Psalm 24:3
3 Who shall ascend [`alah] into the hill [har] of the
LORD [Yahovah]? or who shall stand [quwm] in his holy [qodesh] place [maqowm]?KJV-Interlinear
3 Who
may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? NASB
To ascend means to rise
up above the current place that one is at presently, also to rise up, to
advance, to improve, to better oneself beyond ones capability.
The hill of God is often
referred to as Zion, and known as the residence or dwelling of God. It is the vastness of truth and the infinite source
of provision.
The holy place is the
environment of perfection in which God exists.
It is His perfect righteousness, His perfect justice, His perfect essence
in all respects. The tabernacle was the
earthly representation of Gods holy place, called the Holy of Holies, the inner
room, into which no one could enter except once per year, and only after the
observance of very strict ritual procedures.
So, on his own, what
person is capable of climbing up Gods vast mountain of truth, of knowing it, of
mastering it, of possessing it, of applying it to reality? No one has that capability. Only God alone possesses that capability.
Who can stand before and
in the presence of God, of perfection?
Who is capable of being perfect, sinless, untainted? And again that answer is, no one has that
capability. No one can stand before
God. Only God possesses that ability and
right to stand within His own presence.
And, God alone has the
power and ability to transform man such that man will have the potential of
accomplishing these things, but man cannot attain these attributes and rights
on his own.
Therefore, if man cannot
attain, cannot ascend, cannot stand before, then what destiny has man, what
opportunity, what prospects, what options are there for something better than
having nothing?
For without God, man has
and is nothing.
But is there not
something better than nothing? If so,
what?
And if man cannot change
himself from his nothing position, then how does he make that change, by what
means, by what power, by what authority, by what process, by what right?
