Psalm 15
"Lord; who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill?
He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart:
He who does not backbite with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor does he take up a reproach against his friend;
In whose eyes a vile person is despised, but he honors those who fear the Lord:
He who swears to his own hurt and does not change; he who does not put out his money at usury, nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.
HE WHO DOES THESE THINGS SHALL NEVER BE MOVED."

Message: Let's take a moment to get acquainted with the author of many of the Psalms. His name was David, the son of Jesse. He arrives on the scene of Israel's history as God's choice to take the place of Saul, the first king of Israel. The decline of Saul was a terrible thing to see. The Scriptures teach that the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul but came mightily upon David.
1 Samuel 13:13-14, gives us the record: And Samuel said to Saul, "You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, for now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.

But now your kingdom shall not endure. The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you."
1 Samuel 15:24—25 continues the story: Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned; I have indeed transgressed the command of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and listened to their voice. Now therefore, please pardon my sin and return with me, that I may worship the Lord." But Samuel said to Saul, "I will not return with you; for you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel."
And as Samuel turned to go, Saul seized the edge of his robe, and it tore.
So Samuel said to him, "The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given it to your neighbor who is better than you.
And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind." Then he [Saul] said, "I have sinned; but please honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel, and go back with me that I may worship the Lord."
Shortly after this event, Samuel, the prophet of the Lord goes to the house of Jesse, and there anoints the shepherd lad, David.
Psalm 78:70-72 says:
"He also chose David His servant, and took him from the sheepfolds; from the care of the ewes with suckling lambs He brought him, to shepherd Jacob His people, and Israel His inheritance. So he shepherded them according to the

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integrity of his heart, and guided them with his skillful hands."
You can find all seventy of David's years wrapped up in these three verses.
"He chose David His servant" when he was about seventeen. "He took him from the sheepfolds" when he slew the giant and first left the sheep. "He brought him to shepherd Jacob His people" at the age of thirty. Between the years of seventeen and thirty, you will recall, David is on the run from Saul. Then, finally, at the age of thirty he comes to that pinnacle moment. He takes the throne of Israel. And what happened then? "And he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart and guided them with his skillful hands" for his final forty years.
For the first fifty years of his life, David walked in the integrity of his heart. Though there were a few temporary excursions in the flesh, most of David's young adult years were years of triumph. Then came the tragedy of the last twenty years of his life. The first part of his life is a model of character and integrity, and the last part of his life is a downhill slide until I believe, David died a broken man with a broken heart.
The Psalms which we have been studying are the heartfelt expressions of a man reaching out for God...a man that fails deeply and yet never ceases to chase after God. "As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul after You, 0 God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God." (Psalm 42:1-2)
Psalm 15 begins with a throbbing question...a question I believe is deep within the heart of every person.
LORD, WHO WILL ABIDE IN YOUR TABERNACLE? WHO MAY DWELL IN YOUR HOLY HILL?
Let's say it with words we can understand...Lord, who shall be permitted to have fellowship with You? Who shall be admitted to be one of Your household, to live in Your presence, to be blessed with Your mercy and kindness? What are the characteristics of persons that enjoy Your divine smile of approval?
In Psalm 24, David asks a similar question. "Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation."
The question! What kind of person has entry into the presence of God in times of prayer and worship? What are the marks of a life that display the righteousness of God and thus, provides entrance into His throne?
Our Psalm today gives us some characteristics of a righteous person.
(1) He walks uprightly...that is, he does what is right in the sight of God. That is called righteousness! The way we live does effect our relationship to God and God's relationship to us.
One segment of evangelicalism has even begun to propound the doctrine that conversion to Christ involves "no spiritual commitment whatsoever." Those who hold this view of the gospel teach that Scripture promises salvation to anyone who simply believes the facts about Christ and claims eternal life. There need be no turning from sin, no resulting change in life-style, no commitment—not even a willingness to yield

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to Christ's Lordship. Those things, they say, amount to human works, which corrupt grace and have nothing to do with faith.
BUT THE BIBLE TEACHES CLEARLY THAT THE EVIDENCE OF GOD'S WORK IN A LIFE IS THE INEVITABLE FRUIT OF TRANSFORMED BEHAVIOR.
Faith that does not result in righteous living is dead and cannot save. Professing Christians utterly lacking the fruit of true righteousness will find no biblical basis for assurance they are saved and will not enjoy a thrilling and personal fellowship with God.
Our Psalm is very clear...RIGHTEOUSNESS MUST BE THE HEARTBEAT AND GOAL OF ALL OUR LIVING.
Think with me for a moment on this great subject...righteousness. In a wide sense, it means faultlessness or guiltlessness; with reference to man it has to do with man's conformity to God's holiness. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." (Matt. 5:6) Jesus went on to say in this sermon..."But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." (Matt. 6:33)
THE SIMPLE IDEA RESIDENT WITHIN THE WORD...RIGHTEOUSNESS...is that of 'doing what is right." Righteousness can be defined as "consistency in every given position and relation which a creature occupies in regard to others."
"This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him, and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:
that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
Therefore, putting away lying, let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Be angry, and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." (Ephesians 4:17-32)
It is essential to exhibit practical righteousness in everyday life. We deceive ourselves if we deem ourselves righteous yet fail to manifest righteousness in life. Our standing before God is revealed in our state among men. Positional righteousness has its reflection in practical righteousness.

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Oh! The manifold blessings resulting from the acceptance of a divinely provided righteousness.....
THE RIGHTEOUS ARE SURROUNDED WITH DIVINE FAVOR. Psalm 5:12: "For Thou; Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favor wilt Thou compass him as with a shield." [This is why David ends the Psalm we are studying with these words: He who does these things shall never be moved."]
THE RIGHTEOUS ARE BLESSED WITH PROSPERITY, Isaiah 3:10 says: "Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him; for they shall eat the fruit of their doings."
THE RIGHTEOUS ENJOY PEACE, QUIETNESS AND ASSURANCE. Isaiah 32:17 says: "And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever."
THE RIGHTEOUS EXPERIENCE DELIVERANCE FROM AFFLICTION.
Psalm 34:19: "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all."
THE RIGHTEOUS ARE CONSTANTLY GUARDED. 1 Peter 3:12 says: "For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers."
No storm shall tear him from his foundations, drag him from his anchorage, or uproot him from his place. Like the Lord Jesus, whose dominion is from everlasting to everlasting, the true Christian who strives for righteousness, shall never lose his crown. He shall dwell in the tabernacle of the Most High, and neither death nor judgment shall remove him from his place of privilege and blessing before the Lord.
Our Psalm says: "Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? He who walks uprightly and works righteousness, and speaks truth in his heart: He who does not backbite with his tongue..." He is the person who understands that the day will come when he must give account of every idle word, thus he will watch his tongue with all diligence and his words will be spoken with the sense of accountability, not only to man, but also to God.
Gossip...it is the art of saying nothing and leaving nothing unsaid. Gossiping and lying go hand in hand. Gossip is like mud thrown against a clean wall...it may not stick, but it will leave a mark! Remember, if you say nothing, no one will repeat it.
This should be our prayer: Let me be a little kinder, let me be a little blinder to the faults of those around me. Let me praise a little more, let me be a little meeker with the brother who is weaker, let me think more of neighbor, and a little less of me. Amen!
Paul warns: "If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other." (Gal. 5:15)
Our Psalm goes on to tell us that the person who is going to enjoy the presence and blessing of God is the person who does no evil to his neighbor. The man who would be a guest in the presence of God must be a man whose words are righteous : "Nor doeth evil to his neighbor." The word "evil" comes from a root which implies the breaking up of all that is good and desirable. The Greek equivalent is the word PONEROS (from which we derive our word "pornography"). The word is used especially of moral depravity, corruption, and lewdness. Calvin says: "Loving our neighbor as ourselves will make us jealous of his good name, careful not to injure his estate, or by ill example to corrupt his character."

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Our Psalm tells us that the man who will stand in the presence of God is the man who will not take up a reproach against a friend. We might say it this way: A righteous person will protect the character of others, especially his friends. He will not allow gossip to be spread. He is one that contrives to do all the good he can to his neighbors, but is very careful to do hurt to no man, and is, in a particular manner, tender of his neighbors reputation. HE MAKES THE BEST OF EVERYBODY, AND THE WORST OF NOBODY. If an ill-natured character of his neighbor be given him, or an ill-natured story be told him, he will disprove it if he can; if not, it shall die with him and go no further. His charity will cover a multitude of sins.
Listen to what Calvin says: "He is a fool if not a knave who picks up stolen goods and harbors them; in slander as well as robbery, the receiver is as bad as the thief, If there were no gratified hearers of ill reports, there would be an end of the trade of spreading them. Our Lord spoke evil of no one, but breathed a prayer for his foes; we must be like Him, or we shall never be with Him."
Our Psalm lists another characteristic of a righteous person: "In whose eyes a vile person is despised, but he honors those who fear the Lord." A righteous person is one who has a hatred of sin and a love for what is right and godly.
Psalm 1 says: "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful." The word which we translate UNGODLY signifies such as are unsettled, aim at no certain end and walk by no certain rule, but are at the command of every lust and at the beck of every temptation. These the good and righteous person sees with a sad heart. He does not do as they do. He does not take his measures from their principles nor act according to the advice which they give and take. He flees the very appearance of evil. A righteous person finds great joy and delight with those who honor God in their lives and actions, and seeks to encourage them and lift them up.
Our Psalm continues: "HE WHO SWEARS TO HIS OWN HURT AND DOES NOT CHANGE." A righteous person is one who keeps his word, even if it costs him everything. He does not change an agreement even though he miscalculated the outcome. He is one that prefers a good conscience before any secular interest or advantage whatsoever; for, if he has promised upon oath to do anything, though afterwards it appear much to his damage and prejudice in his worldly estate, yet he adheres to it and changes not.
Numbers 30:2 says, "When a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said."
I believe this characteristic is lived out when there has been a misunderstanding among brethren. When I hear of brethren contemplating and threatening a lawsuit because one feels he has been taken advantage of, I ask them to read this passage in 1 Corinthians 6. "The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers." (1 Cor. 6:7-8)

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Who is the person who is going to enjoy the presence of God and receive His blessings?..."He who does not put out his money to usury." A righteous person is one who does not take advantage of another person in the matters of finance.
In Exodus 22:25, it says: "If you lend money to one of my people, among you who is needy, do not be like a money-lender, charge him no interest." Proverbs 28:8: "He who increases his wealth by exorbitant interest amasses it for another, who will be kind to poor."
The demanding of excessive and grinding interest is a sin to be detested; the taking of the usual and current interest in a commercial country is not contrary to the law of love.
By usury is generally understood the gain of anything above the principal, or that which was lent, exacted only in consideration of the loan, whether it be in money, corn, wares, or the like. The Hebrew word for usury signifies BITING. In Leviticus 25:35-37 we read. "If thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen into decay with thee, then thou shalt relieve him; yea, though he be a stranger, or a sojourner, that he may live with thee; take thou no usury from him."
Listen to what Jesus says on the matter: "Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you." (Matthew 5:42)
"If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs." (Deuteronomy 15:7-8)
And Psalm 112:5 says: "Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice."
And again the words of Jesus: "But love your enemies, do good to them and lend to them without expecting to get any thing back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked."
Our Psalm has one more characteristic of a righteous person. "NOR DOES HE TAKE A BRIBE AGAINST THE INNOCENT". A godly person will never become a part of any plan that perverts justice. We have a saying in our day..."Every person has a price" which suggests that when there is enough benefit assumed, a person will do anything to obtain that benefit.
But, a person who desires fellowship with God will not take a bribe, for "a bribe doth blind the words of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous."(Deut. 16:19) And verse 20 says: "Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the Lord your God is giving you."
Proverbs 17:23: "A wicked man accepts a bribe in secret to pervert the course of justice."
Isaiah 1:21 continues to list the sins of which Israel was guilty. "How the faithful city has become a harlot! It was full of justice; righteousness lodged in it, but now murderers. Your silver has become dross, your wine mixed with water. Your princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves, everyone loves bribes, and follow after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, nor does the cause of the widow come before them."
MAY GOD HELP US TO FOLLOW HARD AFTER RIGHTEOUSNESS SO THAT WE MAY ENJOY THE BLESSINGS AND PRESENCE OF GOD IN OUR LIVES!