1. Lord, who may come and seek Your face,
And stand within Your Holy Place?
The one whose hands are wholly clean,
Within whose life no sin is seen.
2. Lord, who may come before Your throne?
To whom, Lord, can Your face be shown.
Only the one whose heart is pure
Can bear God's presence and endure.
3. Lord, who may come, ascend and pray,
Upon Your Holy Mountain stay?
The one in truth who lives and speaks,
Who in his soul no idol seeks.
4. But who, Lord, can Your Word fulfill?
Can any climb Your Holy Hill?
Only the King in strength and might
Can bear Your glory full and bright!
5. Who is this King of Glory, Lord,
Who is by heav'n and earth ador'd?
'Tis Jesus Christ, the Lord of hosts,
In whom each saint and angel boasts!
6. Our King of Glory enters in,
Our Holy Lord who knew no sin!
And we forgiven, cleansed, and blest,
Are dressed in His pure righteousness!
7. Lord, who may come before Your throne?
To whom, Lord, can Your face be shown?
The one who comes to seek Your face
Must come in Christ alone, by grace!
This hymn comes from my meditation on Psalm 24 and interprets the psalm in light of Christ's fulfillment as our King of Glory. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). He alone meets perfectly all the requirements for worship that David sets forth in this Psalm.
We must not allow our struggles and failings with sin to keep us away from seeking God, enjoying the fellowship of His people, and receiving needed instruction from His Word. We come before God in worship, not because of ourselves, not because of what we have done, not because we in any way deserve to come, but only because we have a Mediator and an Advocate with the Father, who has clothed us in a righteousness not our own!