WHO MAY STAND?
Psalm 24:1-6
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A PRESBYTERIAN PSALTER - by Pastor Max A Forsythe |
Verses three and four of this psalm are our theme for today as we begin our worship of the awesome and mighty Triune God of heaven and earth. Well might the words in these two verses echo through our minds and hearts in times such as our own! "Who may ascend the hill of the Lord?" and "Who may stand in his holy place?" is a warning that those who come before the Lord have no secret sins beyond His searching out and knowing full well.
Before we come into His house and offer Him worship we must humble ourselves and confess our sinful need for the atonement of the only One who may ascend and stand in the near presence of His Father God. That is where our understanding is today since the coming of Jesus Christ. In the Old Covenant revelation where they did not have full knowledge of the King of Glory, the saints struggled with understanding their relationship to that king. But ever and anew, the prophetic, priestly and kingly writers of the sacred revelation perceived correctly but dimly through the leading of the Holy Spirit, the necessity of someone who could stand in the present holiness of their God and King.
Our Psalm today has a special meaning in the context of 2 Samuel 6: 1-19. There is textual evidence that this Psalm fits the occasion of the Ark's coming up into the Holy City of Jerusalem and David's jubilant celebration of that event. There are two halves to this psalm, each of which has the same interchange of question and answer. The question of the first half in verses one to six inquires after the character of the men who dare dwell with God. The second half we will consider next week as we focus on the King of Glory.
Now I think it is important to visualize the scene described in Scripture. The old Jebusite fortress of Jerusalem has recently been captured by David. This fortress was on top of a very steep hill. As the grand procession of celebrants climbs the steep path they sing the first half. Then there at the word Selah there is an extended interlude of instrumental music but the marchers continue their climb. When the procession reaches the barred gates of the city, the call in verse seven is made for the gates to open and lift their lintels high to allow the entry of their glorious God. In verse eight there is the challenge from the guards asking who it is wishes to come in? In verse nine is the triumphant shout from the the great procession. In verse ten there is the question repeated, and it is answered again. Then we may assume the gates were opened and the procession enters in to the strains of more music.
The Lord God Jehovah has come into His own people and city. Now we may not assume that the rest of the world is left outside, in the first two verses we see the assertion that the whole world is indeed His. The glory of God was not confined to one place, just as it is not confined to one Church or Christian group today. Yet, those who know Him and what He has done are very likely to have sympathy with the crowd of Israel on that historic day long ago. And just as Israel meditated upon those two questions during the processional music, so are we to consider these two questions in our own time.
The first deals with our understanding of our obligations and duties. And it is asked in two phrases: "Who may ascend?" and "Who may stand?" the Psalm asks. The ark that the Israelites were bearing up the steep slope had brought disaster to Dagon's temple, where the Philistine lords had wondered who can stand in His presence? The one requirement for us as for Israel is purity. This requirement may be deduced from the majesty of God as it is described in verses one and two. This is the vision of the whole Psalter and indeed of the whole Bible. The truth that must lay upon our hearts here is that which is implied. The character of God determines the character of His worshipers. In pagan times, a god of war would have warriors, a god of lusts would have sensualists. In a like sense, we must offer to our great God that which He desires. We must worship Him in spirit and in truth as Jesus instructs. And in the sense of this Psalm today we are required to consider what it means to be pure.
In verse four there are four points to consider. The first one there of clean hands indicates that our actions, our practice of the faith must not be polluted with things that are unacceptable to the Lord. It may be easy for us to presume that our congregational life is well under the regulation of our Christian brethren and the ecclesiastical structures erected to preserve the peace and purity of Christ's Church. However, we need to go on and bring the daily work of our hands under the authority of our Lord and Savior as well. Of course in this secular culture of today, there may be difficulties in doing our work to the higher expectations of our God and King. Yet, if Joseph, Daniel, Esther and the rest of God's saints who served earthly kings could manage in more difficult situations, we should be able to do at least as well in less threatening times!
A second point involves a pure heart which concerns our attitudes and inward desires. More and more as I pass through public places indoors, I see an increasing number of males wearing hats. Just a generation ago, no self respecting male would wear a hat inside. This tradition is traced back to the code of Chivalry in the Middle Ages where armed knights who expected trouble would tramp in wherever they wanted and dare any one to insult their honor. As a minimal code of gentlemanly conduct was established, those who wanted to avoid trouble, removed their helmets as a sign that they came in peace. From that gentlemanly agreement came the once common habit of removing hats whenever males entered a building.
Almost on a daily basis I see this ancient habit ignored and in the process of maintaining a veneer of authority in school, we regularly challenge those with an attitude. And believe me, there is a lot of attitude associated with hat wearing these days. Of course, a hat is a minimal thing which declares for all to see the condition of hearts refusing to submit to any concept of authority! How goes it with your heart today? Are you willing to admit that your body is a living temple for the Holy Spirit to declare the righteousness of the King of Kings? Or are you more like the worldly who proudly presume that the body is not a temple but an amusement park fit for every wild ride that presents itself?
The third phrase in the Hebrew involves our longings after the things of this world instead of giving first place to God. Yes it is difficult in our grossly material world to consider first all the worldly desires of our heart. This year's car, next year's computer system, a three hundred thousand dollar house instead of what we can better afford! Earlier this year I was talking with a contractor and asked him what was the difference between a $179,000 house and a $279,000 one. Well, there really isn't much more space involved and not necessarily a better neighborhood unless the expensive homes are grouped together and their acreage doubled or tripled. What really sets an expensive home apart from a lesser home is the quality of the woodwork which decorates the floors, stairs and trim! The cost of that material and its correct installation is a major driving force in refining the price of homes.
Vanity of vanities, well did Solomon know what he was doing when he purchased whole Lebanese forests from his father-in-law! Before we leave this idea, there is one more home building technique that drives up the cost, and that is the design of the entryway where in many cases 10% of the value of the home is consumed to present a proper image! How much more ought we be to be concerned with the sanctity of our soul, the transgressions of our habits and the inner prayer life!
The fourth point is pointedly aimed at the truth of our words and our commitment to telling the absolute truth and going on to be honest law abiding citizens. Yes, there is in the last phrase an obvious calling to use better language than our peers! But the visible corruption is no more worse than the inner corruption of our souls.
In Belgium during the Great War, a Welsh mining division dug nineteen galleries underground, filled them with explosives and basically destroyed a whole German division of infantry when they pushed the plunger. The explosion was heard across the channel in London and a great victory was proclaimed when a few hundred yards of dirt and debris was liberated from the enemy! However, two of the galleries did not explode. And in the excitement of the ongoing war, their locations were lost. Years later, as the gun powder deteriorated, one of the galleries exploded under a small village and the casualties of the earlier war were suddenly increased! One gallery is still there, and the aged powder is not getting any more stable. If you ever travel in Belgium, you might want to ask some pointed questions of what happened in the neighborhood some eighty years ago! In the same way, the inner corruption of a soul that doesn't sound off is in just as much danger as a soul that colors the air blue every time it has a chance!
I do hope that we all realize how far short we fall in fulfilling these directives. However in verse five we see that those who strive to obey and follow after God's commands will receive a blessing and that blessing is vindication or as the Hebrew will even allow, the word salvation can be used here. While it is not completely spelled out clearly in this Old Testament passage, the implication is that God will provide that which is hoped and labored for. Not because of the labor done towards the reward, but because God himself gives freely the most priceless gift of righteousness and salvation.
Do you want that precious gift, the instructions for finding are there in verse six: SEEK! That is the emphasis and we may further imply that those who seek will find. Let us summarize this first half now. If we seek God's face, we shall receive purity in and through Jesus Christ. May we receive that gift of purity by faith in the realized atonement of Jesus Christ. Amen.
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Resources Used: |
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Kidner, Derek. |
Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries: Psalms. | |
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Spurgeon, C.H. |
The Treasury of David. | |
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The Holy Bible, New International Version. International Bible Society (1973, 1978, 1984) | ||
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Psm 024bx |
09 November 97 | |