Psalm 15 Commentary
As a lecture, Chapter 15 summarizes the essence of religion. It answers the question of how one relates with his environment. It all boils down to compliance.
There is a set of rules that govern how men relate to one another. Compliance becomes a qualification, or a passport for entry into God’s presence.
“Sacred tent” or God’s presence is an allusion to the days in the Garden of Eden, where and when humanity dwelt with the Creator God. The holy mountain may refer to Mount Sinai’s special events. At Sinai, humanity learnt just how far removed we are from God’s holiness.
This chapter is religion made simple!
But wait a minute. There is more to religion! On the surface of it, we have rules and compliance. The Creator God sets the rules, and humanity complies. The saint is compliant, while the sinner is noncompliant.
The core of religion combines rules and the rule-maker. They are one. Faithfulness is a rule, but importantly, faithfulness is what the Creator God is. Love could be a quality as a rule, but importantly, love is the person of the LORD Jesus.
Humans make rules or laws that are different from them. They will probably be the first ones to break the rules they make! But the Creator God and the rules are the same. He is love. He cannot be anything else!
No one dwells in His tent unless they are like Him!
This psalm is actually a prayer. David speaks to himself about the need to stay blameless and righteous. It becomes personal. He should not exploit the poor. He should, instead, help them by not charging interest. He is ready to buy an apple for 5 dollars from the poor simply because he wants to help them.
He challenges himself with an obedience test. Will he keep the Law of the LORD even when it hurts?
Prayer is about presenting tons of requests in the presence of the LORD. But importantly, prayer is declaring the Law of the LORD loudly and communicating our responses. There is a law that forbids corruption, and David’s response is to keep away from bribes.
These are verbal declarations of intention and commitment to obedience. And the LORD responds by planting the saint firmly against disobedience. It’s a transformation process – becoming like the LORD Jesus so that one can dwell in God’s presence.
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