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Home / Columnists / Edward Cortez / Psalm 15: Who Gets to Move in with God?

Psalm 15: Who Gets to Move in with God?

edward-cortez

By: Edward Cortez

 

Psalm 15 begins an invitation to live with God, “Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain?” There is a deep longing in every one of us to be in God’s presence and be by his side. Perhaps we have been asking the question, “Who is a person deemed acceptable by God?” The Psalmist David answers his own question in the following verses:

“The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks truth from their heart; whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others; who despises a vile person but honors those who fear the Lord…” (verses 2 to 4).

The Message, a paraphrased translation of the Bible by Eugene Peterson, does a very good job simplifying this psalm. Here’s a portion of it from verses 2 to 6: “Walk straight, act right, tell the truth. Don’t hurt your friend, don’t blame your neighbor; despise the despicable. Keep your word even when it costs you, make an honest living, never take a bribe.”

Now that’s a great word for all of us! They can keep us from hurting others and protect ourselves from harm. They are great recipes for healthy relationships within our marriages, families, friends, co-workers, and neighbors.

But the great paradox of moral uprightness is how can individuals have the power and ability to walk straight, act right, and tell the truth when we live in a fallen world with a fallen nature? Evidently, there is great evil in the world, human strife, hatred, and oppression. Without a moral or spiritual center as our guide, we can easily devolve into enemies of God and one another.

The truth is we are created in the image and likeness of God who refl ects His character of goodness, mercy, and justice. But this character of God in us has been marred by sin when man fell in the garden of Eden because of disobedience. That’s why in the previous psalm, Psalm 14, it is stated that, “There is no one that does good, no, not one.” Even the best human good that we can offer will never measure up to a holy and just God. This is the reason why such a religious leader like Nicodemus (John 3) and the rich young man (Mark 10) who claimed to be morally upright are told by Jesus to believe and completely put their trust in Him if they want eternal life; otherwise, they have no part in the kingdom of God.

How then can we “abide in His tabernacle and dwell in His holy hill” as fallen individuals? The answer is in the cross of Jesus. All of us need redemption because it is only through the impartation of Christ’s life, His righteousness in us that we can abide and dwell in Him. Psalm 15 shows the fruit of that righteousness which empowers us by His grace to walk straight, act right, and tell the truth. There is a logical, chronological sequence to being right with God. They are redemption, righteousness, and worship. This order cannot be altered. We must experience redemption fi rst to receive God’s righteousness so that we can worship acceptably.

Psalm 15 ends with a great promise: “He who does these things shall never be moved.” A person who has the life of Christ in Him and living in His power will be strong and unshakeable.

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