Rev Josiah Cartwright Devotion:  Psalm 15:1–5

“Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?” (Psalm 15:1).

Beloved, our psalm begins with a question fit to sober every heart. David stands before the dwelling place of the Most High and asks who may remain where God makes His presence known. The tabernacle was that tent where the Lord spoke from above the mercy seat (Ex 25:21–22), where fire descended (Lev 9:23–24), and where the people trembled because the Holy One had drawn near (Ex 40:34–35). To abide there was no small privilege. It was the life of communion, the nearness that Moses longed for when he said, “If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence” (Ex 33:15).

David does not ask who may glance at the holy place but who may dwell there. The word carries a sense of continuance, the settled life of one accepted. The holy hill, later Zion, was chosen by God for His habitation, as He said, “This is my rest for ever; here will I dwell” (Ps 132:14). The question therefore touches the very height of blessedness, for “Blessed is the man whom thou choosest and causest to approach unto thee” (Ps 65:4).

David then describes the character of the one who may come near. He must walk uprightly, as Noah walked with God (Gen 6:9). He must work righteousness, reflecting the Lord who “loveth righteousness and judgment” (Ps 33:5). His speech must be true, for the God of Israel is a God who “cannot lie” (Num 23:19). He must refrain from harming his neighbour, for the Lord commanded, “Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people” (Lev 19:16). He must despise what God despises (Ps 101:3–4) and honour what God honours (1 Sam 2:30). He must keep his word even at cost, for the Lord Himself is faithful in all His promises (Josh 23:14). He must refuse unjust gain and protect the innocent, for the Lord “regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward” (Deut 10:17).

Thus the psalm sets before us not the righteousness of men but the righteousness that reflects the God who calls His people to holiness (Lev 11:44). It is the character suited to His dwelling. It shows that communion with God is no light matter. To draw near to Him is to draw near to burning purity. And yet David closes with hope, for the one who lives this life “shall never be moved” (Ps 15:5). He stands firm because the God who receives him is firm. He is held by the Lord who is “the strength of my heart and my portion for ever” (Ps 73:26).

But beloved, as we hear these words, we sense our own frailty. We know how far our speech falls short of truth, our affections of purity, our dealings of justice. The psalm does not flatter us. It reveals the height of God’s holiness and the poverty of our own estate. It sends us searching for mercy beyond ourselves, for the Lord who “forgiveth all thine iniquities” (Ps 103:3) and who covers the sin of the contrite (Ps 32:1–2). David knew that no man stands before God by native worth, and he cast himself upon the steadfast love of the Lord, saying, “Enter not into judgment with thy servant” (Ps 143:2).