Ps 24:1-10 - Who belongs in God's house *
Psalm 23 ends with "and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever" - this is David saying that he will dwell in the house of the Lord forever when God is his shepherd. The very next thing he writes is vs 1 of the next Psalm (there didn't used to be chapters and verses in the bible - it just all blended together). Here we see David sitting in God's house looking out and then exclaiming, "The earth is the Lord's...." - now that David was inside God's house, because he allowed God to be his shepherd, he was armed with a new confidence that everything in the entire universe is God's, so who was he to fear anything? Even though he was surrounded by his enemies and he walked through the valley of the shadow of death he had nothing to fear! He's in God's house and he's as confident and bold as a lion because God was his shepherd!
Then he says something extremely interesting - "Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place?" David was alluding to Moses and Aaron back in Exodus. When Moses went up to Mount Sinai God came down to visit Moses, but nobody else was allowed to approach the mountain - only Moses. If anyone else even touched the mountain they died! God then established a tabernacle so that He could dwell among the people - and inside this tabernacle was the Holy of Holies, a place where only the High Priest was allowed to go. Aaron was that man - and only Aaron could enter the Holy place. If anyone else did then they died!
David is here saying, "LOOK! I'm in God's house standing in the Holy place, the place only the Priest was allowed to be! I'm on His mountain, the place only Moses was allowed to be! I'm here!" How was he able to get into these places? By having clean hands and a pure heart. When David said "who may ascend the hill and who may stand in the holy place" the correct answer according to the Law and custom of the Israelites would have been "Moses and the Priest - DUH!!!!" But he's challenged that and revealed to everyone that ALL people are given permission to be in these two places only if they live righteously!
So what's the outcome of someone who has lived righteously and is now dwelling in the house of the Lord and standing in the holy place? The King of Glory comes in! God's Kingdom Comes! In whatever situation you find yourself in God's Kingdom will come because you are dwelling in God's Holy Place!
Created 3 months ago
