Bosch, "Creation Day 3"Psalm 24 provides moral clarity in an age of profound moral confusion. “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.” At the earth’s center there is a holy place for those with “clean hands and a pure heart.”
But whose hands are really clean and whose heart is really pure? Those who have been cleansed and purified by the blood of Jesus shed on the cross of Calvary. “For God was to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross” (Col. 1:20).
Once, in a liberal theological setting, having mentioned the blood of the cross in reference to a passage referring to it, I was told, “We don’t talk about that here.” The problem was that ‘blood’ was associated with “fundamentalist”. At the time, I was so taken aback, I didn’t know how to respond. With the benefit of reflection, my response now is, “Maybe it would be better to change the association than to avoid the concept.”
Amos’s plumb line is anchored by the cross. Bow your knee to it today that you may receive anew clean hands and a pure heart, for here you will find the “blessing from the Lord” and “vindication” that you desire so desperately.
Then, look around you. Everything you see belongs to the Lord. Redeem all of it accordingly.
But whose hands are really clean and whose heart is really pure? Those who have been cleansed and purified by the blood of Jesus shed on the cross of Calvary. “For God was to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross” (Col. 1:20).
Once, in a liberal theological setting, having mentioned the blood of the cross in reference to a passage referring to it, I was told, “We don’t talk about that here.” The problem was that ‘blood’ was associated with “fundamentalist”. At the time, I was so taken aback, I didn’t know how to respond. With the benefit of reflection, my response now is, “Maybe it would be better to change the association than to avoid the concept.”
Amos’s plumb line is anchored by the cross. Bow your knee to it today that you may receive anew clean hands and a pure heart, for here you will find the “blessing from the Lord” and “vindication” that you desire so desperately.
Then, look around you. Everything you see belongs to the Lord. Redeem all of it accordingly.
