Psalm 15 – How Do I Obtain Top-Level Clearance To God?

Psalm 15:1 (NLT) says, “Who may worship in Your sanctuary, Lord? Who may enter Your presence on Your holy hill? Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts.”

Do I qualify, Lord, to come and worship You? To enter Your presence? According to this Psalm, the worshiper needs Your very character to qualify, in thoughts, words and deeds. Job 4:17 (NLT) asks “Can anyone be pure before the Creator?” Romans 3:23 (NLT) says “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” I fall far too short of perfect, Lord.

In Isaiah 55:8-9 the Lord says “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts. And My ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.”

What does this mean? How could I ever attain such heights, Lord?

TOP-LEVEL CLEARANCE TO WORLD LEADERS

The president of Russia is closely guarded against people entering his presence in the Kremlin. The president of the United States of America is closely guarded against people entering his presence in the Oval office. The president of China is closely guarded against people entering his presence in the Presidential Palace. They are all extra careful as to who is allowed access. Security guards are all well trained. Only those with special clearance can enter. Very few are granted access. You can’t just let anyone in.

WHO HAS TOP-LEVEL CLEARANCE TO GOD?

But who is able to enter into Your presence, Lord God?

I can only think of one person who has top-level clearance to You, Lord, and is able to enter into Your presence, as a human being, and that is Jesus Himself.

DWELLING IN YOUR PRESENCE

Yet David speaks about wanting to enter into the Tabernacle, the Holy place of God. In the OT this was where God revealed Himself, in the most Holy place. He didn’t only want to visit this place. He wanted to live there. To enter into the presence of God and dwell there. Uninterrupted relationship with God. Such was his longing to spend time with God. He wanted top-level clearance.

In Psalms 42:1-2 (NLT2) David says, “As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for You, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before Him?”

TOP-LEVEL CLEARANCE TO THE HOLY OF HOLIES

Only the High Priest, God’s representative in ancient Israel, could enter through the veil into a room called the Holy of Holies at the centre of the Tabernacle, and then only once a year.

David was not a priest. He was only a king, yet in this Psalm he longs to live beyond the veil—in God’s very presence.

WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO OBTAIN SUCH TOP-LEVEL CLEARANCE?

In the Holy of Holies was a box made of Acacia wood and covered with gold called the Ark of the Covenant (You may recall a movie starring Harrison Ford called Raiders of the Lost Ark.)

On top of the Ark were two golden angels looking down at the top of the Ark to a place called the mercy seat. They represented God’s holiness, His righteousness and justice.

Inside the Ark were the broken tablets of the law (Exodus 31:18), Aaron’s rod that budded (Numbers 17:8) and a bowl of manna (Numbers 11:1-9). Each item spoke of events in Israel’s history. They had rebelled against God’s Word, regaled against the leaders of God, and rejected the provision of God. In other words these objects represented Israel’s failure and sin.

The Angels who represented God’s holiness, His righteousness and justice, on the top of the Ark looked down at Israel’s sin. God can only condemn sin.

Romans 6:23 (NLT) says, “For the wages of sin is death”

How can I possibly enter into the presence of Almighty God tainted with the irredeemable imprints of my sin?

On the Holy Hill of Jerusalem in the time of David, was a sanctuary. In the middle of that sanctuary was a place called the Holy of Holies or the Most Holy Place. In that most holy place was a box made of Acacia wood and covered with gold called the Ark of the Covenant (You may recall a movie starring Harrison Ford called Raiders of the Lost Ark.)

On top of the Ark were two golden angels looking down at the top of the Ark to a place called the mercy seat. They represented God’s holiness, His righteousness and justice.

Inside the Ark were the broken tablets of the law (Exodus 31:18), Aaron’s rod that budded (Numbers 17:8) and a bowl of manna (Numbers 11:1-9). Each item spoke of events in Israel’s history. They had rebelled against God’s Word, regaled against the leaders of God, and rejected the provision of God. In other words, these objects represented Israel’s failure and sin.