Psalm 24:1—“The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.”
David begins Psalm 24 with a sweeping declaration that reorders our understanding of everything we see and everything we are. He starts with divine ownership of all things on earth. The earth with all its lands, seas, climates, resources, and beauty belongs to the LORD. He is not merely the Creator but the rightful Owner, Sustainer, and Sovereign of all things. “The fullness thereof” expands the vision: every creature, every provision, every system, and every potential woven into creation exists under His authority and for His glory.
David emphasises totality: nothing in the created order lies outside God’s claim. Even “they that dwell therein”, every person who has walked or will walk this earth belong to Him. Humanity exists not independently but dependently, not as owners but as stewards entrusted with God’s world.
This truth affirms divine sovereignty at its highest point. God’s ownership and authority over the earth are absolute. Our lives, our gifts, our resources, and even our breath are not self-generated; they are granted. We do not define reality; we receive it.
This humbles us before God and causes us to render worship to God for all things we enjoy on this earth. To live as though we own ourselves is to deny the truth of Psalm 24:1.
The fact that God owns all things also brings us deep comfort. If the earth and all who dwell in it belong to the LORD, then so do our uncertainties, losses, and fears. We are not adrift in a world of chance but held by the God who owns all and cares for all. His sovereign ownership becomes our deepest assurance: we are His.
