Scripture
Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? Psalm 24:3
Observation
Whenever there’s going to be some great event in public life there’s always some special music composed to celebrate the occasion. Psalm 24 is a song for a special occasion. It was to be sung as a processional song as David brought the Ark of the Covenant into the newly captured city of Jerusalem. It was to be a great day for at long last David had finished fighting to gain control of the country.
As David pondered over his plans he began to realize that coming up to Jerusalem with the Ark wasn’t only a physical journey, it was a spiritual experience of the greatest importance as well. Like all the other inspired prophetic figures of the Bible his awareness of God was heightened as the Holy Spirit came upon him.
Application
This was the most important question David could ask. Who is qualified to enter the presence of God Almighty? It’s a question we are well advised to know the answer to, and to be absolutely certain we conform to its requirements.
David answers the question by laying out four conditions…clean hands, pure heart, no base values and no cheating. I wonder how David felt after writing these words. Distinctly uneasy I would think, for in setting out those four conditions of entry into Zion, the city of God - he had just condemned himself by his own words.
As I process what David is saying in this passage, I too realize that I come up short and not just a little. But I am not left without hope. Why? How could anyone feel hopeful and optimistic about what David say here? The answer is in verse 6 where God reveals himself as the “God of Jacob.” Jacob is the man who at one time was as crooked and twisted as could be imagined.
Praise the God of Jacob, who knows how to make the crooked strait.
Prayer
Lord do your work in me to prepare me to stand before Your holy place!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
1 comment:
Grace, Amazing Grace had covered his sin and he acts as if he is clean not just his hands but all over clean. So often we go around even after we have just asked God to forgive us as if He hasn't, as if there is more that we have to so in order to gain His approval.
When we accept the gift of grace, we are sent away rejoycing. There is a joy so full that our cup runs over. Maybe that is the reason we don't tell others about God is that we haven't accpted His free gift of grace.
Post a Comment