HOSTING GOD
Key Verse: “Lord, I have loved the habitation of Your house, the place where Your glory dwells.” (v.8)
Key Theme: David’s introspective commitment to being pleasing to God.
Key Descriptives of God: None. Ultimately, the main object.
Psalm 26, is one of those rare chapters where David stays in an introspective mood the entire chapter. I found ME, MY, or I, 24 times in these 12 verses. There are no “God, You are…” statements. It is all David looking inside and actually judging and examining himself even as He asks God to. He never talks about God, but the entire chapter is yet about how to please Him and be with Him. You have to remember that there was no righteousness and salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ available when David was writing any of his Psalms. Today, right away, we could all instruct David and say, “Don’t look to yourself to earn salvation, you must look only to Jesus.” While this is true, this is not David’s primary goal here. This is not a chapter on him trying to be righteous enough to get into heaven. He is not really trying to prove his perfection. He is trying to demonstrate the bent of his heart. He is declaring that he is committed and attracted to integrity, God, and what is right. “I have walked in Your truth”, “I have not sat with idolatrous mortals”, (v.3,4). He resists evil– relationally motivated.
I LOVE THE HOUSE WHERE YOU LIVE
The key verse everything revolves around is, “Lord, I have loved the habitation of Your house, and the place where Your glory dwells.” In another version, “I love the house where you live”. This is David’s driving passion, to be in the house where God lives. It is one thing to be legally attempting to qualify for eternity with God (i.e. “sinner’s prayer”). It is another to, here and the now, be wanting to be in the house where He lives. Again, one of the things I have always loved about David, is that he continuously wanted to experience more of God and His Presence, here and now, and not just later. He speaks very little of his hopes and dreams of one day being with God in heaven. He experiences Him NOW, and he wants to experience Him MORE, this despite being under a much less advantageous covenant (Old Testament).
BEFORE THE NEW AND LIVING WAY
Today, we have access to God and Presence through the new and living way, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 10:20)— and the Holy Spirit. We can lay on our beds and theoretically access “the place where His glory dwells”. Under the old covenant, God was not so available. Early on, His Presence was in the Ark of the Covenant, guarded by the Mercy Seat that Israel tended to so carefully. Then there was the Tabernacle and in it were ascending places of His presence, all the way into the Holy of Holies, but not available to most as a veil/curtain blocked the pathway. Solomon’s temple was later a place for His Glory Presence but that was not yet built. David had a tent/tabernacle made that housed the Ark of the Covenant and this is where he had to go— and loved to go. It is hard to imagine not having access to His Presence apart from going to some physical place but that can become a real positive as it was for David. He prepared himself for it more intentionally and with less familiarity than we tend to do. He never was trying to “earn” the right to go into the Tabernacle as the “altar” he describes in verse 6, is where blood sacrifices of animals were made to atone for the sinfulness that would disallow you to enter His Presence. That is why I say David was not trying to be perfect enough, as they were clear even in his day that this was not possible. They also were to embrace the need for forgiveness, but it was a price paid for by a lamb instead of THE Lamb. Jesus, THE Lamb, then on the cross removed the veil/curtain of separation forever.
THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID
Amos 9:11, “On that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, and repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old.”
This, of course, is a theme for an entire book, but we can touch on it today. Obviously, Solomon’s temple was much, much more visually spectacular than the tabernacle of David, so this prophetic passage is not looking to rebuild or restore a tent. It was and is David’s careful attention to God’s Presence that is to be rebuilt and restored. David covered all the legal sacrifices required of him under the old covenant, but he went way, way beyond that in stewarding the Presence. Besides daily making sure his predisposition was towards integrity and away from evil, he was very extravagant with his pursuit of the Living Presence. David had around the clock, skilled worship choirs installed in the tabernacle, not because God “required” it but because he had learned about hosting His Presence, probably since he was a young shepherd boy playing on his harp. He learned “God inhabits the praises of His people”. He will tell us of a God who really doesn’t want “blood sacrifices”, but rather lives poured out to Him IN worship— and AS worship.
ROYAL PROTOCOL
Verses 6 and 7 of this Psalm 26 reveal to us some of the keys or protocol of entering into His Presence. At the entry altar, he would “proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving” and “tell of His wondrous works”. As he will also later say in the Psalms, “Enter His gates with thanksgiving”. Though David was always committed to being honest and transparent, he learned that this is proper “royal protocol” for how you approach the King. Our first instinct is to “enter His gates” with petitions, and that is okay, but as you cherish your King more you learn the royal relational protocol. Starting with thanksgiving touches HIM more and also fixes our own heart before petitioning starts. Everyone likes to be thanked for doing favors and we get that from our Creator. Especially if we are about to be asked for more favors. The heart opens up just a little bit wider. The way thanksgiving “fixes” our own heart, is that before we ever get to our petitions, it removes doubt from believing He wants to help us or can help us. Who God WAS, is who God WILL BE. We are to come “boldly to the throne of grace to find help in time of need”, (Hebrews 4:16). There is no shame in coming to Him with even tons of requests for help. In fact, it is the epitome of foolishness to have an all-powerful God and NOT come to Him often for help. He wants and expects that of us. He enjoys being Provider, Helper, Counselor, Healer, and general Relationships Guru. He does not have inner thoughts of “Oh, look who is back needing something else”. He is not like we might be with our teenage kids. (Partially, perhaps because He has an inexhaustible bank account). He truly enjoys us and truly looks forward to “His face shining upon us and being gracious to us.” Let’s approach Him and enjoy Him today.
Written by: Johnny Enlow
Featured Image by chris ganser on Unsplash
67 DAY COUNTDOWN SERIES
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The 67 Day Countdown Series is brought to you by Johnny and Elizabeth Enlow, founders of Restore7 ministry, as well as international speakers and best-selling authors. Among Johnny’s books are The Seven Mountain Prophecy, The Seven Mountain Mantle, Rainbow God, The Seven Mountain Renaissance, Becoming A Superhero, and RISE. Elizabeth serves as CEO and penned Rainbow God: The Seven Colors of Love and God in Every Season.
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