Gleanings From The Word

Tag: Read the word

  • Open Gates – Welcome the King of Glory

    Open Gates – Welcome the King of Glory

    I have been reading in the Psalms and stopped to meditate on Psalm 24. It’s a Psalm of ascent; that is, it was sung on the way up to the temple and is often overshadowed by its more well-known neighbor, Psalm 23.

    The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof,

        the world and those who dwell therein,

    for he has founded it upon the seas

        and established it upon the rivers.

    Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?

        And who shall stand in his holy place?

    He who has clean hands and a pure heart,

        who does not lift up his soul to what is false

        and does not swear deceitfully.

    He will receive blessing from the Lord

        and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

    Such is the generation of those who seek him,

        who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah

    Lift up your heads, O gates!

        And be lifted up, O ancient doors,

        that the King of glory may come in.

    Who is this King of glory?

        The Lord, strong and mighty,

        the Lord, mighty in battle!

    Lift up your heads, O gates!

        And lift them up, O ancient doors,

        that the King of glory may come in.

    Who is this King of glory?

        The Lord of hosts,

        he is the King of glory! Selah Psalm 24 ESV

    The Psalm opens with the recognition that everything that exists belongs to God. He is the creator and sustainer of everything in the created universe. With that recognized, the psalm moves quickly to God’s calling for personal righteousness.

    Who can come before the Lord and receive His blessings? Only “He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.“

    Of course, we know, as did the ancient people of Israel and Judah, that no one can meet those requirements. They trusted in YAHWEH by faith to redeem them and take away their sin, so they could stand before the Lord. They did not yet know Jesus by name, as He had not come, but they knew the Lord had promised a savior and trusted that promise.

    The very city itself is called to open its gates for the coming King. The King of Glory, the Lord of Hosts, is coming. Jesus has come now, but we know He is returning. The King of Glory is coming back to the place He owns.

    Will we have clean hands and hearts to be in His presence and receive His blessings?

    Will we open our hearts and gates? Will we make Him welcome, or will we close up and try to hold out against His undefeatable power?

    With Christ’s imputed righteousness, we too can come before the Lord and be blessed. We must trust in what He has done by faith. He’s coming for the believer and unbeliever, one to eternity in His presence and blessing, the other to eternal separation and damnation.

    Let’s be found with open gates, clean hearts and singing praises in anticipation of the day He comes back.

    Be blessed, Kevin

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    SUMMARY

    As I sat with Psalm 24, I was struck by how quickly it moves from declaring God’s ownership of all creation to asking who is fit to stand in His presence, and the answer is a standard none of us can meet on our own. I’m reminded that only through Christ’s imputed righteousness can we approach the King of Glory with clean hands and open hearts, ready for the day He returns.

    TAKEAWAY

    Everything that exists belongs to God as Creator and Sustainer, which sets the stage for the Psalm’s call to personal holiness

    No one meets the standard of clean hands and a pure heart apart from trusting in the Lord’s promised redemption, first by faith in YAHWEH’s promise and now through Christ

    The ancient call to “lift up your heads, O gates” points forward to Christ’s return, and the question becomes whether our hearts will be open or closed when the King of Glory comes back

    Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone) 

    © 2001, 2026 K.F. “Kevin” Corbin, “Gleanings From the Word.” All rights reserved. 

    From Gleanings From The Word (Kevin Corbin, 2001– ), a Scripture-based devotional work.

  • Bumble bees and the sweetness of God’s Word.

    Bumble bee on lavender - abbotsford BC 2026

    The humble bumble bee (Bombus species), one of the most important native pollinators in Canada.

    Unlike honey bees, bumble bees can fly in cool, cloudy, and even lightly rainy conditions. They generate heat by vibrating their flight muscles before takeoff, allowing them to become active when temperatures are only a few degrees above freezing.

    Bumbles are quite gentle and rarely sting. Unlike honeybees, their stinger isn’t barbed, so they can sting repeatedly, although I’ve never been stung by one, even when picking them up or landing on me. Their quiet buzzing and gentle nature make me think of them as happy bees.

    Bumbles live in small colonies of 5-200 bees, usually underground, and the entire colony dies over the winter. A new queen hatches every season.

    Some bumble bee trivia:

    Bumble bees can see ultraviolet patterns on flowers that humans cannot.

    They remember productive flower patches and return repeatedly.

    They are capable of simple learning and can even solve basic foraging problems.

    Canada is home to dozens of native bumble bee species.

    Now what in the world do bumble bees have to do with the Bible? Probably nothing, but bumble bees make me think of honey bees, and they bring to mind honey (and Winnie the Pooh, but that’s a story for another day).

    Bumbles store up only small amounts of honey, like nectar. They don’t produce a surplus like honey bees.

    There are bees in the bible, most likely a subspecies of the western honey bee. 

    Certainly, the Bible speaks of honey frequently.

    The Bible uses honey to symbolize prosperity, God’s provision and the Word of God.

    The law of Yahweh is perfect, restoring the soul;
    The testimony of Yahweh is sure, making wise the simple.
    The precepts of Yahweh are right, rejoicing the heart;
    The commandment of Yahweh is pure, enlightening the eyes.
    The fear of Yahweh is clean, enduring forever;
    The judgments of Yahweh are true; they are righteous altogether.

    They are more desirable than gold, even more than much fine gold;
    Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb    . Psalm 19:8-10

    How sweet is Your word to my taste!
    Sweeter than honey to my mouth!     Psalm 119:103

    As we grow to know the Lord more, we gain a deeper appreciation for His Word. It does become sweet to us and nourishes our souls. We are richer for having it in our lives.

    My prayer is that as you walk in the footsteps of Jesus, you grow to having a craving for time in His Word.

    Be blessed

    Kevin

    Honey Bees and the Bible

    SUMMARY

    I share what I’ve learned about bumble bees, Canada’s gentle native pollinators, and how their humble nature led me to think about honey and the sweetness of God’s Word. Just as bumble bees quietly do their work without fanfare, I’m reminded that knowing the Lord more deeply makes His Word sweeter to us than honey.

    TAKEAWAY

    Bumble bees are gentle, hardworking pollinators that fly in conditions honey bees can’t tolerate, generating their own heat to stay active

    Unlike honey bees, bumble bees store only small amounts of honey rather than a surplus, yet honey itself appears throughout Scripture as a symbol of God’s provision and the sweetness of His Word

    Psalm 19 and Psalm 119 both describe God’s Word as sweeter than honey, pointing to a deepening craving for time in Scripture as we grow closer to the Lord

    Read the Word. Read the Word. Read the Word.
    Nobody Told The Bees – Lessons in Obedience