. Such shall be blessed; and such is the generation to come. But when the godly remnant shall thus appear, another appears at their head, the suffering Messiah, the Shepherd of Israel, the King of glory entering by the everlasting doors. Who is he, this King of glory? Jehovah strong and mighty, Jehovah mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates. Jehovah of hosts, He is the King of glory, erst a reproach of men and despised of the people, yea forsaken of His God on the cross. What a discovery for Israel!

We are now made to see Jehovah Himself enter His temple, to rest at last, after the long strife is over, the glorious King, so long refused or ignored, now clothed with irresistible might. The gates are challenged that had been shut against Him, and bidden to lift up their heads to admit a more exalted Visitant than ever they had known before. The answering question comes, however, as if they who gave it were still unconscious of His majesty, "Who is this King of glory?" To which again it is replied, "Jehovah strong and mighty; Jehovah mighty in war." No doubt, as Delitzsch puts it, the reference here may have been to the conquest of Zion by David in the power of God. But this, as we have seen elsewhere, has also its typical significance (see 2 Sam. 5:6, notes); and the psalm looks onward to the fulfillment of the type. The true David has come forth, the Christ in divine glory, and yet as the apocalyptic Rider on the white horse (Rev. 19:11), the Warrior-King. He has shown Himself for the deliverance of His people and of the earth, "Jehovah mighty in war." The hostile powers of the nations have been smitten down, and the victory is achieved which has made peace — a long peace — possible. He has scattered the people that delight in war. The Jebusites, the "treaders down," are they that have been trodden down, and Zion is now to be His "fixed" abode.

So the reiterated appeal is made: "Lift up your heads, ye gates; and lift them up, ye everlasting doors! and the King of glory shall come in." But from the gates yet again the question comes: "Who is He, this King of glory?" As when of old, in the presence of the risen Lord, the disciples believed not for joy, and wondered," so here the wondrous truth is too great for sudden admittance; it is not easy for the gates to lift themselves so high. But it must be: His grace will take no denial with the magnificence of His universal title He will put down all resistance to His will. Listen, long desolate Zion! Listen, O earth, planet that past been indeed a "wanderer" among the stars, lost prodigal, darkened with the dust of thy servitude, and stranger to the heart of God: there is to be merriment and gladness over thee, restored prodigal, brought back into the brotherhood of stars that shine forever. Listen: "Jehovah of hosts! HE is the King of glory."

In the Psalms we have His deity clearly and distinctly taught. "The King of glory" in Ps. 24:7-10 is declared to be "Jehovah of hosts." But this King of glory is also "mighty in battle," and is identical with the Victor who is seen in Ps. 45 with sword girt upon His thigh, and He is none other than "the Word of God" (Rev. 19:11-16). In Ps. 45 He is addressed by the divine title: "Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever" (ver. 6).

We do not meet with this name until 1 Sam. 1:3. It came in with prophetic testimony, faith laying hold of Jehovah's glory when Israel had corrupted themselves, and were in a weak and low estate. Scripture reveals that there is a mighty heavenly host, and principalities and powers in the unseen world. God is the God of them all, as well as God of all the elements of nature, which have often been used by Him to punish His enemies. "The stars in their courses fought against Sisera." Judges 5:20. We read of 'the God of hosts' only a few times comparatively; it is mostly 'Jehovah of hosts,' and at times 'Jehovah God of hosts,' showing that it is in connection with Israel that God revealed Himself under this name. Jehovah of hosts dwelt between the cherubim. From the beginning of 1 Samuel these titles constantly occur to the end of the O.T. In Ps. 24:10 the Lord Jesus is shown to be "Jehovah of hosts: he is the king of glory:" cf. Eph. 1:20-21; Col. 1:16. The same title occurs in the N.T. as the LORD OF SABAOTH. Rom. 9:29 (in a quotation from Isa. 1:9), and James 5:4.

Then go on to the twenty-fourth psalm and you have at last, "Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in." Wherever He enters, the gates are opened wide to receive the "King of glory," whether it be His earthly city or the heavenly Jerusalem of which the earthly was a symbol. He enters by His own blood into the glory, and the welcome which is given Him there, as King of glory, is on the ground of His having accomplished an eternal redemption, of having glorified God.

The last four verses of the Psalm picture Him as ascending into the hill of the Lord, and entering His holy place. The scene is one of millennial splendour, and the holy places as pictured by Ezekiel (Ezek. 40 to 48) pass before the prophetic view of the Psalmist. Not infrequently the passage is taken up by way of application rather than interpretation and made to refer to the entrance of our Lord into heavenly glory. This is quite permissible doubtless, for He has been glorified "straightway" in the presence of God, according to His own words in John 13:32. Still the public glory which is yet to come is strictly speaking the point here. It is not enough that He should be glorified in private (as far as this world is concerned); glory of a public sort must also be His. And, more particularly, He must be abundantly glorified in the very scene of His public dishonour. When the gates and doors are lifted up, He shall enter, not only as the One in whom all moral perfection is found, but also as the King of glory.

Here we have the glorious manifestation and entry of the King into His House and dwelling place. It is a most sublime description. It has nothing to do with the ascension of our Lord, it is His glorious return and entry into the earthly Zion to fill it once more with His visible glory. And the King of Glory is the Lord of Hosts. Jehovah of Hosts, He is the King of Glory. He who was forsaken on the cross is now crowned with many crowns.

But there is the second answer. He is the Lord of hosts, for others are associated with Him. Revelation 19:14 shows us that, when He shall come forth as a Warrior to judgment, there will be the armies of heaven who follow Him — His heavenly saints who are to wear His likeness and share His triumphs. In them, as in others besides, He will see the fruit of the travail of His soul.

We began by remarking that there were many contrasts in these Psalms, taking one of them as our title. We close by pointing out a few more. Once for Him it was all reproach, despising, scorn. Ultimately He is to appear as the King of Glory. Then He appeared as the dependent One, trusting on the Lord, and made to hope upon His mother's breasts. He shall yet be manifested as the Lord strong and mighty in battle. Then He was forsaken of God, and of men too for He had to say, "There is none to help." He shall then stand forth surrounded by the hosts of His redeemed, and He the Lord of hosts among them. Once He took the outside place of forsaking. Then the King of glory shall come in.