Contained within the book of Psalms are several questions about who is close to God. Psalm 15:1 asks, “Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?” Psalm 24:3 asks, “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place?”
In Psalm 15 when the question is asked, “Who shall abide in thy tabernacle” one must remember that the temple was not built yet. We must remember chronology when reading the Bible. The temple was not built until Solomon was king. Therefore we know that the tabernacle was standing. Within the tabernacle were two divisions. One was the Holy Place; the other was the Most Holy Place. Contained in the Most Holy Place was the Ark of the Covenant. On top of the Ark was the Mercy Seat. This represented the presence of God. So when the question is asked, “Who shall abide in thy tabernacle” one remembers that the tent is still standing and the presence of God is represented within its walls.
Basically, the same question is asked in Psalm 24:3; “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord, who shall stand in his holy place?” The hill of the Lord was in Jerusalem where David was preparing for the temple to be built. “The holy place” would represent where God’s presence is. Both passages answer the question of who can be in the presence of God.
The list in Psalm 15 contains 13 attributes of the person who can stand before God and Psalm 24 contains 4. When the attributes of Psalm 15 are contemplated they are very close to those of Psalm 24. Let us study these areas of Psalm 24 within the article.
Clean hands. Who is the person who has clean hands? James tells us, “Cleanse your hands, ye sinners” (James 4:8). Romans 3 says that all have sinned. All of us need to cleanse our hands. Would that not mean we are to wash our hands of the filth that is upon them? Yet, consider is all filth seen? Who can see viruses? Who can see diseases? Are these not filth? Sin in one’s life is equal to filth on the hands. Who can see all the things that defile us before God? Yet the question is still, “how do we cleanse our hands?” For us today the answer is in the blood of Christ. We must be washed in the blood of the lamb! We must “arise and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16). The people with cleansed hands are those who can present themselves in the presence of God.
Pure heart. Who is the person with a pure heart? Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). James states: “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded” (James 4:8). The way to purify ourselves is to obey the truth: “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto and unfeigned love of the brethren see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently” (1 Peter 1:22). To draw nigh unto God we must do whatever God requires to purify our heart. This is obedience to what He has said. Will we do that? Don’t we want to be near God? Let us then have cleansed hands and a pure heart!
Not lifted up their heart to vanity. What is the biblical heart? In the Bible the heart is the mind. “As he thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). What is vanity? Strong defines it as “emptiness.” How many have their minds and thought on things that are not of true value? One might need to define what is of true value. It is God? Is it family? Think of all the things that are a part of God and family. Think of what God says about the family and how we are to love and take care of our families. One things that means is we must have jobs. How concerned are we about God and His kingdom? Is our worship to God important? Is our service to God important? Can we separate family from God? Are we concerned with things that will not make a difference in eternity? Do we want to be near God? If yes, then let us have cleansed hands, purified heart and have our minds thinking about the godly things.
Not use their tongue wrongly. Who is the person who uses their tongue right in every situation? James has a lot to say about the tongue. “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain” (1:26). Chapter three of James describes the tongue and how unruly it can be. James reminds us that we can control horses, ships, but who can control the tongue? “It is a little member” (3:5) that cannot be tamed (3:8). Continuing the discussion of the tongue James says, “Therewith bless we God, ever the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be” (3:9-10). To control the tongue takes work! But can anyone control their tongue 24/7? Is there a person who has not slipped with their tongue? Jesus would be the only who never made this mistake. To abide with God, we must continually guard our mouths. For us then to be close to God must have cleansed hands, purified heart, thinking about the eternal things and using our tongues correctly.
To draw near to God is a lifetime work. It is also a daily work. We can never quit seeking the Lord. When we do draw near to God there are all types of blessings. Some will be physical and some will be spiritual. Some of these blessings will not be realized now but in eternity. Let us always seek to be near God.
Love, Keith
