As we continue to watch and wait on God’s timing for Christ’s return, we ensure that we are in a state of readiness. This includes asking core questions of ourselves about God and of being in God’s presence. These aren’t easy answer questions, but invite us to think intentionally about how we live for Christ. Consider Today’s Holy Nougat.
Psalms 24:3 NIV
[3] Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place?
Who is Worthy?
If, like me, you had your formative education in the era when morning prayer was mandatory in schools, this entire Psalm may have been introduced to you. It was one of the psalms we recited without prompts. Oh. How I hated those days. I had fairly good recall, until I needed to revise verbatim, or remember dates! Then it was prayer time: ‘Dear Lord, please don’t let them ask me a part I don’t recall, or help me remember the order of the verses.’ I don’t know if your faith formation included such moments, but I recall praying along those lines or something similar.
Despite my misgivings, this verse, and the response stayed with me. It might be due to the reflection the question invites. For, in our asking, ‘Who may ascend …’, it is a if we are also trying to determine whether we qualify individually or collectively to be in God’s presence. Before we unpack this in more detail, let’s ask ourselves the question –
Self-Check
Can we stand in the presence of God on our own merit?
Application
We recall that this psalm was written long before Christ came as a ransom for us. In those days, the high priest was the only person who had access to the Holy of Holies. It was absolutely forbidden for a regular Levitical priest to enter that space where God’s presence was most visible. Thus, an ordinary person would have risked death, which was Uzzah’s fate in 1 Chronicles 13. Touching the holy, and being in God’s presence required total sanctification: a process of preparation and cleansing outlined in Exodus and the Levitical Laws.
Exodus 19 chronicles the delivery of the Law to Moses on Mt Sinai. In that encounter, the people consecrated themselves, washed their clothing (for they couldn’t appear before God with spot or blemish?), and stayed a holy distance from the mountain of God. This experience would have been in the Children of Israel’s memory.
Siblings, if that were still the case today, most of us would not have access to the presence of God. But, in Y’shua, in Jesus Christ, we have our very own High Priest, Who bridges the gap, affording us access to the Holy of Holies. Hebrews 4 assures us that our High Priest authorizes us to come boldly to the throne of our gracious God … [where] we receive [God’s] mercy (see verses 14-16).
Understanding that God’s presence IS God’s rest, we seek access through our obedience (see verse 6).
The question echoes to us once again, Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? Do we dare answer, ‘Me Lord’?
Point to Ponder
Read Isaiah’s call in Isaiah 6. Imagine God’s Spirit being the live coal that purifies. How shall we respond to the invitation?
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May all we seek be found in Christ
