Gospel Reflections #1058: Our Steadfast Hope

Psalm 24:10 ‘Who is this King of glory? The Lord, the Lord of hosts—he is the King of glory.’

These words declare that the ‘Lord of Hosts’ is the true ‘King of Glory’, and they extol God’s absolute sovereignty and victory.

In response to the call ‘Lift up your heads, O gates’, which follows from verse 7, the gatekeepers (or the congregation) ask, ‘Who is this King of Glory?’, and verse 10 resounds as the answer to that question.

Verse 10 is the climax (the finale) of the entire psalm, clearly declaring who the true Ruler is, whom all the gates should be thrown open to welcome.

The King of Glory refers not to a human king, but to a Ruler filled with God’s splendour, dignity and overwhelming authority.

The Lord of Hosts is a powerful title meaning ‘Lord of the heavenly host (the host of angels)’ or ‘God over whom all power is subject’.

It emphasises that God is a ‘warrior’ who triumphs over His enemies—evil, chaos and hostile nations—with overwhelming power.

This ‘entrance of the King of Glory’ is identified with Jesus Christ,

and is interpreted as the ‘Mighty Lord in battle’ who, through His death on the cross and resurrection, triumphed over sin, death and the dominion of Satan.

It is also regarded as a prophetic depiction of the risen Christ passing through the gates of Heavenly Jerusalem (the Kingdom of God) and returning to heaven (the Ascension) as the King of Glory.

This message urges us to lift high the ‘old gates’ within our hearts—that is, our stubbornness and self-centred thoughts—and to welcome the Lord, the King of Glory, into the centre of our lives.

It also gives us strong hope and the assurance of faith that God is with us as the ‘Lord of Hosts’ amidst life’s difficulties and struggles, and that He will bring us ultimate victory.

Therefore, rather than turning our gaze upon ourselves, we wish to fix our focus firmly on Jesus, who grants us this strong hope and the assurance of faith.

AUTHOR'S BIO: This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San, who resides in Hiroshima, Japan. Masae is a dedicated student of the Bible with a deep passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on Gospel perspectives to reach out to others and spread the message of God's true love through a Christ-centered approach. We are sharing her insights here so that you, too, can experience the joy that comes from knowing and understanding the true Gospel and the love of God through Jesus Christ.