Then, to complete the hopelessness, David then effectively allows the reader to understand the result of living this way. It is as if the reader is left as a starving man looking through a window into a banquet hall and seeing the monstrous turkey all golden brown and the mountain of mashed potatoes with butter cascading down the sides along with the endless pile of hot dinner roles, etc. And to top it all off the exhaust fan is on and focused right on the spot where he is standing and the wonderful smell is overwhelming. Yet, he is left standing there without a possibility of entering.

That is what we find in verses 5, 6. Why is it so important that we ascend? We will receive a blessing. And what is that blessing? Righteousness! From the God of his salvation. What is David trying to do? It is as if he is saying “here are the requirements to be able to receive righteousness. And yet you can’t attain it without righteousness. Therefore, you have no hope.” Exactly. That is what he is doing. We are hopeless. We can not do it. We are excluded from climbing the hill. We are excluded from righteousness. We are excluded from blessing. We are excluded from salvation.

And yet, The Psalm does not end there. One would expect that the conclusion of the Psalm would speak of how the Lord is done with His people because of their rebellion and sinfulness. However, the next declaration is quite the opposite. Rather than being hopeless, the call is for the gates of the city to be lifted up. The reference is symbolically of the gates of Jerusalem. But the idea is for those of the city (who were just told of their hopelessness) to be lifted up. In other words, the call is to not be discouraged  with the reality that you can not measure up. Why? Because the king is coming!

But who is this king? The text tells us. Verse 8 and 10 gives an excellent explanation. He is strong and mighty in battle. And then He is described as the Lord of Hosts and the king of glory. Clearly, the Lord Himself is being described. The one on the holy hill is coming! That is, the one we have no hope of going to is coming to us! Which, of course, begs the question, why is He coming? These two verses give the first clues. He is called the Lord of hosts in verse 10. This description refers to the reality that this Lord is the Lord of armies. And combining this with verse 8 in becomes clear that He is coming to do war!

So, first we find out that we have so fallen short that we have no hope of ascending the holy hill and receiving the blessing of righteousness from the God of salvation and then we find out that He is coming to us. But He is coming with His army. From hopelessness to utter hopelessness. But wait. We need to go back to verse 7 and 9. The call is to lift up your heads. Why? So that the King of glory may come in! He is coming to do what we could never do! And He is bringing His army. But armies destroy don’t they? Yes. The only issue is what they come to destroy. Here, David declares that the King of glory is coming with His army not to destroy the people but to destroy the dirty hands, the impure hearts, the souls that are full of falsehood, the hearts that have sworn deceitfully. But that’s not all. Once those are destroyed then we are qualified to receive the blessing from the Lord. Righteousness from the God of salvation is ours.

How is this possible? Because the Lord of hosts has come in the person of Jesus Christ! And he has destroyed sin and death. If you have acknowledged your utter helplessness and desperation and need of a savior and have received the salvation of Jesus Christ because of His finished work on the cross you are able to ascend the holy hill of the Lord!

If you have not, I pray that you will acknowledge your hopelessness and need for a savior, Jesus Christ. Cry out to Him today. Ask Him for forgiveness of your sin against the Holy God and your need for Him do what you can not do. Receive Him as your savior.

If you have been captured by the Lord of Hosts, been forgiven of your sins, ask yourself, “am I ascending the holy hill?” That is, am I experiencing a growing enjoyment of having my sins forgiven, being made to be able to stand in the presence of the Lord, a growing desire to have the experience of clean hands, pure heart, no falsehood, and not deceitfulness? Am I in pursuit of living out what is real? Or am I still living as if I have no hope?