The Generations that Seek God!

Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord?
Or who may stand in His holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,
Nor sworn deceitfully.
He shall receive blessing from the Lord,
And righteousness from the God of his salvation.
This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him,
Who seek Your face. Selah
Psalm 24:3-6 [NKJV]

Memories about my son who went to be with the Lord is fresh and hurting. And I know it will remain fresh and will hurt as much till I breathe my last. As the Psalmist wrote in Psalm 121:1-2, “I will lift up my eyes to the hills — From whence comes my help? 2 My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.” No hills around, I frequent the local church, not always to pray; I pray all the time anyway. I go there as I am overwhelmed by the consideration and silent support I receive, without any fanfare, from the church Sexton. I believe my son is in heaven at this moment; he lived short, but he was a much better practising Christian than I could ever be.

That aside, what is interesting about my heritage is that I am the fourth generation Christian, and my children are the fifth generation. My great-grandfather was, perhaps, the first Christian on the paternal side of my family. We don’t have any records beyond that. My great-grandfather, my grandfather, and then my father passed along the faith to my generation, and we have another generation next to us who are, by the same reckoning, the sixth generation Christians. But that is not the point here. It just reminds us of our responsibilities to the generations to come. David states in this psalm “such is the generation of those who seek him who seek the face of the God of Jacob.” In the passage for today, we will see who can pass the faith to the next generation.

Just a little background on this psalm for perspective. The occasion that inspired the composition of this psalm is unknown. However, in view of its content, many interpreters believe David may have written it when he brought the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6). Perhaps he wrote it when he returned from some victory in battle. The psalmist then wondered who could go into the sanctuary of such a great God on Mount Zion. Who could have the courage to do so? It states right in the verse that it is a person of clean hands (right actions) and a pure heart (right attitudes). Those are the characteristics necessary if one hopes to attain admission to His presence. Idolatry and bearing false witness, deceit, etc. representing all sins God-ward and man-ward, disqualify any potential worshipper.

David had these characteristics of clean hands and a pure heart. The Bible calls him a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14), even though he wasn’t perfect, even though he committed great sins. But his family’s generations that followed didn’t have the right actions and attitude. He had a whole heart for God, he confessed his sin and had a passion to build a temple for God. His son Solomon (1 Kings 2:2-4), some would say had a “half a heart for God”. He compromised his beliefs, he wanted to build a palace for himself. His son Rehoboam, the third generation, had “no heart” for God (1 Kings 12:1-24) he wanted to build an empire.

If you find yourself with the characteristics of David of having a whole heart for God, then recommit your life for God during this time. If you find your heart more like Solomon’s, then re-evaluate your life and come back to Him. If your heart is like that of Rehoboam, then you need to repent of your sins and turn to God. It is your call, no one can do it for you.

What generation do you find yourself in today? If you choose to do nothing, what are your children most likely to do? Maybe some of you who are reading this devotional say, “I don’t really know my heritage.” Then start one today. Trust Christ to save you from your sins (John 3:16) and start a new family beginning. The legacy you leave is more important than the heritage you receive.

Anand Peter