Psalm 15. This is a psalm of David, and it concerns the requirement for a Jew under law to stand in the presence of the Lord with a good conscience. It would seem that this psalm prophetically follows the conclusion of Psalm 14, and now it is assumed that the salvation of Israel has come out of Zion, and Jehovah is in His temple in the Millennium. It is beautiful to consider this Psalm as the reward to the faithful who have suffered in Psalms 11-14. It is worth it to carry on, even though it feels hopeless now. The rich reward for faithfulness is to abide in the presence of the Lord!

 

 

v.1 The Question. The question is, what kind of person will be permitted to be near the Lord in that day? Notice that the temple is called “the hill of thy holiness”. As Ezekiel reminds us, the “law of the house” where the Lord dwells will be this: “Upon the top of the mountain all its border round about is most holy. Behold, this is the law of the house.” (Ezek. 43:12).While this question pertains strictly to the Jews, who did not have free access to the Father by the Spirit, yet there is a moral application to us in our day.

 

 

vv.2-5 The Answer. The psalmist answers his own question! To summarize, the requirement is practical righteousness in word and deed. How wonderful to consider that the faithful remnant are the ones who meet these qualifications. The apostate nation will treat the remnant horribly because they maintain a righteous walk, but the Lord will reward them with His very own presence! See Rev. 7:14-17. As we already mentioned, there is a moral application of this to us in our day. Communion with God is a privilege that can be lost by allowing evil in our lives. “He that has my commandments and keeps them, he it is that loves me; but he that loves me shall be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will manifest myself to him” (John 14:21). The felt presence of Christ in our daily walk is conditional on our obedience to His word.