Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Psalm 15

Obtaining the holy hill of God (vs. 1-5)—This psalm of David asks one question and answers it. The question is found in verse 1: “LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill?” It’s a good query. In effect, who is righteous before God? Who is the one who pleases Him? Who will live with Him forever? Obviously, the answer given is not a total one, but it does give us some virtues to ponder. And we can find these things as easily in the New Testament as in the Old for they are rooted in the eternal holiness of God.

So, what is the answer? He who walks uprightly, works righteousness, and he who “speaks truth in his heart” (v. 2). Keep in mind the poetic nature of this material, so there will some similarity of thought, but still enough difference for comparative purposes. The one who walks uprightly is righteous, and part of that righteousness is to speak the truth. Notice the source of that truth speaking—the heart. The rest of the qualities mentioned in the psalm are also part of “righteousness,” so in one sense, verse 2 simply establishes the principle. The righteous speak the truth (v. 2), do not slander, loves his neighbor (“love worketh no ill to his neighbor,” Romans 13:10), “nor does he take up a reproach against his friend” (v. 3). The last statement indicates the spread of false rumors; the righteous is not a gossip. Further, the righteous despises evil doers, but “honors those who fear the Lord” (v. 4). “Hate evil, love good,” reads Amos 5:15. “You who love the LORD, hate evil!” (Psalm 97:10). Indeed, anyone who does love the Lord will hate evil, and anyone who loves evil obviously doesn’t love the Lord. Godly people will love what He loves and despise what He despises. Honesty is the next thought regarding the righteous man. He will keep his word even if it brings hurt and damage to himself (v. 4). His honesty is further illustrated by his not cheating others, or taking a bribe himself (v. 5). “He who does these things shall never be moved” (v. 5). So closes the psalm.

Let’s sum up. There are four basic “virtues” here: walking uprightly, proper use of the tongue, not harming others, and honesty. There is more to true religion than this, but if we do these things, we will certainly be a long way on the road to the Lord’s “holy hill.”

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