Are You on the Right Hill?
Psalm 24:1-6 – A Psalm of David.
24 The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, 2 for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. 3 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place?
4 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.
5 He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob.
All of us have been given a hill by God. That hill comes in the form of a challenge, a vocation, or a teaching relationship.
When the Israelites raised the chant of Psalm 24, they were recalling a time of blessing that God had given. His hand of relationship had been upon His people, and there was tangible proof that God had brought them to that place and point to witness His glory. In their midst, they could see and hear how God had chosen them. The hill they ascended to worship God was the hill on which Jerusalem sat, the place that God had ordained for them to gather.
This was not the only hill that God gave to His people. The nation had a hill; every Israelite had a hill; all pointed to the hill on which God sat, because all glory and honor was to be directed to that hill. Things went wrong for the people when the hill on which God sat ceased to be the central hill and focal point of His people.
We often look to the distant hills in wonder, trying to discern if their glories can compare to the current hill that God has us on. Mt. Everest has its mystery; Mt. Sinai has its history; Mt. Vesuvius has its halo of dread and excitement. But one need not go to exotic locations to find breathtaking vistas or enticing journeys. Those can be found locally, as close as your neighbors hill that you claim-jump. And it’s amazing that the Rocky Mountain Real Estate Robbing Ranger (Satan) even gives you the tools to make that leap to the next hill, and quite possibly the tools to help you succeed on his twisted path up that hill.
But that’s not your hill. Not only have you forgotten just how special your hill is and how majestic the views are from its rugged peaks and lush landscapes, you’ve lost sight of the holy hill your eyes should be directed toward on a regular basis. You’re too busy worrying about slipping down the hill, causing a rockslide, falling into a ravine, losing your footing, and being angry that you’re not sitting on the highest peak, that now the sunlight glistens with more luster off the near hilltops, and you dream of adventure not your own. You’ve forgotten the tools that God has given you to ascend your hill; they are a dull comparison to what that Rocky Mountain Real Estate Robbing Ranger offers.
Then, when God’s hill comes into alignment with your hill, and you’re given permission to ascend His hill to thank Him, it’s a begrudging affirmation because you’d rather have someone else’s hill. Or, you’ve decided to use other tools and foolish methods to take your hill, instead of the way that God leads, knowing that it will keep you safe to the top and help you succeed in accomplishing what that hill has as its challenge.
It’s then, when our hill no longer impresses, God’s hill seems dangerous, intimidating, or uninviting, that there’s that third hill, the hill of Calvary. That’s the hill of God’s Son, the hill we dare not ascend, because we know that punishment, pain, and unworthiness await us at it’s top. It’s the hill reserved for the One who never let the cragginess of its slopes and its sinfully delicious side-trails lull him into thinking it was easy to conquer or stopping and taking a detour were safe. It’s when we watch God’s Son, Jesus, slowly and carefully ascend that hill, amazingly avoiding disaster and showing us what one who is masterfully prepared can accomplish on terrain that never looks as dangerous as it really is. And when we continually review His ascension to the top of that hill, we see how unprepared we are and how we’ve lost footing because of our unwise and egotistical hearts.
That view is what we need to help focus us back on our hill and gives us the vision to ascend the hill of God in the right way to give Him proper thanks.
Let us today make the bold pledge that we are going to ascend our hill and the hill of God with the righteousness that He intends. Amen.
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