The Landlord of the World: The Royal Claim Text: Psalm 24:1-2
Introduction: Who Owns You?
We live in an age of profound confusion about ownership. Does the state own you? Does your employer own your time? Do you own yourself? The modern secular project is built on the sandy foundation of human autonomy, the idea that man is his own law, his own master, his own god. From this one disastrous assumption flows every political and moral insanity of our time. If man is the ultimate owner, then anything is permissible. But if he is not, then everything changes.
This Psalm, a psalm of David, is a frontal assault on the principle of human autonomy. It does not suggest, or argue, or philosophize. It declares. It is a royal proclamation from the throne room of the universe, posted on the door of every human heart and every parliament building. It answers the fundamental question of reality: Who is in charge here? Who owns this place? The answer is as simple as it is absolute. This world has a Landlord, and you are living on His property.
These first two verses are not merely a poetic preamble. They are the legal foundation for everything that follows, not just in this Psalm but in the entire Bible. They establish two foundational truths that our generation has spent all its energy trying to forget. First, the unqualified claim of God's ownership over everything. And second, the unshakeable basis for that claim. If we get this right, everything else begins to fall into its proper place. If we get this wrong, we are left with nothing but chaos and tyranny.
The Text
The earth is Yahweh’s, as well as its fullness,
The world, and those who dwell in it.
For He has founded it upon the seas
And established it upon the rivers.
(Psalm 24:1-2 LSB)
The Unqualified Claim of Ownership (v. 1)
David begins with a declaration of title. This is the deed to the cosmos.
"The earth is Yahweh’s, as well as its fullness, The world, and those who dwell in it." (Psalm 24:1)
Notice first who the owner is. It is Yahweh. This is not some generic, abstract deity, the god of the philosophers. This is the covenant God of Israel, the God who reveals Himself by name, the God who speaks and acts in history. This is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The claim is specific.
And the claim is total. Look at the inventory. He owns "the earth." That is the physical planet, the dirt, the rocks, the water. But it is not just the raw material. He owns "its fullness." That Hebrew word means everything that fills it. It is the cattle on a thousand hills, yes, but it is also the oil under the ground, the iron ore in the mountain, the code in the software, the gold in the vault, and the art in the museum. There is no square inch of the material world, or the world of human culture, over which God does not say, "Mine." This utterly demolishes any sacred/secular distinction. Your work at the office is done on God's earth, with God's resources, using a mind God gave you. It is all religious.
Then David expands the claim. He owns "the world, and those who dwell in it." This is comprehensive. It includes every human being, from the newborn baby to the defiant atheist to the pagan king. You are God's property. Whether you acknowledge His ownership or not is irrelevant to the fact of it. You are a tenant on His land, breathing His air. Your very next heartbeat is a gift from the one you might be determined to ignore. This is why God has the authority to command all men everywhere to repent. He is not making a suggestion to autonomous individuals. He is the King issuing a command to His rebellious subjects living on His land.
This is the foundation for the Great Commission. Jesus says, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore..." Because He is the rightful owner, we, His ambassadors, have the right to go everywhere and announce His Lordship, calling all squatters to come to terms with the Landlord. We are not trespassing. We are delivering the mail of the King in His own domain.
The Unshakable Basis of Ownership (v. 2)
In verse two, David provides the legal reasoning for the claim. Why does God own it all? Because He made it all.
"For He has founded it upon the seas And established it upon the rivers." (Psalm 24:2 LSB)
This is the right of the manufacturer. If you make it, you own it. God's property rights are grounded in His creation rights. This is a direct refutation of any worldview that begins with eternal, random matter. If the universe is an accident, then no one owns it, and might makes right. But if it is a creation, then the Creator is the Lord.
But this verse is more than just a statement about creation. It is a brilliant piece of theological warfare, a polemic against the pagan worldview. In the ancient Near East, the sea was the ultimate symbol of chaos, disorder, and terrifying, untamed power. In the Babylonian creation myth, their hero god Marduk must do bloody battle with Tiamat, the dragon goddess of the chaotic sea, in order to create the world from her corpse. For them, the world was born from a cosmic street fight.
Look at what the Psalmist says. Yahweh does not fight the sea. He uses the sea as the foundation for His house. He is so utterly sovereign that He takes the very symbol of chaos and makes it a basement wall. He "founded" it upon the seas. He "established" it upon the rivers. These are words of stability, security, and architectural precision. The pagan gods are terrified of the water; Yahweh uses it for plumbing.
This is a profound truth for us. We look at the world and we see the tumultuous seas of political upheaval, the raging rivers of cultural change. It looks chaotic. It feels unstable. But this verse tells us that underneath all that apparent chaos is the firm, established foundation of God's sovereign decree. He is not reacting to the chaos; He is using it to build His unshakable kingdom. The very things that seem to threaten the world are the instruments by which God has established it. This is the doctrine of providence in poetic form. The world is not resting on chance. It is resting on the controlled and domesticated power of the Almighty.
Conclusion: Paying the Rent
So what are we to do with this? If God is the Landlord of the world, and we are His tenants, then our lives must be structured as a response to His ownership. This has at least three practical implications.
First, it demands worship. The primary duty of a tenant is to acknowledge the owner. All our worship, our singing, our prayers, our tithes, are acts of allegiance. Tithing is not giving God something He doesn't have; it is the regular, grateful payment of rent to the one who owns it all anyway. It is our weekly declaration that we know who is Lord and we are not Him.
Second, it demands stewardship. We are not owners; we are managers. We are to care for His property according to His instructions, which He has graciously provided in His Word. This applies to everything. We are to steward our bodies, our families, our money, our talents, and our environment as faithful servants of the owner. The question is not "What do I want to do with my life?" but rather, "What does the Landlord require of me with this portion of His property He has entrusted to me?"
And third, it demands evangelism. We live in a world full of rebellious tenants who have stopped paying the rent, who are trashing the property, and who have convinced themselves that the Landlord does not exist. Our job, as those who have been reconciled to the owner through His Son, is to go to our neighbors and tell them the good news. The news is that the Landlord is patient and merciful. He has made a way for all their back rent to be paid and their lease to be restored. That way is through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ, the heir of all things. We are to call them to lay down their arms, abandon their foolish rebellion, and be reconciled to the King. For the earth is Yahweh's, and one day, every knee will bow and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.