O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent?
Who shall dwell on your holy hill?
2 He who walks blamelessly and does what is right
and speaks truth in his heart;
3 who does not slander with his tongue
and does no evil to his neighbor,
nor takes up a reproach against his friend;
4 in whose eyes a vile person is despised,
but who honors those who fear the LORD;
who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
5 who does not put out his money at interest
and does not take a bribe against the innocent.
There’s an old Steve Martin gag that teaches us how to be a millionaire and never pay taxes. First, get a million dollars, now… The joke is that getting a million dollars is nearly impossible for many. He follows that up with the advice that you just tell the government you forgot to pay your taxes. All that seems about as easy as dwelling on the holy hill of the Lord. The psalmist pointed out that it involves far more than walking up the hill. It requires blameless honesty and fear of the Lord, traits all of us can claim but none can exhibit.
That is why the cross of Christ is so important to our lives and salvation. Without it, we would have to be this perfect person described in these verses. Unless you are not at all like me, you fail on all fronts but Jesus did not. His life on earth fulfilled all the requirements for dwelling inthe holy place. There is a way to know you can dwell on that holy hill with the Lord forever and the irony is that it happens when you realize one thing…
You can’t.
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church