Making "Psense" of Psalms--Psalms 15, 24: Integrity

#3 in a series of selected Psalms that believers should understand.

I was gathering up my just-purchased groceries when the shopper behind me told the checkout clerk, “I found this on the bottom of my cart when I got out to car.” Handing over a gallon of milk, she added, “I realized I hadn’t paid for it, so came back to do that.” We made eye contact and I said, “Thank you. Something similar happened to me one time, and I came back and paid, too.” “It’s the right thing to do,” she replied. The clerk added, “Wish more people were like that.”

            Everyday vignettes like that are the message of Psalm 15. This psalm reminds us what godly living looks like and, conversely, how spiritual phonies behave. Its message is living with the awareness that God sees and knows everything. As David began the psalm, contemplating the constant gaze of God: “LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?” David wasn’t saying that he wanted an apartment in the temple courts. Instead, he wanted to live openly before God. As someone once said, it’s living with “roof off and walls down.”

            Psalm 15 reminds us what a righteous person does. However, it doesn’t explain the way to “get right” with God. David wrote B.C.—before Christ. We live A.D.—after Christ’s coming to earth. Christ changed “doing” for God’s approval to “done” through His sacrifice for our sins. We live as Christ summarized all the law: as loving God with all our hearts, soul, and mind, and our neighbors as ourselves (Matt. 22:37-40).

            Some of the behaviors this psalm highlights:

        *Moral soundness (v. 2). A blameless walk, doing what is righteous. 

 

        *Verbal responsibility (v. 3). Restraining one’s tongue, wary of gossip and slander, considering the consequences of words by asking:  Even if true, is this helpful and kind to share?

            *Discerning (v. 4). Loyal to the things of God, despising what is vile. One quick check of your D.Q. (Discernment Quotient): log onto your computer’s home (news) page. How much of the culture it portrays would offend God? You?

            *Honors commitments (v. 4b). Keeps promises, even to personal loss. Years ago, my husband sold encyclopedias to supplement a public school teacher’s salary. One night, after a hard-earned “sale,” he checked his paperwork and realized he’d undercharged a customer. Rather than go back and ask for the correct price, he made up the difference personally.

            *Generous and wise with money (v. 5). Refuses to gain through another’s misfortune. In ancient times, extortion and exorbitant interest were common. Today, that could include living with “less” and giving, so that others can simply live.

            The psalm’s conclusion is what you’d expect (v. 5b): “He who does these things will never be shaken.”  He will live with confidence and sure hope before God.

            Psalm 24:3-5 has a similar list, as does Isaiah 33:15-16. But man does not live by lists alone. The bigger reason for righteous living comes out after Psalm 24’s “righteous man” list. In a rather abrupt transition, the psalmist calls out for the city gates to open for a king’s entrance. This king is “The LORD Almighty” (v. 10), the Lord Jesus. He first fulfilled this scripture with His triumphal entry into Jerusalem the week before He died on a cross. But He rose from the dead, ascended into Heaven, and is coming again.

            Who will shout his welcome? Those ready to ascend His holy hill and dwell with Him. Yes, those with clean hands and pure hearts!

 

Next blog: Psalm 16