Your Holy Hill

Key Question: Who can live up to Your righteous standard?

“O Lord. who shall sojourn in Your tent?”

Sojourn - temporary dwelling, other translations say: “dwell”, “abide” or “be a guest in”

The word tent here may be taken in either a formal or informal way. Formally it would refer to the actual tabernacle. Informally it would refer to a dwelling place.

David’s question is not so much one of identity but of kind. What kind of person can dwell in your tabernacle?

“Who shall dwell on Your holy hill?”

The holy hill was undoubtedly a reference to the temple mount in Jerusalem upon which the tabernacle and temple stood.

What did the tabernacle and temple represent in Israel? - God’s presence

Thus the real question being asked in verse 1 is, “Who can stand in the presence of the Lord?” or “Who can live up to the righteous standard of God?”

The rest of this short Psalm is David describing what it would take to live up to that standard.

Walk

Blamelessly

Blamelessness is a theme throughout Scripture and is often the standard to which Christians are taught to hold themselves.

What does it mean to be blameless?

Above reproach

It means that if someone wants to charge something against you they have to lie to do it.

Elders and deacons are called to be blameless as a part of their qualifications in church leadership.

Paul serves as an example of blamelessness in Acts 25:6–7 “After he stayed among them not more than eight or ten days, he went down to Caesarea. And the next day he took his seat on the tribunal and ordered Paul to be brought. When he had arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many and serious charges against him that they could not prove.”

Of course Christ is the ultimate example of blamelessness. In spite of all the efforts and time of the pharisees, Sadducee and others what did they have to do in order to charge Jesus with something? - lie

Righteously

The one who can stand in the presence of God is one who lives righteously.

To live righteously means that your activities and heart are in harmony with God’s standards.

This significantly narrows the scope of who this person might be. Reading this Psalm in light of the previous one brings up a troubling question.

Psalm 14:1–3 “The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.”

So according to Psalm 14 and Romans who is righteous?

Who is the only truly righteous man to ever live? - Christ

Jeremiah 23:5–6 ““Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’”

We have no righteousness to call our own. 2 Corinthians 5:21 “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Talk

Truthful

Very simply the one who can stand in the presence of God is one who speaks the truth.

This logically makes Him one who trust worthy.

The Psalms established that there are none truly righteous, but are there any who speak the truth” - Psalm 12:2 “Everyone utters lies to his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.”

Obviously these requirements for standing in the presence of God are interconnected. You could not be considered blameless if you are not also truthful.

The disciples understood something very important about Christ, Matthew 22:16 “And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances.”

Kind

Here we are stating positively what the text states negatively.

The one who stands in God’s presence is not guilty of slander, evil against His neighbor, or reproaching His friend.

He doesn’t use His words to take advantage or tear others down.

Matthew 11:29 “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Dan Ortland Quote

Heart

Holiness

In 1 Peter 1:13-16, Peter writes to believers, "Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy.'" Peter is quoting from Leviticus 11:44 and Leviticus 19:2.

First, let’s look at God’s holiness. What does it mean that God is holy? Passages like 1 Samuel 2:2 and Isaiah 6:3 are just two of many examples of passages about God’s holiness. Another way to say it is absolute perfection. God is unlike any other (see Hosea 11:9), and His holiness is the essence of that “otherness.” His very being is completely absent of even a trace of sin (James 1:13; Hebrews 6:18). He is high above any other, and no one can compare to Him (Psalm 40:5). God’s holiness pervades His entire being and shapes all His attributes. His love is a holy love, His mercy is holy mercy, and even His anger and wrath are holy anger and holy wrath. These concepts are difficult for humans to grasp, just as God is difficult for us to understand in His entirety.

Next, what does it mean for us to be holy? When God told Israel to be holy in Leviticus 11 and 19, He was instructing them to be distinct from the other nations by giving them specific regulations to govern their lives. Israel is God’s chosen nation and God has set them apart from all other people groups. They are His special people, and consequently they were given standards that God wanted them to live by so the world would know they belonged to Him. When Peter repeats the Lord’s words in 1 Peter 1:16, he is talking specifically to believers. As believers, we need to be "set apart" from the world unto the Lord. We need to be living by God’s standards, not the world’s. God isn’t calling us to be perfect, but to be distinct from the world. First Peter 2:9 describes believers as "a holy nation." It is a fact! We are separated from the world; we need to live out that reality in our day-to-day lives, which Peter tells us how to do in 1 Peter 1:13-16.

Finally, how can we become holy? Holiness only results from a right relationship with God by believing in Jesus Christ as Savior (accepting His gift of eternal life). If we have not placed our faith in God’s Son alone to save us from our sins, then our pursuit of holiness is in vain. So, we must first make sure we are born-again believers (see John 3). If we truly are believers, then we recognize that our position in Christ automatically sets us apart from the world (1 Peter 2:9). After all, we have a relationship with the living God! Then we must daily live a set-apart life, not trying to "blend in" with the world, but instead living according to God’s Word as we study the Bible and grow in it.

Sincere

Sincerity only matters when it it coupled with truth.

We know that this person is sincere because He keeps His word even when it means He will come to harm. - “who swears to his own hurt...”

Notice the consistency of character. “who swears to his own hurt and does not change” - He is reliable

He does not take advantage of others even when the opportunity is evident.