What is the meaning of Psalm 118:20? This is the gate of the LORD • The psalmist has just prayed, “Open to me the gates of righteousness” (Psalm 118:19); now he identifies one specific gate that belongs to the LORD Himself. • Literally, worshipers in Jerusalem would pass through a physical gate to reach the temple courts, obeying God’s instruction that He would meet His people there (Exodus 25:8; 1 Kings 8:29). • Spiritually, the gate foreshadows the singular way God provides for coming into His presence. Jesus echoes the image: “I am the gate. If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved” (John 10:9). • The exclusivity of “the gate” harmonizes with “there is one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). • Psalm 24:7–10 pictures the King of Glory entering through ancient doors, reinforcing that God Himself authorizes and occupies this gateway. the righteous • Not everyone gains access; only “the righteous” are named. In Old Testament worship, the righteous were those who trusted God’s covenant and lived obediently (Psalm 15:1–2; Micah 6:8). • Yet the broader biblical story shows no one is righteous on his own (Romans 3:10). The requirement drives us to the righteousness God provides: “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). • The verse therefore invites self-examination and faith: do I possess the righteousness God accepts, or merely my own attempts? Philippians 3:9 contrasts the two, urging believers to “be found in Him…through faith in Christ.” • Because righteousness is granted, not earned, the invitation is both assured and humble (Isaiah 61:10). shall enter through it • “Shall” is future-certain language: entrance is guaranteed for the righteous. Jesus uses the same certainty: “I am the way…No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). • The verb “enter” highlights an active response—faith steps forward. Hebrews 10:19–22 encourages believers to “enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus…let us draw near.” • The promise anticipates ultimate fulfillment in the New Jerusalem, whose gates “will never be shut” for God’s people (Revelation 21:25). • Until that day, we enjoy present fellowship: “through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit” (Ephesians 2:18). summary Psalm 118:20 announces a divinely authorized doorway into God’s presence. The verse affirms that: • God provides one true gate. • Only those made righteous by Him may pass. • Their entry is certain and leads to ongoing communion now and eternal glory later, all accomplished through Christ, the living Gate. |
    |