Who may climb the mountain of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?
Only those whose hands and hearts are pure,
who do not worship idols
and never tell lies. Psalms 24:3-4.
Saul was Israel’s first king, and failed to win God’s approval during his tenure. Samuel, the prophet, said to Saul on one occasion that his tenure as king was about to end, and he would be replaced by “a man after God’s own heart,” 1 Samuel 13:14. Saul was talking about David.
The irony of the choice of David as the next king was that he was as flawed as Saul was. However, David was distinguished by his purity of heart, seen in the songs he wrote to God, the humility expressed regarding his own failures, and his openness to God’s will for him as Israel’s king.
Psalm 24 is a perfect illustration of what purity of heart looks like when implemented in one’s life. According to the Psalmist, a person who can approach God:
- Has a pure heart. Unadulterated. Honest. Hungry for God.
- Does not worship other gods. Gods of wealth, power, sex, privilege, and prestige.
- Does not tell lies. Ulterior, undisclosed motives. Deliberate deceitfulness.
When David sinned, even in awful, terrible ways, he was willing to admit his sin and seek God’s forgiveness. David was not one to try to cover up his sins and hide them from others. It is this sort of person that wins God’s approval. Like Zacchaeus or the woman at the well, neither of whom triee to gloss over their failures.
Purity of heart is not perfection. It is, rather, the absence of pretense, pride, and guile; it is humility and meekness. Which God loves.
Prayer:
Father, the humans you created in the beginning were harmonious, vulnerable, honest, pure of motive and thought. How far we have moved from that reality. Keep in front of us the picture of what you imagined for us. May we give voice to your Spirit within us. Amen.