Daily Prayer Devotional for Women and Men | OnlinePrayerJournal

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For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.

Psalm 15 A psalm of David. 1 Lord , who may dwell in your sacred tent?      Who may live on your holy mountain? 2 The one whose walk is blameless,      who does what is righteous,      who speaks the truth from their heart; 3 whose tongue utters no slander,      who does no wrong to a neighbor,      and casts no slur on others; 4 who despises a vile person      but honors those who fear the Lord ; who keeps an oath even when it hurts,      and does not change their mind; 5 who lends money to the poor without interest;      who does not accept a bribe against the innocent. Whoever does these things      will never be shaken.

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The Lord is resident in his temple. He holds court in his sanctuary. He is holy and therefore unapproachable, but he desires to have fellowship with his people because he makes himself accessible.1 However, those who have the privilege to approach him in worship, like the pilgrims who came to the Jerusalem Temple, need to possess certain qualities if they are to spend time, safely and comfortably, in his unsullied presence. Approaching God, who is holy, is a real privilege, akin to that of an infant lying in its mother’s bosom, receiving succor. However, being in the presence of the Lord can also be risky, as Abihu and Nadab found out at their cost.2 For us, the one thing we require to be comfortable in his presence is the blood of Christ, because we are sinful. Then, we need to develop integrity or wholeness of character so that there is no variance between what we portray on the outside and who we really are on the inside. Blamelessness and righteousness are essential. The former speaks of a virtuous character who does not wrong their neighbor through slander, bribery, or profiteering, nor falls in with vile people. The speech of a blameless person will reflect the truthfulness that lies deep in the heart (v. 2). The words will edify and build up, not tear down or undermine, those who hear.3 This is a call to a consecrated lifestyle, a summons to re-examine our cultural conditioning. All too often, our responses habitually stem from the cultural soils into which our lives are planted.

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