May I Come and Stay?
Psalms 15
Who may be God’s guest and enjoy his hospitality?
#God
#psalm
#Jesus
Published September 16th, 2019
Main point summary
Notes
Arc
notes
Main point summary
Only the holy and righteous, marked by these qualities, may dwell with God in his city. And through Jesus, who is holy, righteous, and blameless, we may come to God.
Notes
SUMMARY: David the psalmist is asking the question of who will be allowed to enter God’s presence and to dwell with him. He then answers the question—not exhaustively, but sufficiently—to describe the righteous man of integrity. Although this psalm should not be understood as a checklist of things to do in order to be accepted by God, it is a partial list of the qualities of those whom God accepts as his “guests.” Ultimately, Jesus is the only one who satisfies these and every other requirement for pleasing God. It is through him and in him that people can have access to God and his blessings. In singing this psalm Israel didn’t claim to have these qualities, and neither do we. But we see them perfectly in Christ, and we cling to him, and we desire that by the work of his Spirit within us, we may bear these characteristics and enter into the presence of God and enjoy him forever.
Arc
editing
OT
Psalms 15:1-5
esv
nasb
mine
O Lord , u who shall sojourn in your v tent?
O Lord , who may 1 abide a in Your tent?
O Covenant God, who may be allowed to visit you in your house/tent?
Who shall dwell on your w holy hill?
Who may dwell on Your b holy hill?
Who will be allowed to live in Zion, your holy hill and great city?
ideaexplanation
He who x walks blamelessly
He who a walks with integrity,
It is the man of integrity with blameless character
and y does what is right
and works righteousness,
that is, he does righteousness outwardly,
and z speaks truth in his heart;
And b speaks truth in his heart.
and in his heart speaks what is true.
series
who a does not slander with his tongue
He a does not slander 1 with his tongue,
With his speech, he does not slander, malign, or smear other people with his words,
and does no evil to his neighbor,
Nor b does evil to his neighbor,
he doesn't do wrong or evil toward those around him,
nor b takes up a reproach against his friend;
Nor c takes up a reproach against his friend;
and he doesn't stir up things that would discredit his friend.
c in whose eyes a vile person is despised,
In 1 whose eyes a reprobate is despised,
He does not hold evil, vile people in high regard, but rather despises them.
but who honors those who fear the Lord ;
But 2 who a honors those who fear the Lord ;
He does, however, honor God-fearers, and holds them in high esteem.
negativepositive
who d swears to his own hurt
He b swears to his own hurt
He makes a vow that comes at great personal cost to himself,
and does not change;
and does not change;
and he keeps his word; his word is his bond. He is trustworthy and faithful.
progression
who e does not put out his money at interest
He a does not put out his money 1 at interest,
He is not greedy or covetous: he lends without interest,
and f does not take a bribe against the innocent.
Nor b does he take a bribe against the innocent.
and his judgment is not swayed by bribery. He seeks no profit at the expense of the innocent.
He who does these things shall never be g moved .
c He who does these things will never be shaken.
The one who does all these things not only will be allowed into the Lord's tent and live in his city, but he will never leave. He will stay forever.
questionanswer
values
speech
character
lack of greed
consistency; immutability
Ash warns of three wrong responses: 1. hypocrisy - thinking we qualify and meet all these standards 2. apathy - not recognizing why it matters 3. zealotry - striving to achieve this high standard And he gives 3 right responses: 1. despair - that we do not measure up and therefore cannot enter/dwell 2. gratefulness - because Christ does measure up and did enter 3. desire - to live this way in Christ by his Spirit
"The Lord's reply searches the heart." (Kidner)
See Psa 5:4 Evil may not dwell with God
Here is the holiness without which no one sees God (Heb 12:14), covering conduct, conversation and relationships (2–3), values, integrity and financial contentment (4–5). J. A. Motyer, “The Psalms,” in New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, ed. D. A. Carson et al., 4th ed. (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994), 495.
For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Heb 9:24.
ps 106:3
Pro 10:12
Seeing this quality in Christ: 2Co 8:9
Seeing this not in me: Psa 14:1-3 and Rom 3:10
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