Psalm 15:1

Psalm 15:1

“Jehovah, who doth sojourn in Thy tent?

Who doth dwell in Thy holy hill?^“

As Paul would lay out the characteristics of those who are not fit to enter the kingdom of God, David shows us who is able to dwell with the Lord in Psalm 15. (1 Corinthians 6:9,10) Sometimes it is easier to look at what we should have in our daily lives as a Christian, rather than what we should be abstaining from. If we can walk with this psalm in our hearts, and by the help of the Holy Spirit, we will further our sanctification and become more like Christ. (2^nd Thessalonians 2:13)

As much as this is a rhetorical question, David asks it because who really is fit to be in the tent of the Lord? Who can say they are free to dwell on His holy hill, Zion? The priests of the old had to wear little tassels made from pomegranate shells on the bottom of their outfit so if God were to strike them dead, they would know because the sound produced from the shells would stop. (Exodus 28:33-35) The priests were the only people who were allowed to come into the Holy of Holies, and even they were not completely protected from God.

A Christian might say that since their body is a tabernacle for the Holy Spirit, they may approach God in any manner, or even haphazardly. (2 Peter 1:13) Solomon puts it very clear; when we approach God, we are to make our words few because if we make a promise or an oath to God and do not keep it, God has every right to take away the fruits of our labor. (Ecclesiastes 5:2-7) God is not our best bud, or our boyfriend, so to treat him like that is to not give him the respect nor honor that is due to Him. The Lord is so holy that he cannot even look at our sins, and he won’t even hear us when we pray if we have blood on our hands. (Habakkuk 1:13, Isaiah 1:5) Treating the Creator of the universe with such an earthly love shows a lack of true regard for who God is. Their love ceases to be agape, and turns into a sinful eros and phileo love.

So who can approach the Lord Almighty? As Christians, we have been given the greatest gift of all; communion with the Lord. Since the Holy Spirit dwells in us, we are only one prayer away from being in communication with God. This is something that in many is not utilized as it should, including myself. When Christ died, he tore the veil of the Temple, and gave us a chance to be in communion with Him. Does this mean we can live our lives in any fashion and still be able to walk with God? The Apostle John points it out very clearly that if we have any darkness in us; the truth is not in us. (1 John 1:6) Psalm 15 shows us a great example of what a righteous Christian should be like as He walks with the Lord. It is a very powerful and precious gift that we have received through the blood of the Lamb. To treat this with a lackadaisical attitude, we cheat God and ourselves. The psalmist promises us, that the man who is described in the psalm will not be moved when anything comes against him. (Psalm 15:5) This is a promise given by the Holy Spirit, and since God is not a shifting shadow, we know that if we walk in this manner, we will not be shaken by the calamities of our life.  (James  1:17)