podcast

447_Who will abide with the Lord?

Psalm 15 O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent?
Who shall dwell on your holy hill?

2 He who walks blamelessly and does what is right
and speaks truth in his heart;
3 who does not slander with his tongue
and does no evil to his neighbor,
nor takes up a reproach against his friend;
4 in whose eyes a vile person is despised,
but who honors those who fear the Lord;
who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
5 who does not put out his money at interest
and does not take a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things shall never be moved.

Years ago, a well-known British preacher was invited to speak at a large evangelical conference. As he stood on the platform before thousands, he asked: “If you could choose to spend a day with anyone in the world, living or dead, who would it be?” Murmurs and whispers filled the air. After a minute, he went on: “The God who made the heavens and the earth calls you, not just to spend a day with him, but to live with him forever. How will you respond to that invitation?”

This is the very heart of Psalm 15. King David, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, asks the greatest question of all: “O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill?” (Psalm 15:1). Who gets to live with God? It’s not merely about a visit to the house of the Lord, but remaining in close, ongoing fellowship with the Creator. This is the deepest longing of the human soul, though it often goes unrecognized.

From the very beginning, God walked with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day. They were created to be in his image. They would come to see the world through his eyes. They would know reality through his wisdom. But sin entered the world through unbelief and disobedience. In eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they chose to know right and wrong apart from God. That choice broke apart their relationship with their Maker, and brought death into the world.

The pain of this loss has never left the human heart. The ache in David’s question echoes this longing. And David answers by describing the qualifications – not in terms of nationality, status, achievements, or religious rituals, but of character.

The first step is the visible life: “He who walks blamelessly and does what is right.” The one who seeks God lives with integrity. His actions reflect moral uprightness. The next words carry us from outward behavior to inner truth: “…and speaks truth in his heart.” Speaking truth in our hearts goes beyond verbal honesty. For the godly, life is shaped by inward sincerity, where motives align with godly values.

The story of Doeg the Edomite illustrates the opposite of this. When David fled from Saul and sought provisions from the priest Ahimelech, Doeg witnessed the encounter. Later, when Saul asked his servants for information about David’s whereabouts, as of a potential assassin, Doeg responded by telling the king what he had seen and heard. By feeding Saul’s unjust suspicions, he caused the massacre of innocent priests. On the surface, Doeg told the “truth.” But Psalm 52 which was written in this context, unveils the true character of his words:

“Your tongue plots destruction, like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit. You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking what is right.” (Psalm 52:2–3)

Doeg’s words were factual but his motives were malicious. He plotted the destruction of the priests, by whom he was detained before the Lord. David rightly exposes this as slander and evil.

David continues: the godly man “does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend.” The tongue is a weapon of truth. He does not destroy others by his words. He is faithful in his relationships, treating his friends with dignity and honor.

Moreover, in the eyes of the righteous, “a vile person is despised, but [he] honors those who fear the Lord.” This is not a call to hate people, but reflects a right evaluation of others. The godly do not honor others because they are powerful, rich, or influential. Instead, they honor those who fear Him, because they share God’s values and God’s perspective on people.

The man who abides with God “swears to his own hurt and does not change.” In a world where promises are often lightly broken, the godly person stands out. He keeps his word even when it costs him dear, for his word reflects his heart of commitment to the truth.

The friendship between David and Jonathan, the son of king Saul, reflects this trait. Jonathan held to his covenant with David even though his father nearly killed him for it. Knowing that Saul’s kingship was doomed, he continued faithful to his father, but he also remained loyal to his friend, encouraging him with the assurance that God would fulfil his promise to David to give him the throne. David swore that he would in turn remain faithful to Jonathan’s descendants for his sake.

Years later, after Jonathan’s death, David remembered his covenant and sought out Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s crippled son. Regardless of the political risk, David restored Saul’s extensive possessions to Mephibosheth, and brought him to his own table, making him equal to a prince of the land (2 Samuel 9). This is what it means to “swear to one’s own hurt and not change.”

The righteous man “does not put out his money at interest and does not take a bribe against the innocent.” Leviticus 25:36 warns against charging interest to the poor, and Exodus 23:8 forbids bribery. David had reflected deeply on the Law, which reflects God’s heart. Psalm 15 is the fruit of such sustained reflection.

And how does David conclude? “He who does these things shall never be moved.” This is the assurance of stability in this shaky life, through abiding, unshakeable fellowship with God now and forever.

Sadly, none of us live up to this standard. Even David, “a man after God’s own heart,” fell short. Yet we hope to see our God and abide with him one day. This hope comes through Jesus Christ, who knew no sin. He walked blamelessly, spoke truth in His heart, loved what is good, kept His word even unto death, and embodied perfect justice and mercy. As a man, he dwelt in God’s presence without interruption.

And the good news is that through His death and resurrection, He revealed the open way back to God. We can repent and return to fellowship with God. We can choose to deny ourselves and follow our Lord. As 1 John 1:7-9 says, “If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin… If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

As people of God, forgiven and cleansed, anointed with his Spirit, let us walk in the light of his love and holiness. Let us live in daily fellowship with God as we keep his commandments, knowing them to be good and perfect. Let us abide in the Lord, not because we have never sinned, but because he receives us in grace. When we acknowledge our transgression in repentance, and come back in faith to obey him in love, he forgives and cleanses us.

Let our chief occupation be to glorify God and honour his saints. Let us keep our integrity intact. Let us keep our word as God keeps his promises to us. Let us refuse to love money, but rather love our neighbor as ourselves. Let us speak of others in justice and goodness, refusing to gossip or slander.

Psalm 15 calls us, not just to admire the standard, but to abide in and walk with the Savior who fulfills it. In this heartfelt and loving obedience of faith, nothing can move us. Let us draw near, not in fear, but in faith—because the One who invites us to live with Him gave his Son to be the way, the truth, and the life. In him, we live in unshakable hope. God bless.