and then shall pass, when 'goodness and mercy have followed us all the
days of our lives,' and 'dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.'




THE GOD WHO DWELLS WITH MEN


'Lift up your heads, O ye gates: and be ye lift up, ye everlasting
doors; and the King of glory shall come in. 8. Who is this King of
glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. 9.
Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting
doors; and the King of glory shall come in. 10. Who is this King of
glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory.'
--PSALM xxiv. 7-10.

This whole psalm was probably composed at the time of the bringing of
the ark into the city of Zion. The former half was chanted as the
procession wound its way up the hillside. It mainly consists of the
answer to the question 'Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord?' and
describes the kind of men that dwell with God, and the way by which they
obtain their purity.

This second half of our psalm is probably to be thought of as being
chanted when the procession had reached the summit of the hill and stood
before the barred gates of the ancient Jebusite city. It is mainly in
answer to the question, 'Who is this King of Glory?' and is the
description of the God that dwells with men, and the meaning of His
dwelling with them.