"Psalm 15"

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 1/2/2012 8:33:51 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                                                 Focus:  Psalm 15

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                       Reference:  Psalm 15:1-5

 

            Message of the verses:  “1 A Psalm of David:  O LORD, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill? 2 He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, And speaks truth in his heart. 3 He does not slander with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor takes up a reproach against his friend; 4 In whose eyes a reprobate is despised, But who honors those who fear the LORD; He swears to his own hurt and does not change; 5 He does not put out his money at interest, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.”

 

            We have looked at three psalms, 10, 12, and 14 that have talked about the wicked and how the wicked live and act, and from these psalms we have realized that this is not the way for believers in the Lord Jesus Christ should live their lives.  In this psalm we are looking at today we will find out how believers should live their lives, and as Dr. Wiersbe writes “It’s important to note that Psalm 15 is not a prescription for being saved but a description of how saved people ought to live if they want to please God and fellowship with Him.  The list contains both positive and negative qualities, and these qualities must be present in all of life at all times.  Believers who would fellowship intimately with God must follow David’s example and meet three personal requirements.”  We will now look at those three personal requirements.

 

            Seeking God’s Presence (v. 1):  “1 A Psalm of David: O LORD, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill?”

           

            It is thought that this psalm was written when David successfully brought the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem and placed it in a tent.  The first attempt failed because he did it man’s way and not the Lord’s way, while with the second attempt David had the Levites carry it with the polls that were designed by the Lord to carry it.

           

            Mt. Zion was in the city of Jerusalem and this is where the temple of God would dwell, but David was speaking of the heavenly Zion where the Lord dwells and this is how believers today speak of Mt. Zion. “18 For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, 19 and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them. 20 For they could not bear the command, "IF EVEN A BEAST TOUCHES THE MOUNTAIN, IT WILL BE STONED." 21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, "I AM FULL OF FEAR and trembling." 22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel. 25 See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven.”  (Hebrews 12:18-25)

           

            David had the desire to abide in the tent of the Lord and this means “to sojourn as a stranger, while to dwell suggests a permanent residential status, Dr. Wiersbe states that “here the verbs are probably synonymous.  Knowing about eastern hospitality, David wanted to enjoy the benefits of being a resident in God’s house—enjoying God’s fellowship, God’s protection, and God’s provisions. The Word “dwell” in the Hebrew is shakan and gives us the word shekineh, referring to the presence (dwelling) of God’s glory in the sanctuary (Ex. 25:8).”

 

            Obeying God’s precepts (vv. 2-5a): We are going to look at three basis areas of life from verse 2—blamesless character, righteous conduct, and truthful conversation.  We are then going to see how they are applied specifically and practically in verses 3-5a.  If we are right in these three basis virtues we can then work them out into every area of our life and thus be obedient to the Lord.  Dr. Wiersbe writes “walk, work, and speak are present participles, indicating that the dedicated believer is constantly obeying the Lord and seeking to please Him.

           

            Integrity—Blameless Character (vv. 2a, 4a, 4b):  “2 He who walks with integrity, 4 In whose eyes a reprobate is despised, But who honors those who fear the LORD;”

           

            We are looking at character in this section as the title suggests, and this means that what we are determines what we do and what we say.  There are a number of verses suggested by Dr. Wiersbe that go along with this, but let’s just look at one Mic. 6:6-8:  “6 With what shall I come to the LORD And bow myself before the God on high? Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings, With yearling calves? 7 Does the LORD take delight in thousands of rams, In ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my rebellious acts, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?” 

           

            When we speak of blameless character we are not speaking of sinlessness, for there is no one on earth that is sinless with of course the exception of the Lord Jesus Christ when He walked on the earth.  When we speak of blamelessness we are speaking of soundness of character, integrity, complete loyalty to God.  We can read in Genesis 6:9b these words, “Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.”  There are others like Abraham who God has said this to also. 

           

            David speaks of integrity and those with integrity will honor those who walk with integrity as we see in Psalm 119:63:  “I am a companion of all those who fear You, And of those who keep Your precepts.”  They will not be deceived by the flatters (Psalm 12:2-3).  They will not be enticed by the sinful (Psalm 1:1). 

           

            We see in 4a that those with integrity, who have a godly character, will not be taken in by those who are reprobates (troublemakers).  When this goes on in the church there is great confusion it is “Like a muddied fountain and a polluted spring is a righteous man…who compromises his integrity before the wicked.”  (Proverbs 25:26, Amplified)

 

            Honesty—Righteous Conduct (vv. 2b, 5a, 5b):  “and works righteousness, 5 He does not put out his money at interest, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.”

           

            People who “work righteousness” are honest in their dealings with others and they are also concerned with making sure that there is justice in their land.  In some countries this is possible because people have a right to vote on things and vote for people who are of good conduct.  This was not true in the time when this psalm was written. 

           

            In those days however it was part of their Law given by God, that interest was not to be charged to fellow Israelites, and it was also a law that judges were not to be bribed, for “There can be no justice in a society where money tells the court what is right or wrong.”

 

            Sincerity—Truthful Conversation (vv. 2c, 3-4c):  “And speaks truth in his heart.  3 He does not slander with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor takes up a reproach against his friend; 4 In whose eyes a reprobate is despised, But who honors those who fear the LORD; He swears to his own hurt and does not change.”

           

            All we have to do is look at the American elections to show that lies are so very destructive to a society, for truth is the cement that binds a society together.  Ephesians 4:15 says “that we are to speak the truth in love,” for sometimes the truth is hard to take and therefore we need to lovingly tell others the truth, and this can be used to build relationships with others, even non-believers who then can be told the truth of the gospel when a relationship is formed. 

           

            When truth is a part of our character then we will not likely speak any lies for that could destroy our character.  Jesus spoke of letting your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no.  He is saying that if you always are telling the truth then you need not make a vow when telling the truth for that is a part of your character. 

           

            We only have to look at the life of our Lord to see how he handled the truth and how His life was of perfect character, something we cannot obtain, but something we can strive for with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in all believers and also by reading God’s Word and listen to it preached by a godly Pastor.

 

            Trusting God’s Promise (v. 5c):  “He who does these things will never be shaken.”What does this last portion of verse five mean?  “This means that the godly described in this psalm have security and stability in life and don’t have to be afraid of earthquakes or eviction notices.”

           

            The word translated “shaken” in the NASB comes from a Hebrew word that refers to a violent shaking.  So we can see that God’s promise to the godly is that they are firmly grounded on His covenant promises and therefore need not fear.  1 John 2:17 “The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.”

           

            Let us take a look at a parable from the Gospel of Matthew that is often used to speak to children, and there are even songs that are made up to demonstrate the truth that is seen in this parable, but let us look at it today with a view that as believers we must chose wisely and continue to chose wisely if our lives are going to count for God.   “24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26 “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell-and great was its fall."

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I suppose that it is a good thing to have your toes stepped on by the Word of God and by the Spirit of God and that is what has happened to me today.  I need to make better choices in order to have the Lord say to me when I meet Him “Well done my good and faithful servant.”  This is the beginning of a new year and that is one of the reasons that I like this holiday, it is a good time to think about the past and plan anew for the future of this year.  Being a wise man is a good thing to do anytime, but especially starting out a new year.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1.      Continue to build my house upon the Rock.

2.      Trust the Lord to guide me each and every day.

3.      Give myself to the Lord for worship and for service.

4.      Continue to learn contentment.

 

1/2/2012 10:26:42 AM