Psalm 15 (New King James Version)

A Psalm of David.

1 LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle?
Who may dwell in Your holy hill?

2 He who walks uprightly,
And works righteousness,
And speaks the truth in his heart;
3 He who does not backbite with his tongue,
Nor does evil to his neighbor,
Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend;
4 In whose eyes a vile person is despised,
But he honors those who fear the LORD;
He who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
5 He who does not put out his money at usury,
Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.

He who does these things shall never be moved.

I think most of us would nod our heads in agreement at the rightness or wrongness of the things listed here, but there is one I want to highlight that we tend to gloss over. Verse 4 speaks of one who “swears to his own hurt and does not change.” That is a really rare characteristic these days. Usually if one promises to do something, then finds it is going to cost more time or money or commitment than he planned, he gets out of it as soon as possible, even if it means breaking a contract or leaving someone else hanging. Someone who promises to do something and keeps his promise even when it hurts displays a high level of integrity and character.

This list of characteristics of who may abide or dwell in the Lord’s house reminds me somewhat of a similar one in Revelation 21 where it says “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (verse 8 ) and “But there shall by no means enter it [the new Jerusalem] anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life” (verse 28).

It could almost make one despair, because all of us have faults and failures — sin — that would disqualify us.

Thank God for Psalm 130:4-5: “If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.”

And for I John 1:7-9: “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

I was reading in II Samuel 22 in my devotions earlier this week a passage that parallels Psalm 18 which David wrote after having been delivered out of the hands of Saul and all his enemies. In Samuel this is recorded near the end of David’s life just after some giants in Gath (Goliath’s relatives?) are taken care of. So I don’t know if this Psalm was written earlier and just recorded at this point or if it was written and recorded near the end of David’s life: if the latter, it is remarkable that he can talk of his blamelessness and cleanness in verses 21-25 after the sins involving Bathsheba and Uriah. That’s just a testimony to the saving, cleansing grace of God.

I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee. (Psalm 44:22).

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. (Acts 3:19).

Then, as we’re cleansed, we can seek His grace and His power to live as He wants us to every day.

See Butterfly Kisses to read more on this Psalm or to link to your own thoughts about it.