Who Can Live with God?

This is a sermon based on Psalm 15 in which the author begins by asking the question, "Who may abide in thy tabernacle and who may dwell in thy holy hill?" The message speaks about the qualities that are necessary in the life of the individual who wishes to live in the presence of God. A video recording of the worship service in which this sermon was preached may be viewed by clicking here. 

Written Excerpts:

Introduction:

Throughout the years that I have been in ministry, I have observed that people often express an interest in knowing the answer to the question, “What must I do to go to heaven?” You remember that there was a “certain ruler” who posed such a question to Jesus, “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (Lk. 18:18)

Out of all those who ask that question, there is a significant number of people who are really asking, “What is the MINIMUM I must do to get into heaven?” In other words, it seems like what many people actually mean is this, “I want to keep living the way I please, but I sure would like to make sure I make it to heaven instead of losing my soul in hell.” I fear that those who come to the Lord with this kind of thinking and motive may not find the answer they desire. Yes, God does want us to desire to go to heaven and be with him for eternity. But I believe our Scripture lesson today shows us that there are other equally important desires that He wants us to possess and exhibit.

The question as posed a few moments ago, asks, “What must I DO?” Perhaps the more important question is this, “Who must I BE?”

The question that King David asked in the first verse of Psalms 15 was this, “Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill?”

After we briefly consider the opening question, we will explore the qualities that are present in the life of this person who desires to “live with God.” 

I.          The Question Everyone Should Ask (v. 1)

“tabernacle” – lit. tent; some commentaries us the word “sanctuary.”

It originally was the structure that Moses made according to the design and plans given by God. It was created to be a place where God’s holy presence would be manifested and where Moses, and subsequent high priests, could commune with God and receive instructions from God, as well as make atonement for the people.

2 Samuel 6 describes the events when David brought the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem and had it placed in a tent structure that he had made for it. The original tabernacle and its furnishings were not brought to Jerusalem until later during the reign of Solomon. (Joyce Baldwin, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries)

“holy hill” – This was another way to refer to Mount Zion (Jerusalem) where the Ark of the Covenant was placed after David became king. Mount Zion was one of the hills upon which Jerusalem was built, and later became a name for the whole city.

“abide/dwell” – Commentaries tell us that both of these terms denote a temporary residence, since no one actually lived in the sanctuary. Therefore, these words really stress the idea of having communion with God. (TOTC; Expositor’s Bible Commentary)

(Willem A. Vangemeren, Expositor's Bible Commentary, Revised) As the pilgrims approached Jerusalem—the city of God, where his “sanctuary” was located on the “holy hill”—they had to examine themselves before entering the courts of God’s sanctuary.

King David is asking the question that each and every person should ask. What kind of person should I be if I want to live / commune with God? Maybe we could phrase it like this: “What needs to be the defining characteristics of my life in order for me to fit in the presence of God?”

I keep remembering the words of Dr. John Oswalt in his book, Called to Be Holy. He emphasized the fact that the 10 commandments were not given to Israel as a means for them to earn God’s salvation. God had already saved them, delivered them from Egypt, and accepted them as His people by His infinite grace. When God spelled out the 10 commandments, He was describing the commands or principles one must follow in order to live in the presence of a holy God. And, that seems to be the force of this question that the Psalmist is asking.

II.        The Qualities Everyone Should Seek (vv. 2-5a)

The response to the question in verse 1 is found in verses 2-5.

The qualities that are given appear in both positive and negative forms. (i.e., some attitudes/actions they do, and others they avoid) The qualities are also distinguishable between character and conduct.

Compare Psalm 24:3-4 (NKJV) Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? ⁴  He who has clean hands [conduct] and a pure heart [character]….

A. Holy Character (v. 2a, b)

“walks uprightly” – a moral way of life; blameless; “lives marked by ethical rightness.” (Vangemeren & Baldwin)

The work “walk” refers to the way someone lives. It seems to be talking about conduct, however this term is referring to the motivating principle for living, rather than specific actions, such as those listed in the following verses.

“works righteousness” – A quality that probably should be taken as a companion/parallel thought with “walks uprightly.”

According to Joyce Baldwin (TOTC), the word for righteousness means “they do the right thing and act morally.”

(Vangemeren) Righteousness is a dynamic term describing God or humans in relationship with people. The righteous do what is right; they live in accordance with God’s expectations (see 4:1).

Again, this word seems to be describing the underlying principle of this person’s life even though conduct is implied. The specific ways that uprightness and righteousness are displayed in the conduct or lifestyle of this person are spelled out in the remainder of verse 2 through the first part of verse 5. It is possible to do a lot of the right actions, but not for the right reasons. “Walking uprightly” and “working righteousness” address the inner motives of the heart as well as the conduct.

B. Holy Conduct (vv. 2c-5a)

“speaks truth” – (Vangemeren) … fidelity between the heart and the speech… integrity.

Opposite quality described in Psalm 12:2 (NKJV) They speak idly everyone with his neighbor; With flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

“does not backbite with tongue” – lit. slander. One of the root meanings is “spy out.” i.e., Looking for things to gossip about to hurt another’s reputation.

“does no evil to neighbor” – the word for “evil” has many variant meanings including harm, affliction, distress, grief, wickedness, etc., etc. “Neighbor” – lit. means close friend. (Jesus broadens the definition of “neighbor” in the NT parable of the “Good Samaritan.”)

“does not reproach” – forms an idiom — “casts a slur.” The wise neither initiate nor rejoice in the reproach of their associates. (Expositor's Bible Commentary, Revised)

v. 4 seems a little harsh to our ears perhaps. “… in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but he honors those who fear the Lord.”

(EBC) The vile (i.e., rejected or scorned) person is a reprobate known for his evil deeds…. The designation refers not to the occasional offender who needs restoration (cf. Gal 6:1) but to those determined in their way.

So this righteous person who seeks to dwell in the house of God is one who honors the godly, rather than the wicked, and is able to distinguish between the two. It is alarming to see the number of professing Christians who are willing to give honor and praise to those who are waging war against the moral values of God’s eternal Word.

Is trustworthy to a fault (v. 5a). When the righteous gives his word, he can be trusted to keep his word, even if it ends up costing him dearly.

This is one area I need to pay closer attention to. It’s so easy to say yes to a request, but then find out later I can’t do it. My reason may be legitimate, but it damages the reliability of my word anyway. I need to be more careful to not make promises or even imply a promise before knowing for sure I can fulfill it.

Usury – high interest. Prohibited in the Law for an Israelite to charge high interest on a fellow Israelite who has need of help.

In other words, he doesn’t cheat borrowers or take advantage of their adverse circumstances. (This is common sense and natural response for anyone who has the uprightness and righteous character we mentioned at the beginning.)

Doesn’t sellout (justice). It was common at times, but strictly forbidden by God to accept a bribe in the administration of justice, either as a judge or as a witness. It has often been said, “Everyone has his price.” But not the man or woman who desires to live with God.

Even though there are a total of ten characteristics or qualities listed in this Psalm, they obviously are not intended to reflect the entire Decalogue (Ten Commandments), because nothing is mentioned about murder, adultery, etc. However, several of these state in a general way what the commandments say in a specific way.

In all of these qualities described in these verses, we can sum them up as both Jesus and Paul do in the NT. All the law and the prophets can be summed up in these two: Love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.

Note: Something else I have repeatedly stated and reminded us of… These qualities of godly or righteous conduct and character cannot be possessed and performed in and of our own strength or effort. It requires the cleansing and empowering presence of the Holy Spirit.

III.       The Promise Everyone Should Hear (v. 5b)

Psalm 15:5 (NKJV) … He who does these things shall never be moved.

Psalm 1:3 (NKJV) He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.

Conclusion:

Heaven wouldn’t be heaven without Jesus. So, am I ready to live in His presence? 

We have been talking about the kind of character and the kind of conduct that a person has who is able to live with God; to dwell in His sanctuary and live on His holy hill. In summary, that person who can live with God is one who is essentially like God in his heart motives and life conduct. It is the person that is growing more and more like Jesus each day.

The song I chose for our closing song today is hopefully the testimony of each one here today.

I Want to Be Like Jesus