Thursday 23rd April
Read Psalm 5:7
You hate all who do wrong; 6you destroy those who tell lies. The bloodthirsty and deceitful you, Lord, detest. 7 But I, by your great love, can come into your house; in reverence I bow down toward your holy temple.
The previous verses have indicated why some cannot enter Yahweh’s presence. But now David is very aware that approaching God is based purely on God’s great ‘kindness’ and grace. Apparently, the ‘kindness’ term frequently occurs in covenant contexts (for example Exodus 34:6) where it is central to God’s character. Human actions can ‘disqualify’ people from entering the temple that represents God’s presence and entry is always an act of divine grace. It is this knowledge that leads David to describe the worship there in terms of bowing down and awe; these are the appropriate postures when coming into the presence of the divine King who has shown you grace. There are many different traditions about suitable postures for prayer in corporate settings; I wonder what God expects when we pray alone with him, possibly a humble and contrite heart/spirit (Isaiah 66)?
Geoff Hinch
