He had clean hands because he did not steal from his uncle Laban. Jacob is also identified by the midrash as one with all the proper qualifications to stand in God’s holy place. He did not swear falsely before Nimrod (according to a midrash) and did not take God’s name in vain before the king of Sodom. He has a pure heart because he believed in God’s promise at the covenant “between the pieces”. He has clean hands because he took nothing for himself when he intervened in the war of the kings (Genesis 14). Who then has fulfilled these requirements? In Midrash Tehillim to this psalm, Abraham is mentioned because in all his actions, thoughts and speech he had full integrity and faith. In thought, action and speech, such a person is in harmony with God and the world. We might say that these characteristics constitute the complete person of religious integrity. 24:3-4).” The medieval commentator David Kimhi of Provence (1160-1235) felt that the answer to the question lists three requirements: proper action-clean hands proper thoughts-pure heart and faith in speech-not swearing deceitfully. Psalm 24 asks: “Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in His holy place?” The answer given is: “He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not taken a false oath by My life or sworn deceitfully (Ps. If we are in Christ, we are seen by God with Christ’s pure heart and clean hands.Posted On / 25 Heshvan 5759 | Torah Commentary It is they who are united with Christ, those who have been cleansed by Jesus’ atonement by his making propitiation for our sins, and those who depend and boast in what Christ’s righteousness has fully achieved for us-knowing all the while that this is a “the gift of grace” that is not of ourselves-who will ascend the hill to be with God both now and forever. In fact, the following verse sums it up with clarity:ĥ He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from God of his salvation. Thus, those “who may ascend the hill to the Lord” are indeed, those with “clean hands and a pure heart”. In fact, the gospel has already secured for us what our hearts really, fundamentally desire and go after when we sin anyways-acceptance, freedom, satisfaction, peace, and security-and we find these in God’s incredible love for us. Therefore, we are free from the burden of measuring up, and free from the enslavement of sin that brings gaping aches into our souls when we try to find acceptance, freedom, love, and peace apart from God. Indeed, we have “every spiritual blessing” by our being connected with Christ (Eph 1:3-14). Thus, because of Christ, and by connection to Christ through faith, we stand already accepted, forgiven, redeemed, reconciled, loved, blessed, secured, assured, valued, and purposed. But in Christianity, God gives His Son’s righteousness to us and swallows the death associated with our sin. This approach does not produce love in our hearts for God- it makes us fearful, brings us into despair, and enslaves us into the constant pressure and burden of trying to measure up. See, every other religion tells us that we have to be good enough, better, and better still to warrant God’s acceptance, love, or favor. Indeed, “in and through faith in we may approach God with freedom and confidence” (Eph 3:12). Yet, it is Christ’s righteousness imputed to us through faith that we are brought near to God. It teaches that my righteousness is “as filthy rags”, and that “I was an enemy of God”, a “child of wrath”, “dead in my trespasses”, “fallen short of the glory of God”, “slave to sin” (unable to choose good), “son of Adam” (I am inherently stained with sin, born into its slavery), and that righteousness is something I cannot attain on my own because it is “not of yourselves so that no man can boast”. Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. -Psalm 24:3-4įor so long I thought that “those who have clean hands and a pure heart” meant I had to be good enough, moral enough, and try hard enough to be God-honoring in order to “ascend the hill of the Lord”, which means to be in His presence, and have closeness with Him.īut that is completely not true in light of what Scripture teaches.
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