Psalm 15

1 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.

Read v. 1 and the last line of v. 5 and agree with me that this abiding, dwelling, and never being shaken is where and what we want to be as members of the Body of Christ. These verses have a here and now, as well as a forever component to them. Ps. 27:5,6 speaks of being concealed in God’s tabernacle in “the day of trouble,” while the psalmist says in 61:4, “Let me dwell in Your tent forever.”

So what is the answer to the ‘who’ question in v. 1? The answer is given in v. 2, and the person further described in vv. 3-5. The Moody Bible Commentary calls this passage “An Anatomy of the Truly Faithful.” The reason for the questions in v. 1 may lie in the description of the fool found in Psalm 14. After all, the ‘turned aside’ of 14:3 are certainly not the ‘abiders’ and ‘dwellers’ of 15:1.

The verbs in v. 2 (‘walks’, ‘works’, and ‘speaks’) are indicative of a way of life, not an occasional good deed or word. So whether life is going on as normal, or we are limited to interactions with none or a few; or whether it’s Sunday or any other day; our walk, work and speech should be with integrity and should flow from what is really in your heart (see the last 3 words of v. 2). What flows from our heart should flow from the Holy Spirit that dwells within.

Having been a part of the Body of Christ for well over 40 years, I have a few old Bibles laying around. When studying Scripture, I have a practice of opening those old Bibles to review notes I may have made over the years. Sure enough, a preacher, and I have no remembrance as to who, apparently preached on Psalm 15 and, based on the date of that Bible, probably in the 1980s or 90s. I have an outline hand-written in that Bible entitled ‘Integrity – Internal Character.’ The points of that outline are printed as the bold underlined text below. My thoughts then added for each outline point.

v.3 - Integrity of Speech: Looking at a few translations of this verse, you see words like slander, slur, evil, gossip, harm, etc. These are things that must be no part of our speech. You may say that you have problems controlling what comes out of your mouth. Remember, you must let the indwelling Spirit take control of your heart and tongue. “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you” (Col. 3:16) by saturating your mind and heart with Scripture. This will result in you being “renewed in the spirit of your mind” (Eph. 4:23), resulting in integrity of speech as described in Eph 4:25,29. (While I have you in Eph. 4, take a moment to read vv. 17-32.) Psalm 28:3b speaks of persons that are the antithesis of this passage when it describes ones “Who speak peace with their neighbors, While evil is in their hearts.”

4a - Integrity of Fellowship: Back in 1969, a public elementary school teacher wrote a note to my parents in my report card to tell them that I “followed the crowd,” and it wasn’t a compliment. I have not forgotten her point and purpose in writing that note. The prowling of Satan (1 Pet. 5:8) can take the form of people that can be detrimental to God-glorifying ‘walk,’ ‘work,’ and ‘speech.’ Just as Scripture can saturate us for good, the wrong crowd can saturate us for bad. We are not to separate ourselves from those of the world, but to be salt and light (Matt. 5:13,14); we must affect those around us, but not let them negatively affect us. The phrase ‘In the world but not of the world’ comes to mind.

4b - Integrity of Commitment: The Christian Standard Bible says “who keeps his word whatever the cost.” The description in this verse is clear. Read Judges 11:29-40, where Jephthah, the 9th Judge of Israel, made what became a tragic vow to the Lord. 1 John 2:5 tells us that “whoever keeps his word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected.” (See 1 John 2:3-6 for context.) Read also Ecclesiastes 5:4-7.

5a - Integrity of Finances: The Old Testament told the children of Israel not to charge interest when loaning to each other (see Ex. 22:25; Lev. 25:36; Deut. 23:20). Further, it warned them (and us) about the blinding and distorting affects that bribery can have on us (Ex. 23:8; Deut. 16:19). The New Testament tells us “whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either” (Luke 6:29) and to “lend, expecting nothing in return” (Luke 6:35). And, as for debt, the Bible says “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another.” It’s best to let the indwelling Spirit control the financial matters of our life, as well. After all, what do we have that God has not blessed us with? And, why would he give it if not to glorify Him and be a blessing to others?

That brings us back to the v. 1 and 5b promises of Psalm 15; promises of present and eternal entry into God’s sanctuary, and a faith in Him that will never be shaken. Looking once more in Luke 6, the promise following the verses we read above tells us “you will be sons of the Most High.” Wow! About Psalm 15, The Bible Knowledge Commentary says, “Obedience to God’s revealed will is the requirement for full participation in the sanctuary.” Think about that!

Extras:

1. Read Psalm 15 in the New Living Translation and/or the Amplified Bible (text above is NASB).
2. Read Psalm 24, focusing on v. 3 in light of our devotional for today.
3. Read Ezekiel 18:5-9.
4. Read 2 Peter 1:5-11, focusing on “these things” (described in vv. 5-9) and the promises in vv. 10 and 11.
5. Download the ‘1650 Split Leaf Psalter’ app for Android or Apple devices. Navigate to Psalm 15 and read the Psalm in this old translation that was “Allowed by the Authority of the General Assembly of the Kirk of Scotland, and appointed to be sung in Congregations and families.” Tap the arrow key to begin the music and try singing through the Psalm using these words and tune. (Tap the ‘Help’ key to change the tune or listen to Live Recordings of others singing.) Use the song to help you learn and memorize Psalm 15.