Psalm 15

Sometimes as you read through the Bible you can get caught up in the familiarity of the words if you've been reading for any length of time. I absolutely adore passages that speak specifically of how believers are to live. This morning as I was sitting having breakfast with my oldest, I decided to do some additional reading and read the Psalm of the day, Psalm 15. Little did I know what the Lord had in store for me. You see, lately the Lord has so graciously been restoring an amazing prayer life to me. I think again we can go in cycles with praying, not something to be proud of, because I believe the Lord wants consistency, and as I've been praying fervently for others, the Lord has restored my passion to pray for myself, which I so desparately need. These last few weeks I've been praying that the Lord would make His word real within me, and that His word would shine forth others, that I would live a quiet life worthy of the Lord Jesus. So this morning as I read through the words of David in Psalm 15, my soul was so blessed by the words penned so many years ago. For many reasons. I think first was the refreshing power of God's word as His truth sweeps through your soul. Then it was the Hope that I have in Christ because of the Holy Spirit Who dwells within me and gives me the strength, the discipline and desire to live for Christ....and then was the humbling truth of my depravity...pointing me again to the awesome matchless Savior. Let's read the words of David in Psalm 15:

“O Lord, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your Holy hill? He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, and speaks truth in his heart. He does not slander with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor takes a reproach against his friend; 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; he does not put out his money at interest, not does he take a bride against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.” Psalm 15:1-5, NAS

This is what our hearts desire is, to abide with the Lord and dwell with Him. This is the marvelous grace of a Perfect and Holy God that we will one day because of the miraculous atonement provided by Him for us. I love these verses because they address a believers' responsibilities. Now, being that this was written as a Psalm, I don't know that David knew that it would be the Holy Spirit within the believers of the New Testament church that would give them the Power to live out the words he penned here. However, as we rely upon the Holy Spirit of God, we must also put the sinful flesh into subjection so that we chose to do what honors God as believers. We must continually put off the old and put on the new, the Lord Jesus, and continually rely upon the fruit of the Spirit within us to exercise the self-control we received as a result of receiving Christ as Savior. This is where the Lord has so graciously been restoring within me a passion to pray daily for the Spirit to lead and fill my life so that I may live it out for His glory.

I want to examine a few verses to share with you the richness of the Hebrew, as the Lord led me through this. First David poses a question the following question in verse 1, “O Lord, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill?” Then David proceeds to give us an amazing answer that lists out the characteristics of a believers lifestyle both positive characteristics and negative ones (mainly things we should be doing and things we should not be doing).

We are to walk in integrity, which means our life will be wholesome and sound and unimpaired, we will work righteousness, which means we will do or make righteousness in case, cause or speech. We will speak truth in our hearts. This one is so imperative as a believer. We are to declare faithfulness specifically of divine instruction, which ultimately means we MUST rely upon the word of God. And as proverbs 4:23 says, we are to watch over our hearts with all diligence for from it flows springs of life. So it is to the utmost importance that we are speaking truth in our hearts. We have to speak truth to ourselves so as to live a life that honors God. I've found at times in my life it is almost hardest to speak truth to myself. What I mean by that is it is so easy to look around and find fault, to look around and see sin, but yet as the Lord challenges me to remove the log from my own eye, it is hard to look at myself at times and examine. That's when I have to beg the Lord to search me that He would make known to me my sinfulness and beg Him to give me a repentant heart. Once I heard Beth Moore say, “The primary battlefield is the mind” Wow, she nailed it! Isn't that such an eye opening statement. We are commanded to, “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things."

This is why I say that this one verse is so important. We must speak truth in our hearts, but in order to do that we must KNOW truth. The only way we can KNOW truth is to be IN the truth....which of course is to be in the Word of God consistently, daily. (I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth. 3 John 1:4).

A believer does not slander..we are not to go about as a spy as if looking for something to report to others that would be detrimental about others, we are not to be tale-bearers, speaking evil of our neighbors. Our neighbors have been forever redefined by Jesus' teaching in the New Testament...so that we should be ashamed when we say evil things of those on the road even (God has so done a work in my heart with regard to road rage, because those people I'm quick to speak evil things of, are created in His image and are my neighbor). A believer does not rest upon the shame of a fellow citizen (taking a reproach against a friend).

A believer does honor those who fear the Lord, which is just a beautiful example of the unity of the body of believers, just resting in Jesus for the unity of love within the church allowing ourselves to humbly honor one another to His glory, without care or concern to ourselves....oh how this honors God.

Now verse four, I've read this interpretation of the verse, that “He swears to his own hurt and does not change” that it is a statement of self accountability. That the believer does keep himself accountable. A believer is an ethical businessman, not looking to make unjust profits, and a believer does not take bribes against innocent people, but would rather plead the case of the innocent.

David concludes with a marvelous statement, “He who does these things will never be shaken” which means he who lives this out, will not totter or shake or slip, but rather will abide in the tabernacle (tent) of the Lord and will dwell on His holy hill.

I would urge you ladies, to pray through these verses and ask the Lord for His discernment to show you where you need to be brought into line with His will for your life. Where you need to fervently seek Him, and what areas where you are obeying Him, how you can share that passion to edify other sisters who may need it. Cry out to God with David, “Create in me a pure heart O God and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10. Remember, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8

To God be the glory!