Sex, Sin, and The Sanctuary
From the Garden to Golgotha God is Gracious
Judah is a Lion's Whelp
Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord and who shall dwell in his Holy Place?
God's Roommate: The Contrite
For thus saith the high and lofty one who inhabiteth eternity whose name is holy, I dwell in the high and holy place with him that is of a contrite and humble spririt, to revive the spirit of the humble, to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
First God establishes his identity. He says I am the high and lofty one. God is no ordinary lowly being. The writer uses a Hebrew figure of speech to emphasize God’s supreme character. High and Lofty is a redundancy that is deliberate. If you want to look at God you must lift your heads because God is “high and lofty”. Thus the psalmist emphasizes “I will lift up mine eyes to the hills from whence cometh my help”.
God inhabits eternity. He is not a “Johny come lately” God. God himself says in Isaiah 43:13 From eternity to eternity I am God. This emphasizes his sovereign rulership and governance. God is in charge. His authority, ownership and is unchallengeable.
13 Yea, before the day was, I am He, and there is none that can deliver out of My hand; I will work, and who shall turn it back?”
The not only is his dwelling place identified but his name is identified. His name is Holy.
But God, the high, holy, lofty, sovereign God does not live by himself. He says I live there with him that is of a contrite and humble spirit. Do you want to know who will ascend into the hill of the Lord and who will dwell in his Holy Place? Him that is of a contrite and humble spirit.
Ever wanted to know how a murderer and adulterer like David could be called “a man after God’s own heart”? Because he was a contrite spirit.
God wants “to revive the spirit of the humble, to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” Have you sinned sorely against God.
Read Psalm 51 and you will hear the voice of a broken and contrite man. God says “That’s my man”.
Any understanding of the ways and actions of God must begin with an understanding of the character of God, Let's begin with some very important qualities of God that describe his character.
1. He is not willing that any should perish, Time and again God affirms that he has no pleasure in the death of the wicked, Ez, 33:11. KJV. In 1 Pet, 3:9 he says God is not slack concerning his promises but is longsuffering toward us not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
2. In his appreciation of the ignorance of men at times God behaves as though he does not see what is taking place. Paul declares at the time of this ignorance God overlooked but now commands all me everywhere to repent. There are times when God chooses to overlook one's behaviour.
3. In times of testing and trials God will not give us more than we can bear but will make a way of escape that we might be able to bear it. 1 Cor, 10:13.
4. The psalmist consoles us that God knows our frame. He knows how we are put together.
5. He remembers we are dust, Therefore as a father pities his children so also the Lord pities them that fear him. Psalm 103:14.
6. He will not always chide and James assures us that if we need to seek wisdom from God on a matter he will not always chide. God is sympathetic to our lack of understanding on a matter. He gives wisdom freely and will not upbraid.
7. However whom he loves he chastens. He odes not chasten because hates but because he loves and wants to see us
8. None of his children are without chastisement, For the purpose of correction and discipine and assurance that his children arrives safely home.
9. After all God.s effort, he will in no wise spare the guilty. If after all God's effort one insist on his own way it will be against justice to let the guilty go free.
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