Who May Ascend the Mountain of the Lord, Psalm 24
Psalm 24
Do you consider yourself a “mountain” person?
Do you like to hike in the mountains?
Do you love the view from a mountaintop?
Psalm 24 has some interesting, vivid imagery: mountains and ancient gates.
As we study it, there are two things to keep in mind.
Understand what it means to “ascend the mountain of the Lord”
Marvel at what Christ has done to lead us up the mountain to a restored relationship with God.
In the ancient world, the mountain was more than just a really high place.
It was more than just rock and snow.
It was more than just somewhere to have an epic adventure, hiking to the top.
The mountain was sacred space – the place where earth and heaven met.
Even in other cultures:
Greeks – Mount Olympus (home of the gods)
Inca – Machu Picchu in the Andes mountains
Modern example: Maria von Trapp – “the hills are alive with the sound of music”
You’ll find numerous examples throughout Scripture where people did encounter God’s presence on an actual mountain:
Mountain Significance
Mount Moriah
Abraham takes Isaac to be sacrificed
Location of the temple built during Solomon’s reign
Mount Sinai
Place where Moses meets God; the people remain at the foot of the mt.
Mount Carmel
Elijah’s showdown with the prophets of Baal
Mount of Transfiguration (Tabor or Hermon)
Jesus reveals His glory to Peter, James, and John
Sermon on the Mount
Jesus teaches the crowds
Mount of Olives
Jesus prays before his betrayal, and Jesus ascends into heaven
So does “climbing/ascending the mountain of the Lord” and “standing in his holy place” mean we need to book a flight to Israel and make a trek up one of these mountains? No. What we should focus on is rather a spiritual climb or ascent into God’s presence. Which begs the question, “How do we do that?”
Verses 1-2 – All of Creation is the Lord’s.
Try to imagine the experience of climbing up a mountain and looking at the view from the top. Have you had this experience?
Imagine yourself standing on a tall peak.
All of this – everything you can see – is because of God, and all of this belongs to Him as Creator.
It’s easy to see how originally verses 1-2 served as a hymn of affirmation for ancient Israel.
For them, in their time, they may have drawn strength from it in opposition to the surrounding nations, who professed that it was Baal, Zeus, or Ra who created the world. In our time, it still serves as an affirmation against the postmodern world’s claims that either there is no God, or that all paths lead to God.
Let’s continue with the “mountain” analogy here:
We’ve climbed a mountain, and from the amazing view at the top, paired with the truth of God’s Word.
We affirm that the world is the Lord’s and all that is in it,
Logically, we form a question in our minds…
Is it possible to know God, to encounter Him? And if so, how?
Verses 3-6 – Who shall ascend the mountain of the Lord?
Verses 3-6 may have been sung by worshippers as they were preparing to enter the temple on Mount Zion. One individual or group would sing the question of verse 3,
“Who may climb the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place?”
Another individual or group would respond with verse 4,
“Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies.”
Look up Psalm 15 and Matthew 5:8. How do they relate to Psalm 24?
So, then to answer our question, “Is it possible to know God, to encounter Him?” We first have to reflect on the qualifications set forth in these verses:
○ Do we have pure hands and pure hearts?
○ Have we never made idols for ourselves out of a career? A relationship? Money?...
○ Have we never been deceitful? Dishonest?
○ Have we kept all of our promises?
If we’re honest with ourselves, listening carefully to the conviction of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, we have to answer “no”. Why does any of that matter? I want to see God!
Because God is a Holy God.
Isaiah 6:1-5 – “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” 4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. 5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”
The hard truth is that none of us is capable of climbing God’s holy mountain, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”
It would be like attempting to climb Mt. Everest with no gear, no protective clothing, no food, no oxygen supply. Just impossible.
So does this mean we are without hope? Absolutely not! Although we ourselves cannot make the climb, there is One – Christ Jesus – who is capable because He alone stands before God with pure hands and a pure heart. He descended the holy mountain to meet us in our humanity. He then gave His life for us so that we might be covered in His righteousness and blessing.
He plainly tells us, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6) and “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Matt. 16:24)
He gives us a new heart and puts a new spirit within us, and by trusting in Him, we become the generation referenced in verse 6 who will joyfully follow in our Saviour’s footsteps up the mountain.
Verses 7-10 – The King of Glory
In their original context, verses 7-10 may also have been sung by priests and the army of Israel as they returned the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem after a victorious battle.
Priests would carry the ark ahead of the army and sing:
“Open up, ancient gates! Open up, ancient doors, and let the King of glory enter.”
Priests at the gate would reply:
“Who is the King of glory?”
Priests with the ark would answer:
“The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, invincible in battle.”
When viewed from the context of “climbing the holy mountain,” we see a much different picture.
Ephesians 6:12 —“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
Jesus, the King of Glory, stands at the ancient (or eternal) gates, victorious in His battle against the powers of darkness, victorious over death, saying, “I am the First and the Last. I am the living one who died. Look, I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.” (Rev. 1:17-18)
Praise God for a victorious Saviour who loved us enough to meet us where we are, and who made a way for us to know our Creator as a Father and experience His love and majesty!