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The earth is the\xa0Lord\u2019s,\xa0and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters. Who may ascend the mountain\xa0of the\xa0Lord?\xa0Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands\xa0and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god. \xa0They will receive blessing\xa0from the\xa0Lord and vindication\xa0from God their Savior. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face,\xa0God of Jacob. (Psalm 24:1-6)

On Tuesday I talked about beginning.\xa0 God is the Creator of life. Life abundant.\xa0 Because He knows us and is with us always, we do not have to stand in fear or discouragement, because we are promised love, joy, and new life in Christ.\xa0 Christ makes us new in Him.\xa0 We are to set our eyes to God, who was and is the beginning of all time, of all things.\xa0

Psalm 24 is thought to have been composed by David for the occasion of bringing the ark of the covenant into the tabernacle which David had built for it (1 Sam 6). The Philistines had killed 4000 Israelites in battle, and captured the ark of God, bringing it back with them to Philistine country.\xa0 But God was displeased with this arrangement\u2026to put it mildly.\xa0 The people in every Philistine city that the ark was moved to were afflicted with tumours, many died, and the Philistine god Dagon fell from its prominent place in its temple and was broken on the ground. Out of fear for their lives, and their livelihoods the Philistine\u2019s returned the ark to the nation of Israel. With a gift of gold to appease the God of the Israelites.

You see, God is a jealous God.\xa0 He belongs to His chosen people and His people belong to Him. The earth and everything in it belong to God.\xa0 Why?\xa0 Because He created it all.\xa0 He created us all.\xa0 Creator God. Creator of life abundant.\xa0 Do we simply receive abundant life because we are the creation of God?\xa0 David writes in Psalm 24 that those with clean hands and a pure heart, those who seek God, they will receive blessing and vindication from the Lord.\xa0

The Philistines were unconsecrated idol worshippers.\xa0 They swore by their god Dagon, the god of fertility and crops.\xa0 God wanted to let them know that He was God, that created idols could not take His place, and that He alone could bring life, or destroy it.\xa0 He plainly let the Philistines know that He was not their God.

And once the ark was returned to Israel, the Levites took the ark of the covenant and placed it on a large rock and the people of Beth Shemesh\xa0offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the\xa0Lord. \u201cBut God struck down\xa0some of the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh, putting seventy of them to death because they looked\xa0into the ark of the\xa0Lord. The people mourned because of the heavy blow the\xa0Lord\xa0had dealt them.\xa0And the people of Beth Shemesh asked, \u201cWho can stand\xa0in the presence of the\xa0Lord, this holy\xa0God?\u201d (1 Sam 6:19-20).

God is holy and incomprehensible.\xa0 He is willing to reveal Himself both to the Philistines and to the Israelites to reveal His power, His holiness and His sovereignty.\xa0 He is willing to put any in their place who dare exalt themselves above Him.

Once the ark of the covenant was brought into the tabernacle, Psalm 24 was to be sung.\xa0 A Psalm of belonging.\xa0 A Psalm of providence.\xa0 A Psalm of Creator God, holy and high above every created plant, animal, and person.

Who may ascend the mountain\xa0of the\xa0Lord?\xa0Who may stand in his holy place?\xa0 The beloved of God.\xa0 Those who are chosen, His in Christ Jesus.\xa0 Those whom He has redeemed as His very own.\xa0 He fights for us, and He reveals His majesty and sovereignty to us, reminding us that we are to seek His face.\xa0 Daily. \xa0Let us bring our hearts and our hands to the Lord who is Creator of all, Sovereign over all and who blesses and vindicates us in Christ Jesus.