However, Jesus warned that a person can wash the outside of the cup until its sparkling, but still be filthy on the inside. If your hands are dirty, then wash them in the precious blood of Jesus so that they may be clean! If you are truly saved, you will then act like it! Not perfectly, of course, but there should be a marked difference between your actions and those of a lost person. You cannot truly believe in the sacrifice that Jesus made on your behalf and continue in sin. BUT, true faith will always be accompanied by works of repentance. Unfortunately, some people, in their over-eagerness to preach the gospel of grace, neglect the need for repentance. If you are to stand on God’s holy hill, you must act accordingly-with clean hands. Some examples of this are given later in the verse: don’t worship idols or swear deceitfully. “Hands” is a figure of speech representing the entirety of a persons actions. God’s people are not limited to one race, but may come from all nations, tribes, and languages of mankind-if they are clean and pure.įirst, they must be clean outwardly. It is not because of his race but because of his character. Notice that the one who is standing on God’s holy hill is not doing so because he is Jewish he is there because of his purity and holiness. This is important for the nation of Israel to be singing. Then the psalmist answers his own question: only the one with clean hands and a pure heart can ascend the hill of the Lord and stand in His holy place. The first time he focuses on the physical distance by using the term ‘hill,’ and the second time he focuses on the moral distance by using the phrase ‘holy place.’ Both the hill and the holy place are out of reach for mankind. The psalmist illustrates this by repeating the question. He is unreachable by the grasp of man due to a vast separation, both physically and morally. The opening question of this passage asks a pertinent question for every seeker of truth: how can I get to God? The assumption (which is accurate) is that God is reigning in heavenly glory. But it has also been sung by millions of Israelites thanks to its origin in Psalm 24. That prayer has been sung by millions of Christians over the last few decades. Jesus rebuked the scribes and Pharisees because they appeared righteous but were full of hypocrisy and lawlessness (Matthew 23:28).Chris Tomlin is one of the great song writers of our time, and perhaps that’s because he finds so many of his lyrics in the Psalms! One of his classic praise songs is called “Give us Clean Hands.” It’s chorus repeats the following lines: He knows our thoughts, motives, deeds, and speech, and He hates hypocrisy. Further, the person who legitimately enters the Lord's presence in worship does not worship idols: anything or anyone other than the one true God.Ī true worshipper does not practice deception (John 4:24). Having a pure heart likely refers to a person's godly thoughts and character. Pilate's dramatic washing of his hands declared his opinion that he was completely innocent of what happened to Jesus (Matthew 27:24). This imagery is reflected in modern English expressions such as "willing to get his hands dirty," which implies someone willing to do evil to accomplish their goals. Having "clean hands" refers to the performance of righteous deeds, as well as avoidance of evil deeds. Isaiah 52:11 commands: "Purify yourselves, you who bear the vessels of the L ORD." Exodus 30:18–21 instructs Aaron, the high priest, and his sons to wash their hands and feet at the laver in the tabernacle before ministering to the Lord. The Levites who transported the ark had to be ceremonially clean, as did the priests. The question is not whether or not a person is capable of singing or saying words it's whether their efforts are appropriate. A person cannot truly worship God unless they are submitted to Him in faith, and that submission cannot occur until they have been redeemed by salvation. Proper worship of God requires clean hands, a pure heart, and integrity. The answer to the question posed in verse 3 is given here.
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