Psalm 24: Universal God
Saturday, July 5, 2025
Commentary will tell us that this psalm was likely written to accompany a procession with the Ark around the Temple precinct, or even through the city or countryside. When we look at these verses closely, we see that they contain a list of qualities that describe God’s people: the clean of hand, the pure of heart, those who are not devoted to idols and who do not lie. God’s power and goodness are affirmed; God is seen as the designer and initiator of creation. With this song the people celebrate the glory of God and the goodness that resides in his creation, the earth. They also confirm the values God’s faithful will want to espouse: purity and integrity.
Scripture begins with the creation story we have heard so often that we may move through it too quickly. When Genesis 1 is read with care, and when it is compared to other creation stories, we will want to join in the singing of this hymn to God who is so much different and so much more wonderful than any other god.
Ancient Mesopotamia was rife with creation stories and many of them elevated a particular god to supremacy over other gods. This would be done in order to establish superiority of a god’s followers or cult; it would also give prestige to a particular temple, city or town. These myths frequently gave simple explications for the complexity of nature. A god generally called a mound of earth out of darkness and water, set up rites and rituals and often deified elements of nature such as the moon, sun or the earth itself. Some stories describe epic battles between various gods, and humans lack any dignity or purpose other than to serve as a kind of slave. So we might want to look at what makes the Judeo-Christian creation story different from the rest. “The Genesis account rejects the central motif of pagan religion: the deification of nature. Interestingly, it does not seek to elevate Yahweh over other gods. Indeed, in the seven day creation account (Gen 1:1-2:3) Yahweh is not named. Even Genesis 2-3 provides no sense that Yahweh needed to establish his supremacy over other deities. There is no conquest of other gods or monsters, and no shrine or city is said to be the place from which God began the creation process. No sacred object is mentioned. The God of Genesis 1 is indeed the universal God.” (ARCHAEOLOGICAL STUDY BIBLE 5)
The God of Genesis 1 is our compassionate God who calls order out of chaos, goodness out of evil, light out of the dark. This universal God wants to celebrate with us and about us. This universal God wants to heal us, transform us, save and redeem us. This God calls us to purity and honesty, integrity and truth. This God created the earth and all her goodness for us. This God does not enslave us but suffers and dies for us. This God is one we call Father, Brother and Spirit of Love, for this God loves us beyond all measure.
Let us join in this hymn of praise to God.
The earth is the Lord’s and all it holds, the world and those who live there . . .
ARCHAEOLOGICAL STUDY BIBLE (NIV). Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2005. 5. Print.
Image from: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/earth-day-2022-what-how-26764693
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