Lift Up Una Head

One procession dey bend-bend go up one hill, dey go di gates of one city. Singers dey lead di way. Somebody for di front cup im hands and shout up to di gates wey dem close. Lift up una head! And from di wall, one voice shout back. Who be dis King of glory?

Dis na Psalm twenty-four. Im title call am psalm of David, di shepherd king of Jerusalem. Plenty readers, Jewish and Christian, don connect am with di day wey David bring di ark of di covenant go up enter Jerusalem, with trumpet, shouting and dancing. Di ark na di holy box wey dey show say God dey among im people. Di psalm sound like dem write am make people dey sing am as dem dey climb di hill: one group dey ask questions, anoda group dey answer, and for di end, one call for di gates. Dem dey sing am for di temple for hundreds of years after.

Di song start with di whole world. “Di earth na di Lord own, with everytin wey full am; di world, and di people wey dey live inside. Because e build am on top di seas, and e set am firm on top di floods.” Everytin belong to God. Di mountains, di oceans, di cities, di farms. Di people wey dey inside dem. You and me. And then di singers ask one question as dem dey climb. “Who fit go up di Lord mountain? Who fit stand for im holy place?” If God make everytin, and e great and holy reach like dat, who fit waka go up and stand for im front?

Di answer come back. “Di person wey im hand clean and im heart pure; wey no give im soul to lie, and wey no swear to deceive.” Clean hands: wetin you dey do. Pure heart: wetin you want and wetin you love. Make you no dey worship fake gods, make you no dey lie. Dat one na high standard. Who get hands wey clean like dat, heart wey pure like dat, all di time? Di psalm talk say dat kind person go receive blessing from di Lord, and righteousness from di God wey save am. And e add, dis na di generation of di people wey dey find am. Di ones wey dey continue to look for God face.

And now di procession reach di top. Di big old gates dey shut. Di leader shout. “Lift up una head, una gates! Make una lift up, una doors wey go last forever, and di King of glory go come in.” E be like say di gates too low for King wey great like dis, so dem must stretch demselves make dem tall pass. One voice from di gate ask, “Who be di King of glory?” And di crowd shout back, “Di Lord wey strong and mighty, di Lord wey mighty for battle.” Again: Lift up una head, una gates! Again: Who be dis King of glory? And di final answer: “Di Lord of hosts, na im be di King of glory.” Christians don dey sing dis psalm for Advent for hundreds of years, as song to take get ready. Di King of glory dey come. Open di gates. Open your heart.

For di temple for Jerusalem, di Levites dey sing one special psalm every day of di week. One old Jewish book wey dem dey call di Mishnah, wey dem write down around two hundred years after Christ, list dem. For di first day of di week, Sunday, na dis psalm dem dey sing: Di earth na di Lord own, and everytin wey full am. So di temple week dey start by declaring say di whole earth belong to God.

Lift up una head. Na Psalm twenty-four be dat. Di whole earth belong to God, and di King of glory dey come in. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. If Jesus na di King of glory, which gate for your life fit need to open wider to let am come in?