Tribolum.com Making Light of Things

Thanks AL, for the link to the indepth study of Psalm 34 the helped clarify my doubts of how King David, a man who was a deceiver, could write about integrity in his Psalms.

It comes back to the issue of clean hands. I sometimes cringe in fear when I engage in “contemporary” Christian worship. Many songs contain promises I dare not even speak with my mouth. “I will love you forever” and “forever I will stand” are one of the most common phrases in the lyrics of Christian music today. We often sings these songs without as much as a second thought, not realising the weight of the words we utter.

In the same light, there’s the argument that the United States shouldn’t have engaged Iraq because of the spotted history they themselves possess. I’ve come to see that if we were to cling on to the theory of clean hands, nothing would ever be done and no praise ever uttered. We all fall so short in our many varied ways.

Yet it is crucial to remember that David did not write this Psalm lightly. He learnt his lessons, had time to ponder over them and confess his own sin of fearing man over God. In the same light, we are called to examine our hearts before partaking of the Lord’s supper. Let there be no doubt that He condones no sin, and the most prevalent sin today is probably the taking of His name in vain.

The call today is the same as it was millenia ago. “Come, worship the Lord”. Not because we are pure or clean. Not because we are a great Christian nation. The only way we can sing those songs with those big big words in them is if we look upon Him, and realise the entirety of His Being and nature. It is at that point we cannot help but fall down on the knees of our hearts and offer Him all that we have. It is then that “I love you forever” is made possible because of Him, and not because the chords and music sound great.

It is only then, that our hands are made clean and our hearts pure, fulfilling our purpose of worship.