Thoughts from the Grist

 (This is part 2. Please read part one below)

 Then, to complete the hopelessness, David then effectively allows the reader to understand the result of living this way. It is as if the reader is left as a starving man looking through a window into a banquet hall and seeing the monstrous turkey all golden brown and the mountain of mashed potatoes with butter cascading down the sides along with the endless pile of hot dinner roles, etc. And to top it all off the exhaust fan is on and focused right on the spot where he is standing and the wonderful smell is overwhelming. Yet, he is left standing there without a possibility of entering.

That is what we find in verses 5, 6. Why is it so important that we ascend? We will receive a blessing. And what is that blessing? Righteousness! From the God of his salvation. What is David trying to do? It is as if he is saying “here are the requirements to be able to receive righteousness. And yet you can’t attain it without righteousness. Therefore, you have no hope.” Exactly. That is what he is doing. We are hopeless. We can not do it. We are excluded from climbing the hill. We are excluded from righteousness. We are excluded from blessing. We are excluded from salvation.

And yet, The Psalm does not end there. One would expect that the conclusion of the Psalm would speak of how the Lord is done with His people because of their rebellion and sinfulness. However, the next declaration is quite the opposite. Rather than being hopeless, the call is for the gates of the city to be lifted up. The reference is symbolically of the gates of Jerusalem. But the idea is for those of the city (who were just told of their hopelessness) to be lifted up. In other words, the call is to not be discouraged  with the reality that you can not measure up. Why? Because the king is coming!

But who is this king? The text tells us. Verse 8 and 10 gives an excellent explanation. He is strong and mighty in battle. And then He is described as the Lord of Hosts and the king of glory. Clearly, the Lord Himself is being described. The one on the holy hill is coming! That is, the one we have no hope of going to is coming to us! Which, of course, begs the question, why is He coming? These two verses give the first clues. He is called the Lord of hosts in verse 10. This description refers to the reality that this Lord is the Lord of armies. And combining this with verse 8 in becomes clear that He is coming to do war!

So, first we find out that we have so fallen short that we have no hope of ascending the holy hill and receiving the blessing of righteousness from the God of salvation and then we find out that He is coming to us. But He is coming with His army. From hopelessness to utter hopelessness. But wait. We need to go back to verse 7 and 9. The call is to lift up your heads. Why? So that the King of glory may come in! He is coming to do what we could never do! And He is bringing His army. But armies destroy don’t they? Yes. The only issue is what they come to destroy. Here, David declares that the King of glory is coming with His army not to destroy the people but to destroy the dirty hands, the impure hearts, the souls that are full of falsehood, the hearts that have sworn deceitfully. But that’s not all. Once those are destroyed then we are qualified to receive the blessing from the Lord. Righteousness from the God of salvation is ours.

How is this possible? Because the Lord of hosts has come in the person of Jesus Christ! And he has destroyed sin and death. If you have acknowledged your utter helplessness and desperation and need of a savior and have received the salvation of Jesus Christ because of His finished work on the cross you are able to ascend the holy hill of the Lord!

If you have not, I pray that you will acknowledge your hopelessness and need for a savior, Jesus Christ. Cry out to Him today. Ask Him for forgiveness of your sin against the Holy God and your need for Him do what you can not do. Receive Him as your savior.

If you have been captured by the Lord of Hosts, been forgiven of your sins, ask yourself, “am I ascending the holy hill?” That is, am I experiencing a growing enjoyment of having my sins forgiven, being made to be able to stand in the presence of the Lord, a growing desire to have the experience of clean hands, pure heart, no falsehood, and not deceitfulness? Am I in pursuit of living out what is real? Or am I still living as if I have no hope?

Psalm 24

A Psalm of David.

1 The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains,

The world, and those who dwell in it.

2 For He has founded it upon the seas

And established it upon the rivers.

3 Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord?

And who may stand in His holy place?

4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,

Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood

And has not sworn deceitfully.

5 He shall receive a blessing from the Lord

And righteousness from the God of his salvation.

6 This is the generation of those who seek Him,

Who seek Your face—even Jacob. Selah.

7 Lift up your heads, O gates,

And be lifted up, O ancient doors,

That the King of glory may come in!

8 Who is the King of glory?

The Lord strong and mighty,

The Lord mighty in battle.

9 Lift up your heads, O gates,

And lift them up, O ancient doors,

That the King of glory may come in!

10 Who is this King of glory?

The Lord of hosts,

He is the King of glory. Selah.

This is part 1 of two parts. Visit again for part 2 in a few days

It seems to me that we do not really understand the reality of our condition. We vaguely understand we need a savior because we vaguely understand we are sinners. This often demonstrates itself in several ways.

The way we approach worship is quite telling. Ask yourself this question: “how much time to spend in heart preparation for gathering in corporate worship?” Or how about: “how often to I acknowledge that the activities and events that happen between the bookends we call “church” are inherently worship?” Isn’t it interesting how we cling to a vague acknowledgment of the truth that all is worship and yet when we are in the events we often do not even acknowledge Christ’s existence?

Or consider our perspective of eternity. There is no question that the Scriptures tell us that it is normal and appropriate for Christians to have a heavenly focus. Richard Baxter said: “some are so earthly minded that they are no heavenly good.” Today we turn that 180 degrees the other direction and actually speak against those who have a strong heavenly focus. So, ask yourself these questions: “What do I know of heaven?” “What is the big deal?” And most important for self evaluation: “how strongly do I feel the pull to be with my savior?” Without a strong pull to be with Christ and away from this fallen world there is no motivation to glorify God and certainly no enjoying of Christ.

All this brings us to Psalm 24. David begins this great Psalm by making a declaration in the first two verses. Notice that his overarching statement is a proclamation of His immense power and sovereignty. Everything is His. Why? Because He created it. He has ownership. The title is His. But also notice He not only owns the world, He also owns the contents. That includes what you own and what you do. But most important, it includes you. The ramifications of this are stupendous. Of importance is the question of what He does with what He owns. Which leads us to verses 3-6.

If it true all is owned by God, the question is who can be in His presence. Of course, the over arching teaching in the Scriptures is that Man is in desperate straits. Because of sin he is left with no hope, which makes the questions of verse 3 utterly important. What difference does it make if one may be able to “ascend the holy hill of the Lord?” Because the alternative is to be rejected. That is, it is to be destroyed in hell. So, the questions are of amazing importance. Who among all that God owns may actually enjoy His blessing? Who may have the privilege of living in the place of ultimate enjoyment, peace, blessing, and joy?

The hoped for answer would probably be one of two possibilities. One would probably be everyone can come. He is the owner isn’t He? So, why can’t he just let everyone come? Of course this answer comes out of a rejection of the complete fall of man into sin and the utter holiness of God.

The other probable answer to the question is “just tell me what I can do to gain entrance.” And this is exactly what David tells the reader. However, rather than explaining requirements that are attainable, his fourfold description of what is required leaves us utterly hopeless. No one is able to measure up. No one is able to ascend into the hill of the Lord. Clean hands? A pure heart? No falsehood? No deceitfulness?

We must not miss the point David is driving at here. Who has clean hands? That is, who has never sinned with his body? Who has lived in such a way that he has never demonstrated sin in his physical body? And just when we realize the stark reality of our answer he brings up the second requirement. A pure heart. That is, one who would be allowed in the presence of the Lord is one who has not sinned in his heart. Who has not thought thoughts of hatred, bitterness, anger? Or what about lust, or coveting?

And yet, the answer is not over yet. The one who has the privilege of being in the presence of the Lord is one who has never practiced falsehood. In other words, the one who is allowed to ascend is the one who has never set up idols in his heart. That is, he has never placed other things, people, or activities in greater prominence than God. Nothing has captured his attention, focus, and desire other than God. Who has not found themselves repeatedly being drawn to other things? And worse than that, who has not found themselves completely given over to those other things?

Part two will be posted in a few days.