Image by Robert Thiemann on Unsplash

Live from the Passion 2020 Conference, “King of Glory” is a peppy, encouraging call to worship. One of the high school students on my worship team recommended it to me, and I was immediately caught by the catchy instrumental hook, and then led to celebrate the power of God through the lyrics.

Focus

The clear focus here is the glory and saving power of God, followed by the awed praised that we and all creation bring as a response.

Lyric Analysis

VERSE 1
The writer addresses his soul, just like the psalmist in Psalm 42:5. Also like the psalmist, the answer to his discouragement is the hope and praise that result from God’s power and salvation.

VERSE 2
We can have peace even in life’s storms because Jesus is Lord over all of it. (Mark 4:35-41, John 14:27, John 16:33)

CHORUS
The chorus draws heavily on Psalm 24. In fact, the title “King of Glory” seems to me to be unique in Scripture to this Psalm. The Hebrew word for glory here is kabowd which has a range of meanings including abundance, riches, splendor, and honor. Kabowd is used to describe both people and God in the Old Testament. Whatever impressive things are included in its meaning, we can be confident that God exceeds all of it in splendor and is king over it all. The psalmist applies the title to Yahweh, Israel’s God, and the New Testament clearly teaches us that Jesus is that same God, so it is fitting to identify Jesus as the King of Glory (John 8:58, Philippians 2:6).
The next two lines allude to the same Psalm, where God is described as Israel’s savior, and strong and mighty in battle.
“Freedom is in his name,” doesn’t come specifically from Psalm 24, but it’s not an alien idea either. For the Israelite, freedom from the captivity in Egypt was the archetypal example of God’s saving power. In the New Testament, we see that our primary freedom in Christ is that we are set free from sin, death, corruption, and bondage to the spiritual forces of evil (Heb. 2:14-15, Rom. 8:2, Gal. 5:13). I think Psalm 24 even hints at this with its mention of vindication in verse 5.
“Open the gates of heaven” is pretty much from Psalm 24, though the gates there are more likely of Jerusalem, to allow the King into the city. I’m not particularly bothered by the inversion describing them as the gates of heaven, implying that God is coming out of his city to meet us rather than coming into ours. I think it’s the same idea.
Shouts of praise are everywhere in the Old Testament, especially in the Psalms.
The lion roaring here is obviously Jesus, the Lion of Judah (Rev. 5:5), not the devil (1 Peter 5:8). It’s interesting to me that lion symbolism throughout the Bible is split between good guys and bad guys. Lions are strong and deadly, equally able to tear you to bits or protect you from just about anyone who would harm you. Furthermore, Jesus’ title as the Lion of Judah refers back to Genesis 49:8-12, when Jacob blesses his son Judah with prophetic words about the Messiah who will come from his lineage.

VERSE 3
This verse is based on Psalm 121:1-2 with the added reminder that our help only comes from the Lord, and that we should stand in awe of him (Ps. 22:23, 33:8).

BRIDGE
Nations bow to God in Psalm 86:9, and everyone bows specifically at the name of Jesus in Philippians 2:10. Mountains quake before Yahweh in Nahum 1:5. Ephesians 1:20-21 says that Jesus is seated above every rule and authority and power and dominion; that sounds like reigning over all to me.

Accessibility

This song is clear and straightforward. Even unchurched people will be able to understand the declarations about Jesus being made here. I also like that this song specifically identifies Jesus as God, Lord, and King, worthy of praise and inspiring the awe of all creation.

Music

The dulcimer hook at the beginning is great, and I love the high-energy rubber-band arpeggiation in the background if you’ve got backing tracks. The drum beat is simple enough to emulate and keeps the song driving forward with excitement. The dynamic changes are swift, powerful, and attention-grabbing. I also like how the bass doubles the melody on the bridge. The instrumental channel from the bridge to the chorus provides a great opportunity to exhort your congregation.
The melody is easy and repetitive; congregations should have no trouble learning it.

Conclusions

Will it worship? Absolutely. We’re singing it this Sunday.
I think this song is best suited toward the beginning of your service, as it contains call-to-worship elements, and I always love starting our worship with some strong declarations about God’s character and power.