Psalm 15

A preacher goes to a bar and says, “Anybody who wants to go to heaven, stand up.” Everybody stands up except for a drunk in the corner. The preacher says, “My son, don’t you want to go to heaven when you die?” The drunk replies, “When I die? Sure. I thought you were taking a load up now.” In this psalm David is going to ask a similar question.

This psalm starts a little different than the ones we’ve looked at in that it just says who wrote it. It is a psalm of David.

A psalm of David.

David then starts by asking a couple of questions. Really it’s just one question repeated differently but asking the same question.

1 Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain? (Psalm 15:1)

In a famous debate between theologians Paul Tillich and Karl Barth, Tillich claimed that our theology should be an “answering theology.” What he meant was that the world asks the questions which theology then provides answers. For Tillich the issue was one of relevance. Psychologists would say that we should address “felt needs.” Barth thought differently. He went on to say that the world doesn’t even know the right questions to ask. Therefore, God must reveal the questions as well as the answers.

Here in Psalm 15 God reveals the right question and the right answer. Who is able to live in God’s tent or enter his presence on his holy hill?

It may seem a little strange to talk about God’s tent, but remember, at that time there was no temple. SLIDE 2 The presence of God was symbolized in the tabernacle which was a tent. That’s why David wanted to build the temple for God. SLIDE 3

1 After the king was settled in his palace and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, 2 he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.” (2 Samuel 7:1-2)

David had a palace and he thought God deserved something better than a tent. David may have written this after his second – and successful – attempt to bring the ark of the covenant and thus the tabernacle to Jerusalem.

In this psalm David isn’t really talking about living in a tent with God. What he’s really asking is who might enter into God’s presence. We might ask what it takes to come before God. Who is worthy to come before the Lord in prayer?

The author of Hebrews gives us an answer: SLIDE 4

14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. SLIDE 5 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet he did not sin. SLIDE 6 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16)

We know that we can now come before God because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. We don’t stand before because of what we have done, but because of Jesus.

SLIDE 7 Too many don’t think about that though. They don’t even wonder what it takes to enter God’s presence. Why should God hear their prayers or pay them any attention? It may surprise them, but God isn’t just sitting in heaven hoping they’ll pray to him so he can answer their prayer.

As believers and having read the Bible we know that God is holy and we know that we are not. Because of that we know that we don’t deserve to enter into God’s presence. Remember what Isaiah said when he had a vision of the throne room of God. SLIDE 8

“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” (Isaiah 6:5)

Then we read how one of the seraphim flew over to him with a burning coal and touched his lips with it, taking away his guilt and sin. For us, it is the blood of Jesus that takes away our guilt and sin. But that wasn’t true for David. Jesus hadn’t come when David asks this question. David wrote from an Old Testament perspective.

SLIDE 9 After asking the question David is going to spend the rest of the psalm answering it.

It’s interesting that the rabbis taught that there were 613 commandments in the Old Testament law for the Israelites to obey if they wanted to be righteous, but this psalm brings that number down to eleven. Isaiah 33:15-16 gives six requirements, and Micah 6:8 lists three. Habakkuk 2:4 names just one – faithfulness.

The psalm says nothing about offering sacrifices which is how the Israelites received forgiveness. However, 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 live in fellowship with him. The list contains both positive and negative qualities that can be divided into three categories.

SLDIE 10 Going back to the first verse, the first requirement is that we seek God’s presence.

Before David became king the capital city was in Gibeah which was just north of Jerusalem. When David captured Jerusalem he made it the capital and renamed it Jerusalem which means peaceful. It also became known as the City of David. Another name used for the city was Mount Zion. Early on David sought to move the tabernacle there. He lived there and it made sense to move the sanctuary of God there as well.

David wanted this because of his love for God. He wanted God’s presence to be nearby. He wanted to know God better. Living in God’s presence starts with a desire to know God better. The problem is so many people aren’t interested in knowing God. They aren’t interested in what it takes to enter into God’s presence, to dwell in his tent or live on his holy mountain.

Harry Ironside preached at Moody Chapel in Chicago in the 1930s and 40s. In his book “In the Heavenlies,” Ironside wrote he told about a visit he had with an old, dying man named Andrew Fraser. Ironside wrote:

He could barely speak above a whisper, for his lungs were almost gone, but I can recall yet how, after a few words of introduction, he said to me, “Young man, you are trying to preach Christ; are you not?” I replied, “Yes, I am,” “Well,” he whispered, “sit down a little, and let us talk together about the Word of God.” He opened his well-worn Bible, and until his strength was gone, simply, sweetly, and earnestly he opened up truth after truth as he turned from one passage to another, in a way that my own spirit had never entered into them. Before I realized it, tears were running down my face, and I asked, “Where did you get these things? Could you tell me where I could find a book that would open them to me? Did you learn these things is some seminary or college?” I shall never forget his answer. “My dear young man, I learned these things on my knees on the mud floor of a little sod cottage in the north of Ireland. There with my open Bible before me, I used to kneel for hours at a time, and ask the Spirit of God to reveal Christ to my soul and to open the Word to my heart, and He taught me more on my knees on that mud floor that I ever could have learned in all the seminaries or colleges in the world.”

The man had a desire to know God as God wants us to have. It’s not that God can’t be found, but that so many aren’t looking. Paul told the philosophers in Athens: SLIDE 11

God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. (Acts 17:27)

God wants us to know him. James said: SLIDE 12

Come near to God and he will come near to you. (James 4:8a)

Do you have a desire for God’s presence?

SLIDE 13 Second, we must obey God’s precepts.

2 The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart; 3 whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others; 4 who despises a vile person but honors those who fear the Lord; who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and does not change their mind; 5 who lends money to the poor without interest; who does not accept a bribe against the innocent. (Psalm 15:2-5b)

We might categorize this list into three subheadings: SLIDE 14

Integrity

Honesty

Sincerity

First, David mentions integrity or a blameless character in verse 2. What we are largely determines what we do and say, so the first emphasis is on godly character. The prophet Isaiah echoed this sentiment. He wrote: SLIDE 15

The sinners in Zion are terrified; trembling grips the godless: “Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?” (Isaiah 33:14)

The answer is those with a blameless character. SLIDE 16 Blameless doesn’t mean perfect or sinless because nobody on earth is sinless. Blameless has to do with soundness of character or integrity. It denotes complete loyalty to God.

We’re told in Genesis 6 that God looked over the earth and saw that “the human heart was only evil all the time.” We’re told that God regretted making people and had decided to wipe them out. But then we read in verse 8 that Noah found favor in God’s eyes. This is what we read about Noah when we are introduced to him: SLIDE 17

This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God. (Genesis 6:9)

Does that mean that Noah was perfect and had no sin? Of course not. As we read last week in Psalm 14: SLIDE 18

All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. (Psalm 14:3)

Noah sinned like everyone else, but Noah was faithful to God and sought after God.

SLIDE 19 In verse 4 he talks about the one who despise evil and honor those who dear God. People with integrity will honor others who have integrity and who fear the Lord. They will not be deceived by the flatterers or enticed by the sinful. When godly people endorse the words and deeds of the ungodly it causes confusion. Solomon wrote: SLIDE 20

Like a muddied spring or a polluted well are the righteous who give way to the wicked. (Proverbs 25:26)

SLIDE 21 Second, there’s honesty. They speak the truth and do not slander. I think those are fairly obvious. But David extends the definition of honesty further and says those who are honest don’t accept bribes. In the ancient Jewish society there wasn’t much people could do about crooked judges or extortion. It can still be a problem when people enter public service not to serve the public but to make personal gains. David mentions charging unfair interest and taking bribes against the innocent which were both rampant before the fall of both the northern and southern kingdoms. The prophets preached against both sins. The Jews were not permitted to charge other Jews interest and judges were warned not to accept bribes Amos wrote: SLIDE 22

For I know how many are your offenses and how great your sins. There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes and deprive the poor of justice in the courts. (Amos 5:12)

SLIDE 23 You’ll remember the story Jesus told of the persistent widow. A woman had suffered some harm and so went to the judge seeking help but the judge ignored her. He finally granted her request for help. Jesus said it wasn’t because of his desire for justice. The implication we have is that if she’d had money to pay him he would have helped with her case immediately. There can be no justice in a society where money tells the court what is right or wrong.

And third, David talks about sincerity or being truthful in our conversations. It has been said that truth is the cement that holds society together. If people can get away with lies, then every promise, agreement, oath, pledge, and contract is immediately destroyed. False witnesses turn a trial into a travesty and cause the innocent to suffer. We must tell the truth.

That must have been a problem in Jesus’ day. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus talked about being known for our honesty. He said: SLIDE 24

33 Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, “Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.” SLIDE 25 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. SLIDE 26 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply “Yes” or “No”; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. (Matthew 5:33-37)

Because they weren’t known for telling the truth they had to swear on something.

SLIDE 27 Imagine me saying, “I promise to wash your car next week if you’ll help me wash mine today.” A after helping me with my car you ask me to help you wash your car and say, “I had my finger crossed when I made that promise so I don’t have to keep it.” The Jewish leaders taught that some oaths weren’t biding. Jesus said we should so be known for our honesty that all we need to say is “Yes” and we’d be believed.

Integrity, honesty, and sincerity. If we are right in these basic virtues we will “work them out” in every area of life and be obedient to God.

SLIDE 28 Finally, we must trust God’s promises.

Whoever does these things will never be shaken. (Psalm 15:5c)

Those who trust God will stand firm in his promises. They will not be shaken. David is not talking about being afraid of earthquakes; he is referring to having security and stability in life.

The Hebrew word for “shaken” comes from a word that refers to a violent shaking as in an earthquake. Isaiah describes the judgment of God like that. SLIDE 29

19 The earth is broken up, the earth is split asunder, the earth is violently shaken. 20 The earth reels like a drunkard, it sways like a hut in the wind; so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion that it falls – never to rise again. (Isaiah 24:19-20)

God’s promise to the godly is that they are firmly grounded on his covenant promises and need not fear his judgment. The apostle John wrote: SLIDE 30

The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. (1 John 2:17)

SLIDE 31 Jesus closed the Sermon on the Mount with a parable about two builders whose houses were tested by a storm. Only one stood firm. Jesus was illustrating what will happen to us in midst of God’s judgment. It is the life built on the will of God that survives. The godly life that Jesus discussed in the Sermon on the Mount parallels the characteristics of the godly person described in Psalm 15. In both places, the promise is given: “You shall never be moved.”

Who may worship the Lord in his sanctuary? Who may enter his presence on his holy hill? Those who:

Seek God’s presence,

Obey God’s precepts, and

Trust God’s promises

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