Psalm 15, “Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the Lord. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.”
Have you ever read through a portion of scripture like Psalm 15 and asked yourself, “Who could live such a life?” Psalm 15 tells us about the requirements for a person to “abide” in the tabernacle of God and “dwell” in His holy hill. But who has lived a life in such a way to meet all of these requirements? There is one, His name is Jesus and He is the eternal Son of God. The Son of God took upon Himself perfect humanity and came into this world. He lived a perfect life, satisfying the Father from beginning to end. From the cradle to the cross, from the first heart beat in the virgin’s womb until He ascended back to heaven, He is perfect and without fault. In John 18:38 we read the time when Pontius Pilate interrogated the Lord. When Pilate finished he declared, “I find in him no fault at all.”
And now the question arises, “What about us?” There is no doubt that Jesus satisfied the Father and by His perfect obedience deserved His place by the Father’s right hand, but what about us? We’ve all failed God. Which one of us could have hope by our works of abiding in His tabernacle or dwelling in His holy hill? The truth, which the gospel declares, is that Jesus died for all of His people’s sins and has imputed His perfect righteousness unto them. By the perfect work of grace, the family of God stand before the Father just as if they never sinned. Our home and acceptance in heaven has nothing to do with our works, but has everything to do with the work of Jesus Christ our Savior. Romans 3:23-24, “For all have sinned, and come short o the glory of God: Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”
Brothers and Sisters in Christ, when we read Psalm 15, we should also read it as a goal which we should aim toward every day of our lives. As I’ve already stated, there is no one that is perfect besides Jesus, but that doesn’t mean we cannot do better. So many times I’ve heard individuals use the “no one is perfect” statement to justify there unwillingness to do better. I know, by my own actions, I will never be perfect in this present world, but I do want to strive to be better. I do have an inward desire to labor to please the One Who pleased the Father in my room and stead. Psalm 15 is a precious portion of scripture to read regularly to refocus ourselves on the goal.
Growing up in Georgia, I was a football fan. I loved to get out in the yard and pretend I was an NFL running back. Sounds funny, huh? I often think back and laugh myself. When playing I would set up bags of leaves for defenders and run the ball through to the marked touch down and sing the NFL Today theme. I would pretend that I was an NFL running back who was running with speed and agility. The truth? Down inside I really knew I would never be that. I was way too small and slow. But I enjoyed playing and aiming toward that goal. When I think about my effort to please God, it’s kinda similar. Not that discipleship is a game, I hope everyone understands the respect I have for the commands of God. But down inside, I know that I will never be without fault. But how much joy I experience by working toward the goal. The goal of pleasing Him Who loved me before the world began. And in that effort, there is fellowship with the King of Kings, the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior, and fellowship with other children of God who are working toward the same goal. Amen!