SPONSORED WALKS OF OLD

The theme of this psalm, and of 1 Chronicles, is one which recurs throughout the Old Testament. It’s simple, but not easy: we can walk with God if we do what he tells us is right. The psalmist begins with an image which would have had a special resonance for the Israelites. He asks us to put ourselves in the place of the priests, literally the only ones who would inhabit the holy places. It is true that Jerusalem was on an actual hill, and that the people placed a tent there, then a temple, as sanctuaries. However, it seems clear that David intends us to understand these images in a deeper sense. Verse 1 is essentially about the human heart and our eternal dwelling place.

No sooner have we settled into profound, mystic mode, we find that the rest of the psalm comprises straightforward, practical instruction. We can be confident that as he writes (or, perhaps, sings) David has in mind the failings of the particular, ordinary people who walk with him. This is sobering: little has improved in human nature thirty centuries later. It is also heartening. If Jesus leads the way, because of the cross, even we ordinary, failed individuals can join in the crowd climbing up towards God’s holy presence.