WHO MAY DWELL WITH GOD?
By Nanabea Baidoo and Nana
Yaw Aidoo
Introduction
A devotional study of the
psalms is a most profitable study that ought to be engaged in by every child of
God. The psalms are called by Matthew Henry, “one of the choicest and most excellent
parts of the Old Testament.” In this book “…we have most present remedies
against all temptations and troubles of mind and conscience, so that being well
practised in this, we may be assured against all dangers in this life, live in
the true fear and love of God…” (Geneva Bible Notes). It is thus little wonder
that in these times when the world battles the covid-19 pandemic, many have sought
solace in this part of God’s Word, especially the 91st psalm and
particularly the tenth verse.
By
inspiration, the psalmist began the 91st Psalm thusly; “He who
dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the
Almighty." That he who dwells with God shall be blessed is unmistakably
alluded to in this text. And having been given all things that pertain to life
and godliness (2 Pet.1:3), we are told, long before the words of the 91st
psalm were penned, what it takes to dwell with God in the 15th psalm.
Ps 15:1 ¶ <<A Psalm of David.>> LORD, who
may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill?
2 He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And
speaks the truth in his heart;
3 He who does not backbite with his tongue, Nor does
evil to his neighbor, Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend;
4 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;
5 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.
When, where and why David
wrote this psalm, we cannot tell. However, a cursory reading and one cannot
fail to see that he who would dwell with God must be of a certain character. Evidently,
this is inspired commentary on the statement of the first verse of the 91st
psalm. This psalm begins with two questions which serve as the backbone of the
entire chapter. The verses following, clearly answer the opening questions. “Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your
holy hill?” The tabernacle typifies the Lord’s church whereas the holy hill
on which Solomon built the temple, typifies the permanence of heaven. Thus, the
relevance of this Psalm to those who have been added to the blood-bought church
of Christ, even those who desire to dwell with God permanently in heaven,
cannot be stated enough. We would be wise to ask these questions of ourselves, “Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your
holy hill?” and learn the answers given therein by the Psalmist.
He who walks uprightly and works righteousness
This is the first of ten
character traits that David gives in response to the opening inspired
questions. Literally, walking uprightly connotes moving in a straight posture,
void of bending. The idea of walking denotes manner or way of life (cf.
Gal.5:16-25). Hence, Upright walking requires that we live our lives in
accordance with the standards of God as stipulated in the Scriptures. (cf.
Psa.119:160). Righteousness suitably explains upright walking. To walk
uprightly is to work righteousness and to work righteousness is to walk uprightly.
The common root word found in both expressions is right. It is not right to sin. Neither is it right to justify or approve
of sin or those who commit sin. (Rom.1:32). Thus, in order to dwell with God, we
ought to take and make right choices in our everyday dealings with God, and our
fellow men.
He who speaks the truth in his heart
In Proverbs 6:16-19, the wise
man wrote of seven things that the Lord hates. Twice, lying is mentioned in this
list. It therefore ought not to surprise us to see that he who would dwell with
God must be a truthful person. Many a time, we are faced with the hard choice
of not only admitting to truth but speaking or practicing it. We may be very
much aware of truth but feel reluctant to admit it and live by that standard. Moreover,
to speak truth not only involves moral truths but the positive truths of God’s
Word. (John 17:17). These two stand or fall together. It is a waste of time to
be truthful or honest in our dealings with others and yet teach soul-damning error
and vice versa. (see Isa.8:20; 1 Tim.4:16). The Holy Spirit in the apocalypse
says plainly, “all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with
fire and brimstone” (Rev.21:8). He who desires to dwell with God must be a
bastion of truth.
He who does not backbite
To backbite is to speak evil
of another. This act breaches contemporary conduct as much as it contradicts God's
Word. (cf. Lev.19:16; Psa.34:13). It involves destroying the image and reputation
of others behind their backs. It is the unfortunate habit of some people to say
only negative things about others and to negatively portray them before others.
The act of backbiting is an act of treachery and betrayal. Why tell my mistakes
to others in my absence, when I am the one who needs to make amends? A person who
does not backbite is “one who treats his neighbour with respect. He says
nothing that might injure him in his character, person, or property; he forgets
no calumny, he is author of no slander, he insinuates nothing by which his
neighbour may be injured.” (Adam Clarke’s Commentary). Surely, he who backbites
cannot dwell with God.
He who does no evil to his neighbour
This is good neighbourliness.
Ensuring that your neighbour is alright. In other words, treating your
neighbour as you would want them to treat you in word, thought and deed. (cf.
Matt.7:12). Lessons could be drawn from the parable of the Good Samaritan. We
see then that good neighbourliness may qualify us to dwell with God.
He does not take up a reproach against his friend
Disgrace, discredit and shame
are some synonyms of reproach according to the Merriam Webster Dictionary. And
on the other hand, the word friend carries
an aura of peace, acceptance and openness and an environment of encouragement
and personal development. Friends are supposed to have each other's wellbeing
at heart and to support one another. Solomon wrote that “A friend loves at all
times, and a brother is born for adversity.” (Pro.17:17). Thus, the words “take
up a reproach” and “friend” are mutually exclusive. The picture here painted by
the psalmist is one in which a person is unwilling to believe a statement against
his friend or to spread it without sufficient evidence. He who takes up “a
reproach against his friend” shall not dwell with God. We say with Adam Clarke;
“Reader, drive the slanderer of your neighbour far away from you: ever
remembering that in the law of God, as well as in the law of the land, “the receiver
is as bad as the thief.”
He despises a vile person
Throughout the Scriptures, we
see time without number that evil people are not partakers of the heritage of our
Lord. (Psa. 1:5). We ought to be mindful of the fact that it is the evil deeds
that have been allowed to become second nature that is detested. Jesus Christ proved
beyond doubt that He came for sinners, that they might be saved. (Luke 19:10).
Every single soul, God desires to save (1 Tim.2:4) but Satan who is wide awake
(1 Pet.5:8) has through lies, and the pleasures of this world (John8:44; 1 John
2:15-17) gotten some to give him an opportunity in their lives (Eph.4:27).
These are people who dance to his dictates and pride themselves in their vileness.
These are those who walk in sin. The Bible admonishes such people to repent
lest they face the fierce wrath and punishment of God. (Isa.13:9; Luke 13:3). The
Psalmist says also; “gather not my soul with sinners...and bloodthirsty men.”
(Psa.26:9). Thus, we see that the “vile person” ought not be or should not be
allowed to be in fellowship with the righteous. Chances are that the righteous
may turn with them to their evil ways. (1 Cor.15:33). The prophet Amos quipped;
“Can two walk together unless they agree?” (Amos 3:3). Furthermore, this point
shows the error of those who think all judgment is sinful. Clearly, there ought
to be some amount of judgement in determining who is or is not a “vile person.”
This is “fruit-picking” (Matt.7:15-20) or as our Lord puts it, “righteous judgement”
(John 7:24). There is divine authority for the child of God to “judge with righteous
judgement.” He who may dwell with God is he who despises a vile people. We cannot
be equally yoked with sinners. (2 Cor.6:14ff).
He honours those who fear God
One character of those who may
dwell with God is the honouring of Godly or God-fearing people. We are to give
honour to whom honour is due (Rom.13:7). Implied in this point is the necessity
or importance of being God-fearing. Fearing God involves learning and living by
the statutes of God. Imagine how wonderful our lives would be if this world were
filled only with Godly people. We press on in the assurance that such a
beautiful thought would be reality in heaven. “If there be no other men of
honor in the world, let the saints be such.” (Spurgeon Devotional Commentary).
He who swears to his own hurt and does not change
Swearing to one’s own hurt and
not changing involves making decisions based on godly convictions and standing by
those decisions. “As if a man solemnly swear by the name of the great God, that
he will sell him such an estate at a price below the full worth, or that he
will give a poor man such a sum of money, which when afterwards he comes to
review and consider, he finds it very inconvenient and burdensome to him, where
he is tempted to break his oath…to wit, his purpose or course, but continues
firm and resolved to perform his promise, and sacrificeth his interest and
profit to his conscience, and the reverence of God and of an oath. See Eze
17:18,19.” (Matthew Poole’s Commentary). Most life changing decisions in Christianity
require conviction. Like the decision to take a step to Christ for salvation
and the decision to live in accordance with God's laws, despite the many temptations.
Hence, we are to possess a strong will and not kowtow to the whims of this temporal
life. We are not to be fence-riders.
He who does not put out his money at usury
Usury according to
Dictionary.com is the practice of lending money at a rather exorbitant rate. A
synonym for the word is exploitation. The word “usury” comes from a verb which
means “to bite as a serpent.” Thus, it is the making of gain in such a way that
the other party is bitten as if by a serpent. Making gain in such a manner is
contrary to God’s Word. (Exo.22:25; Lev.25:36, 37). Have you lent money to someone
and made unlawful profit when the person paid back? That is the sin which is
here being condemned. Usually in our quest to make money, we resort to means
that seek to deprive the poor of a livelihood and sometimes their survival. Jesus
Christ taught a lot on giving to the poor and needy and thus, a major tenet of Christianity
is benevolence. We need to help others and not extort from them. Here we have
unquestionable proof that those who lend “money at heavy premiums, and crushing
interest” if they do not repent, surely shall not dwell with God.
He who does not take a bribe against the innocent
Taking a bribe against the
innocent involves satisfying one’s greed at the expense of the vulnerable in
society. It also involves being unjust to an innocent party. Here is a picture
of one who takes a bribe “…from him who hath a bad cause; that he may either condemn
the innocent, or acquit the guilty…” (Matthew Poole’s Commentary). The psalmist
wrote that God delivers the poor and needy from those who plunder them (Psa.35:10).
Then again, God loves justice and does not forsake his saints. (Psa.37:28). Hence,
he makes himself an enemy of God, who sees to injustice or takes bribe against
the innocent. He who partakes in such cannot dwell with God.
Conclusion
The 15th Psalm thus
ends; “He who does these things shall never be moved.” Here we have answered the
question, “Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy
hill?” If we walk uprightly and righteously, are truthful, quit backbiting, do
no evil to others, do not take up a reproach against others, despise evil doers
until they repent, honour those to whom honour is due, make decisions based on
godly convictions and stand by them, do not use unlawful means to enrich ourselves
and serving justice to whom it is rightly deserved, then in addition to “such
things as naturally and necessarily” flow from the foregoing, by God’s grace, we
“shall never be moved” and shall abide with Him here in His church and be with
Him forever, in the sweet by and by.
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