Who Shall Ascend the Hill of the Lord? (Psa. 24:3,4)
(Exhortation - September 1999)
David had violated the strict transportation procedure as laid down in the law for all the holy vessels. Seen in the aggregate, these laws taught the fundamental fact that God is a Holy Being to be approached only as He has ordered and ordained. Presumptuous access to the Almighty is not possible; but in His mercy and through His grace, mortals can come into His presence under certain conditions.
These conditions were given to David by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in answer to his urgent question. The one who is welcome into the presence of the Almighty is "he that hath clean hands, and a pure heart."
A demonstration of this divine response is marvelously illustrated in all three of the daily readings for June 27. I Samuel 7 describes the care of the ark in the home of Abinadab in the hill; Isaiah 52 depicts the holy city, Jerusalem, on Mt. Zion, no longer open to the uncircumcised and the unclean; and in Revelation 14, we see the 144,000 redeemed on the apocalyptic Mt. Zion.
The presumptuous approach
Early in the first book of Samuel, we learn of Israel’s ignominious defeat at the
hands of the Philistines and the subsequent capture of the ark (I Sam. 4:22). For the
duration of seven months, this uncircumcised nation was the recipient of the judgments of
God. Finally acknowledging the supremacy and power of the God of Israel, they devised an
ingenious plan to rid themselves of the article they had considered a mere talisman. They
watched with relief as the lowering milch kine entered the territory of Israel.
Sadly, the Israelites who should have known better, showed gross ignorance of the law and received the appropriate punishment. "And he smote the men of Beth-shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the Lord, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the Lord had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter." At last they cried, "Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God?" (I Sam. 6:19, 20). The principle had been learned: we cannot approach God in our own careless manner. So it was that: "The men of Kirjath-jearim came, and fetched up the ark of the Lord, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the Lord" (I Sam. 7:1).
It must be emphasized that it was necessary to sanctify Eleazar, thereby rendering him ceremonially pure. It is also significant that Abinadab means "father of willingness" and Eleazar "help of God" which is a fitting combination for the twenty-year guardianship of the sacred vessel. Unlike the unworthy Hophni and Phinehas who were morally unfit (I Sam. 2:22), Eleazar must have performed his task with the right attitude of respect and awe.
The watchman
The prophet Isaiah continues this theme of the requirement of moral cleanliness: "Awake,
awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy
city: for henceforth there shall no more come unto thee the uncircumcised and the
unclean" (Isa. 52:1). He speaks of the watchman (Isa. 52:8), whose duty it was
to act as a sentinel, guarding and looking out for the interests of the people, crying out
with joy at the evidence of the fulfillment of God’s purpose. So it was with
Abinadab, albeit in a more subdued vein. As the guardian and custodian of the ark, he,
too, was a watchman, acting as a witness and alerting the people to the ways of the Lord.
The watchman of Isaiah is commanded to proclaim the news of Jerusalem being comforted and redeemed. "Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem" (Isa. 52:9).
There appears to be an interesting fulfillment of these words at the presentation of the child Jesus in the Temple at Jerusalem, where there was a man named Simeon, "and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel" (Lk. 2:35). At the same time, there was Anna "a widow… which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day" (Lk.2:37). How remarkably well Simeon and Anna executed their watchmanship role! Both were aware of Isaiah’s prophecy and the nearness of its fulfillment. "The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God" (Isa. 52:10). The response of Simeon was: "Lord now lettest thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: for mine eyes have seen thy salvation …"(Lk. 2:29,30). The devout Anna, who had served God with fastings and prayers night and day, "….gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of Him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem"(Lk. 2:38).
Isaiah’s injunction was "be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord" (Isa. 52:11). The two elderly people in Jerusalem were a strong testimony to the fact that through faith, moral cleanness is possible even in the midst of decadence, and that morality should not be compromised.
Redeemed from the earth
"Who shall ascend unto the hill of the Lord?" Our final
consideration is Revelation 14, where we see the wondrous answer in the vision of the
perfected saints.
"And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads…which were redeemed from the earth…These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins...And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God" (Rev. 14:1,3-5).
The names on the foreheads of the saints gave them the special identity of faithful ones. "Redeemed from the earth" speaks of hope at last fulfilled; the undefiled virgins without guile and without fault shows the cleansing aspect of the love of God in its full manifestation.
As we bring our thoughts together, we recall that the elements of faith and endurance are seen in the golden pot of manna. Hope in the resurrection is depicted in Aaron’s rod that budded, and love is the epitome of all the commandments as exemplified in the tablets of the covenant. All of these were enshrined in the ark as it lay on the hill in the days of Abinadab and Eleazar anticipating the coming of the antitype, our Lord Jesus Christ. In our attempt to emulate him, our faith must be durable. "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ…"(I Peter 1:7). Our hope is that this mortal (unclean) must put on immortality.
The cleansing word
The Psalmist asks, "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way?" The
answer follows immediately, "By taking heed thereto according to thy word" (Ps.
119:9). David loved and reverenced the scriptures; to him they were a joy and a way of
life. "I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. I
will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways. I will delight myself in
thy statutes: I will not forget thy word" (Ps. 119:14-16). We have the unique
privilege of access to the word made flesh. It should be our delight to follow his
commandments and remember his death and resurrection in the appointed way.
Our Savior was the only one of whom it could be truly said "He that hath clean hands and a pure heart." It is through his blood that the way of approach was opened up to the Father whereby we, too, can have clean hands and a pure heart through the forgiveness of sins in him. It is our sincere hope that in the age to come we may "ascend into the hill of the Lord" and dwell therein throughout eternity.
Clive Drepaul, Brooklyn, New York