Who May Ascend Into The Hill Of The Lord?

Who May Ascend into the Hill of the Lord?

—Psalm 24:3

As King David penned this song of adoration and affirmation, he did so to celebrate one of the most glorious hours in ancient Jerusalem’s history. The ark of the covenant was returning to Jerusalem, and the entire city was exploding with praise and joy. David himself was dancing in the streets in celebration. As the parade entered the gates of the Holy City, David began to sing:

Lift up your heads, O you gates!

And be lifted up, you everlasting doors!

And the King of Glory shall come in.

Who is this King of glory?

The LORD strong and mighty,

The LORD mighty in battle. . . .

The LORD of hosts,

He is the King of glory. (Psalm 24:7–8, 10)

Earlier in this psalm, David was more personal, asking, “Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place?” (v. 3). And no sooner did he ask, he provided the answer: “He who has clean hands and a pure heart” (vv. 3–4). This brief psalm is not simply one of celebration and commemoration, but also one of examination and anticipation. David took a backward look, an inward look, and a forward look.

A BACKWARD LOOK TO MOUNT ZION

Commentators are in nearly unanimous agreement that Psalm 24 looks back to the return of the ark (the very physical symbol of God’s presence) to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:12–19). It is virtually impossible for any of us to imagine the degree of the Jewish people’s awe and reverence for the sacred ark of the covenant. God had given Moses the design for this wooden box, overlaid in gold. It contained the tablets of the Law given at Sinai, a jar of the manna that fell daily from heaven to sustain the Jews in their wilderness wanderings, and Aaron’s own rod that budded. The ark had initially found its home in the tabernacle in the wilderness, and carried by the Levites, it always went before the children of Israel. When it led them through the Jordan River, the waters parted. When it led them around the walls of Jericho, those walls came tumbling down. And between the cherubim on the cover of the ark, the shekinah glory of God would come to dwell among His people.

The ark had been outside the city and kept in the home of Obed-Edom for three months (vv. 1–11), and now David was bringing the ark to Jerusalem. Before he died, David would raise the funds to build it a permanent home. Later his son Solomon would masterfully and meticulously construct the temple in Jerusalem. There the ark would take up residency behind the veil in the Holy of Holies. What a day of celebration as the gates of Jerusalem were lifted up and the King of glory, symbolized by the ark, entered the city!

AN INWARD LOOK TO MOUNT CALVARY

Psalm 24 prompts us to look not only at Mount Zion but also to look toward Calvary. There is a strong Messianic appeal here: “Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart” (vv. 3–4). That “hill of the LORD” represents Mount Calvary, where Christ was crucified and died, an atonement for the sins of the world.

“Clean hands and a pure heart”—do you meet those qualifications? Can you ascend this hill? Can I? No mortal can do so. The qualification is twofold: one must possess clean hands and a pure heart. But my hands, representing my outward life, are not clean. I have sinned, and my actions and words fall far short of our holy God’s righteous demands. And my inner life, my heart, is far from pure: like everyone, I have discovered that my own “heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9). How will you and I ever be able to ascend the Lord’s hill, much less “stand in His holy place”?

We will be able to ascend the hill of the Lord because of the one Person in all of history who met these qualifications: the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of glory. His hands were clean; His heart was pure. Knowing I was without hope, He descended from heaven so that I could one day ascend. His clean hands became dirty with the sin of the world, with my sin and yours. Why? So that our dirty hands could become clean. Jesus’ pure heart became filled with sin. Why? So that my sinful heart could be made pure. No wonder we can wholeheartedly join the psalmist in this explosion of praise! No wonder we lift the gates of our hearts so that the King of glory can come in and take up residence within us!

A FORWARD LOOK TO THE MOUNT OF OLIVES

Psalm 24 presents us with a backward look and an inward look, but that is not all. This psalm also points to Jesus’ triumphant return to Jerusalem. One day He will return, set foot on the Mount of Olives, walk down its rocky slope, cross the Kidron Valley, then ascend Mount Moriah, enter through the Eastern Golden Gate of the city, and, from Jerusalem, establish His reign over the earth. The watchmen on the gates will shout, “Who is this King of glory?” (v. 8). To which we, who are coming with Him, will reply, “The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! (vv. 8–9). And the King of glory shall come in!” Through the gates and into the city once again Jesus will come, our conquering King of glory.

No longer will people see Jesus as the Galilean Carpenterturned-Preacher, the Doer of some amazing miracles, and a gifted Teacher. Jesus will never appear like that again. Even now, He is seated on high at the right hand of the Father. And when He comes again, you will miss Him if you are looking for Him to be riding on the back of a donkey. He will be riding a white stallion and coming again as the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords. Our world is in desperate need of such a King who will rule in absolute righteousness and whose reign will stretch to the ends of the earth, with Jerusalem being the capital of the world for a thousand years of peace (Revelation 20:1–11).

Then when time is no more, we will hear for a final time, “Lift up your heads, O you gates.” And an enormous multitude that no man can number will arrive with our King at the gate of heaven, and the King of glory will come in . . . accompanied by anyone and everyone who has looked to Him by faith for their eternal salvation.

Q & A: “Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord?” Only one Person in all of history has met the qualifications, and that would be Jesus. Represented in an earlier era by the ark of the covenant that was carried into the city, Jesus climbed the hill into Jerusalem with the express reason of ascending Mount Calvary. There, His clean hands and pure heart were stained by our sin so that our hands could be clean and our hearts pure. So who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? You and I can—if we open the gates of our hearts and let the King of glory enter in!