PSALM 24:3–10 An Approachable God
READ: PSALM 24:3–10 (MATTHEW 5:1–12)
v. 3 “Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?”
In Psalm 24:3 David asks an important question, “Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place?” The answer is that only those can come into God’s presence who have clean hands and pure hearts, those who carefully avoid evil ways (v. 4). The Lord Jesus confirmed this when he taught his disciples, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matt. 5:8). Indeed, the word of God teaches us that without holiness no one will see the Lord (Heb. 12:14).
This calls for self-examination. Do I have a pure heart? Are all my thoughts, words, and actions holy and perfect? The conclusion of honest self-examination will be that I am a sinner and I have no permission to ascend the hill of the LORD and come into God’s presence.
The miracle of Psalm 24, and indeed of the whole gospel, is that God is an approachable God. Those who “seek his face” (v. 6) may come into his presence. From the perspective of the New Testament we say: in Christ we may and do ascend the hill of the LORD. By trusting in him we are justified and sanctified. Jesus brings me up the holy hill and then my life begins to show signs of holiness.
Now the question becomes: what is the direction of your life? Do you seek the face of God, as David did (Ps. 24:6)? Are you in the habit of lifting up your soul to God (25:1)? As Paul writes: “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God” (Col. 3:1). It is an important word: seeking. We are to seek God, trusting that he is approachable. Is that the direction of your life? If not, you need to repent.
In the old covenant, those who were seeking God would go to the temple in Jerusalem. In the new covenant, we seek the face of the Lord in prayer, and also in the gathering of true believers. The Lord Jesus has poured out his Holy Spirit in order to strengthen our faith through the preaching of the word and the sacraments. If it is your desire to seek the face of God, use these gifts and ask him to bless. Then surely you will find what your heart seeks.
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