3. We Are Victors Who Celebrate His Glory in Conquest (vv. 7-10). Five times in this text God is called the King of Glory. Jesus is the Chief Shepherd who will one day return in glory and give each faithful servant a crown of glory (1 Peter 5:1-4; and see Ps. 1:7, 4:11-14; 5:10; 1 Cor. 2:8). The gates of Jerusalem opened outward, so what is meant by “be lifted up”? Certainly there would be plenty of headroom for the Levites to carry in the ark, and it wouldn’t be required to raise the lintels of the gates. Martin Luther translated it, “Open wide the portals,” that is, “Give a hearty welcome to the Lord!” Bringing in the ark may have reminded David of what Moses and the leaders of Israel sang when the ark was carried in the wilderness (Num. 10:33-35; Ps. 68:1-3; 132:8). The administration of an ancient city was transacted at the city gates, so the gates were to those people what the city hall is to citizens in the Western world today. David was commanding the whole city to welcome the Lord and give honor to Him. The King of Glory is also “the Lord of Hosts,” a title used nearly three hundred times in the Old Testament. “Hosts” means “armies,” and this can mean the stars (Isa. 40:26), the angels (Ps. 103:20-21), the nation of Israel (Ex. 12:41), or all believers who belong to the army of Christ (2 Tim. 2:3-4; 2 Cor. 10:3-6; Eph. 6:10ff.).

But why were the gates of Jerusalem addressed twice (vv. 7, 9)? The King of Glory is Jesus Christ. When He entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the whole city didn’t receive Him and praise Him. This psalm had been sung that morning at the temple, but it wasn’t applied to Jesus of Nazareth. Instead of accepting Him and honoring Him, the leaders rejected Him and sent Him to Golgotha to be crucified. However, in His death and resurrection, Jesus won the battle against Satan and sin, and when He ascended back to heaven and entered the heavenly Zion (Heb. 12:18ff.), He was received as the victorious Lord of Hosts and the King of Glory. However, Jesus will return to the earth and fight a battle against the armies of the world and be victorious (Rev. 19:11ff.; Isa. 63:1-3). He will deliver Jerusalem from her enemies (Zech. 12–14) and establish His kingdom on earth. Then His people will receive Him in Jerusalem, the Lord of Hosts, the King of Glory; and “the Lord shall be king over all the earth” (Zech. 14:9). Meanwhile, we can triumph in life through Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 2:14) and be “more than conquerors” through faith in Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:31-39).

As children of God, we belong to three worlds: the world of creation around us, the world of the new creation within us (2 Cor. 5:17), and “the world to come” of the wonderful final creation that will be our home for eternity (Rev. 21–22).