What Is Palm Sunday About? | The King Is Coming - Psalm 24 The Victor's Psalm

Psalm 24 presents God as a victorious king retiring from battle. As he returns to, his domain (vs. 1-2), his people (vs. 3-4), and capital city (vs. 7-10) are prepared for his arrival. All ancient kings had a dominion, a people, and a crown city. Many of them provided a law-covenant by which they ruled and were said to the shepherd and save their people. This same imagery the Bible applies to Jesus, the Great Shepherd and King. He is our covenant-giving, Shepherd-King.

The historical background of Psalm 24 is most-likely 2 Samuel 6:12–15

And it was told King David, “The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing. [13] And when those who bore the ark of the LORD had gone six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened animal. [14] And David danced before the LORD with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod. [15] So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the horn. (ESV)

Psalm 24 was written for this occasion. It was time for the symbol of God’s presence to have a permanent home in Jerusalem.