Good morning and welcome. This is Pastor lucy painter with your daily insights and today we are going to read from the book of psalms and I'm going to start by giving us a little background of the book so that we may understand the context in which it was written And in line with what we have been talking about for the past 17 days. I know most of us assume that it was King David who wrote the entire book of psalms. But the truth is that David only wrote about half of the sums the book of psalms actually names the others and this include David as the sons of cora harmon. Solomon, Morse's Ethan, the Israelite. And it's only about 50 sums that are not credited to any other, those who study the history of the bible.

And almost every bible commentary You read will attribute Sam's 24 to David and that is the sums that we are going to focus on. And it is said that Sam's 24 was written to commemorate the events recorded in first chronicles 13 and 2nd Samuel Chapter six. This was after David had defeated the philistine captured Jerusalem from the job besides. And to celebrate the victory. He brought the ark of the covenant into Jerusalem. The Ark was a testimony of God's presence among them and a reminder that it was God who saved them from their enemies. We have been talking about battle strategies. We've looked at different scenarios in the battlefields. We've talked about engagement rules and we have red and covered a lot of victories this month.

As we talk about Barrows frontline today, I want us to look at post battle scenario in Sam's 24 verse 1 to 10 because we are coming to the conclusion of this series. So what happens post barrel after the victory is achieved? So, David says from verse one, the earth is the Lord's and everything in it. The wild and all its people belongs to him. For he laid the ads foundation on the seas and built it on the ocean depth. Who may climb the mountain of the Lord, who may stand in his holy temple. Only those whose hands and hearts are pure who do not worship idols and never tell lies. They will receive the Lord's blessing and have a right relationship with God their savior.

Such people may seek you and worship in your presence O God of Jacob open up patient gates open up doors lead the King of Glory, enter who is the King of Glory, The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord invisible in battle, open up ancient gates, open up ancient doors and let the King of Glory enter. Who is the King of Glory, the Lord of heavens Army. He is the King of glory. Amen like we said at the beginning of this episode. Today, this is a liturgy written by David and it was designed to accompany the procession into the temple. But but as we see in the most bible stories, the psalmist appears to have been focused beyond the literal up going of the ark of the covenant into the temple?

David begins by saying the art is the Lord's and everything in it. The wild and all its people belongs to him. And you know this was a great and a divine declaration at that time. Because if you look at how kingdoms were placed, then you realize that Egypt and Assyria were greater kingdoms, Their gods therefore could be saved to have been ruling over regions way larger than the Israelite god. Yet even when he was conscious of how large these kingdoms were, David still declares that the Lord was God of all earth. That everything in its fullness belonged to him that in all senses, the Lord possesses the world that he has a claim upon the art and all who do it on it? David knew that jello syringe belonged to the Lord. He knew that even the regions that they had never set foot on still belonged to him.

He knew that every moment belonged to the Lord. That even the victory they had just received belonged to him. We are talking about posts, the barrel After the victory and in vast three, David asked who may climb the mountain of the Lord home. A stand in his holy place. You see David seems to be asking. So who are these people going up the hill? Who are these people going to Jerusalem in songs. Who are the people in this procession of the Lord? Who are these people who have been given the right to stand before the Lord? Who are these people who can enter into the holy place? You know? David asked some really important questions because those who they had defeated might have been asking who are these people? How did they captured Jerusalem? And we often ask ourselves the same questions our enemies ask them themselves the same question.

Why are these people so happy? How did they survive that? What is so different about these people who gives them the right to stand before God? Who gives them the right to call upon God as freely as they do? And in verse for David answers his own questions. You know, the previous verses brings out the theme that people can indeed enter into God's presence. And this verse four gives the criteria by which this happened. Only those whose hands and hearts are pure who do not worship idols and never tell lies. In other words, it is those whose actions are pure and whose intentions are pure. It's more than rituals of cleaning nous. It's more than the rituals of the actions we perform to a right to appear right before people.

It is both the actions and the intentions. This is what described the people who are in that procession. These were the people who worshiped God. In truth, people who had accepted God in totality and rejected all forms of idolatry, people whose words reflected the state of their heart. People who had conformed to the image of God, people whose conduct reflected their fellowship with God. This was the identity of the people who identified themselves as God's people. This was the identity of the people in that procession as they were going up singing, carrying that arc of covenant into Jerusalem. It was the identity of the people who are climbing the hill to the holy place. This was the identity of the people who had defeated the jap aside. This is the identity of the people of God and you know what, This is the identity of the people who are carriers of the presence of God In the present days.

This is our identity and you know, verse three and 4, it feels like it's all about rules, the conditions for those who identify as the people of God. Then as we go down verse five and six is they are all about promises, the blessings bestowed upon those who enter into the presence of God. The word of the Lord says they will receive the Lord's blessings and have a right relationship with God, their savior. You see, we may think that all God cares about is our worship, our rituals, you know, sunday rituals, our calling ourselves his but David here tells us that God cares even more about our conduct. He cares about what we do as much as he cares about what is in our hearts. He cares about how we honor him with our lives. He cares about our character and our moral and our spiritual duties and he rewards those who obey him.

And you know, Israel was a chosen people. The land of Canon was their inheritance. God was their God. But he still asked for something more from them. Something that their lineage and relationship to Abraham could not provide. They had to do what we said the other day. They had to put in some effort, they had to put in some work. This was how they earned their blessing. This was how they they had earned the righteousness from the Lord. You know, entering into God's presence required that someone leaves something at the altar. But even so, we do not enter the presence of the Lord and leave empty handed he bestowed upon us blessing he clothed us with righteousness and verse six continues with a description of these people, the people who were entering into the Lord's presence presence, the blessing the blessed and the righteous people.

This was a generation that did more than enter into a covenant with the Lord. They pursued him with continued seeking. There is another version I love. It says, this is the generation of those that seek the Lord. They didn't just seek him. They sought his face. They went after a more intimate fellowship with the Lord. They were more than a generation of possessors and enjoy us of blessing. They were a generation of seekers. Do you know why I'm talking about this? Because there is there is a tendency of seeking the Lord only when there is crisis and when you're in battle, but when it is post battle, after victory has been achieved, there there is a tendency of of that intimacy. You know, there's a they you stop seeking, you're like, okay, God, I'm done.

You know, I'm fine, I got victory, I'm okay. But in this text, we realize there is a generation of seekers. People who are not seeking the Lord because they were in battle. But even after the battle, they're still there. There is a little generation of seekers, not just a generation of possessors and enjoy us of blessing a generation of seekers seeking the Lord enjoying the presence of the Lord continually. And the last half of this sum gives us a different perspective from what we have read in the first half that was talking about people coming into the severe, severe or the presence of God. This last Helen's the coming of the King of glory into now, the human space. Now, God dwelling in us, in in our space, in the human space, and David father describes how the Lord is received into Jerusalem with acknowledgement of the lifting up of the heads with reverence and faithful attitude and this is a kind of confession that is required when the Lord enters into the internal our human space, a confession of faith that denies all other claims a confession and acknowledgment that denies all other claims of sovereign Itty.

They had to draw near to him so that he would draw near to them. They had to have the Lord who had led them to victory within their city and I pray in the name of jesus as we come to the conclusion of this series, may you remember the greatness of the Lord today? May you remember like David that the Lord reigns Sovereign, even when it looks that the like the enemy has a greater hold or around you. And I want you to ask yourself this today. Do I fit in the description of the people who God calls his? Do I fit the description of the people who are called God's people? Does my character reflect to the state of my heart? Do my action reflect a man or a woman who has conformed to the image of God. Do my actions reflect a person who is in fellowship with God.

Does my life reflect the kind of victory? I am calling upon the Lord to give me. May you the task for the Lord in your life. May you seek his face? May you seek to be in to be in an intimate fellowship with the Lord. May you seek to enter into the Lord's severe, May you seek to have the Lord in your severe or in europe presence. May you get to be opened in reverence and acknowledgement of the Lord who delivers you into victory. May you draw near to the Lord and May? The Lord drew near to you in battle and after battle, in jesus mighty name Shalom. This is Pastor lucy painter with your daily insight And this is battles frontline day 18.