Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in His holy place? Psalm 24

Psalm 24 Of David. [NIV]

1 The earth is the LORD’S, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;

2 for He founded it on the seas

and established it on the waters.

3 Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in His holy place?

4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up His soul to an idol or swear by what is false.

5 Hewill receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God His Saviour. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face, God of Jacob.

7 Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 8 Who is this King of glory?

The LORD strong and mighty, the LORDmighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 10 Who is He, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty— He is the King of glory.

The Lord God, the Holy Trinity owns the world. If I bake a cake or write a song or paint a picture I am its owner. He who creates is the owner of what He makes. So it is with the Earth, the Lord is its owner, we are its inhabitants. We buy and sell the land to share out settlement spaces. But the Lord remains the owner of the world for as David says He founded the earth and established it.

But then David asks an unexpected question.

Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD?

Who may stand in His holy place?

The answer he gives is: he who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up His soul to an idol or swear by what is false.

But who is he?

Was David referring to his son Solomon who would build God’s Temple on Mount Zion. David had wanted to build it but [1 Chronicles c 22 v 8] the Lord told him: ‘You are not to build a house for My Name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in My sight’. David did not have clean hands. Solomon had clean hands for the Lord authorised him to build the temple, but after he had dedicated it [2 Chronicles c7 v 1b-2] ‘the glory of the Lord filled the temple [and] the priests could not enter the temple of the Lord ...’ An exclusion that included Solomon.

Solomon had clean hands but as was later revealed he did not have a constant pure heart. He married many women from nations that Israelites were banned from marrying, and in his old age they turned his heart from the Lord. He worshipped idolsSolomon was privileged to build the temple but he had no right to ascend the mountain of the Lord. The temple mount Zion is not the ultimate mountain of the Lord.

Perhaps David was thinking back to the Exodus, when the Lord met with Moses in a dense cloud so that the people would hear him and put their trust in him. But the people were not allowed to go up Mount Sinai or touch the foot of it; to do so was to die. [Ex 19:10-12

and 23b] Yet after the Sinai covenant between God and Israel was confirmed in the blood of sacrifice and the people’s promise to obey, Aaron, and his two sons, Nadab and Abihu and seventy of the elders of Israel were allowed to go to the foot of the mountain, with Moses, where they saw God, and ate and drank and the Lord did not raise His hand against them. [c24:9-11] Then Moses and Joshua were allowed to go higher [24:13-14 But only Moses was invited to go to the highest of its heights to see the glory of the Lord’s presence. [c24 v15f] Moses could ascend by God’s invitation for he had no right in himself be there.

Here is a moment to pause. In some modern translations of the Psalm the reference to ‘he’ in verse 4 is changed to a plural: ‘Those who have clean hands’ etc. But as we see in this Exodus event an example of a relevant ‘they’, the priests and the elders, are not allowed to ascend the hill of the Lord. The change points away from and obscures the prophetic reference to Christ Jesus. Whether it has been made for pc/gender sensitivities or for other reasons do they justify this prophetic loss. Let us remember that the psalms are poetry which uses imagery to reveal truths that literal, grammatical and /or culturally governed wording may fail to intimate.

Mount Sinai represents the mountain of the Lord but it is not that mountain. The mountain of the Lord refers to the highest heights of the heavenly realms where God dwells. Was David by the Holy Spirit seeing even further into the past? Into the beginning, wherein Lucifer was the anointed cherub whose wings stretched over God's throne? [Ezekiel 28:11-15] Yet Lucifer “said in his heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’” [Isaiah c14;12-17] Lucifer had permission to be with God on His holy mountain but he had noright in himself to be there.

There was no one in creation past, not Moses the man, nor Lucifer the angel who fulfilled David’s words. And there was no one he could see in the future, not even his son Solomon. David faithfully heard the word, the psalm was written but the prophecy awaited fulfilment.

Some 600 years or so later, after the overthrow of Judah by Babylon, Daniel was taken into the service of the Babylonian kings. In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel was given a vision from God. He saw one like a son of man. The phrase ‘son of man’ was an everyday way of speaking of a human being. And the man Daniel saw was someone incredibly special for he came with the clouds of heaven, which represent the very presence of God. Then he approaches the Ancient of Days, who is God. ascending the mountain of the LORD and is led into God's presence. Standing there He is given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language will worship Him. And it is revealed to Daniel that this man’s dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom one that will never be destroyed. And that like God Himself this son of man will be worshipped. [See Daniel c 7] But in Isaiah 42 v 8 God declares:‘I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another...’ Yet here He is giving equal glory to a man! How can that be?

David did not know. Daniel did not know. But we know. We are not famous kings. God has not greatly gifted all of us in knowledge and understanding. But we know. Some 400 years after Daniel the virgin Mary, by God’s overshadowing power, conceives and gives birth to a son of man who is also the Son of the Most High. And to Him Gabriel tells her the Lord God gives the throne of his father David and He will reign over a kingdom that will never end. And His name is Jesus. [Luke c1 v26 - 35]

To return to our question: Who is the King of glory, who is the one who has clean hands and a pure heart? By the Holy Spirit foretold by David, foreseen by Daniel, birthed by Mary, He is Jesus, who is Lord and Christ to the glory of God the Father.

Some folk don’t see the point of the Old Testament, yet it is written so we may believe

that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

Remember this in the midst of any troubles you may suffer and stand firm in Jesus Christ your Lord to the glory of God the Father.

And when, not if, family, friends, carers, and the whole world question your faith, and raise

doubts in heart and fears in your soul, cling to this: Jesus Christ is your Lord, to the glory of God the Father. He is the LORD Almighty—He is the King of glory. Alleluia, alleluia. amen.