¹O Lord, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill? ²He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, and speaks truth in his heart.

Psalm 15 is an instructional sonnet of wisdom, akin to what we read in Psalm 1. But, like those of lament and praise, this wisdom psalm was to be used in congregational singing as a way to teach people about God and His ways. The apostle Paul affirmed the significance of singing for teaching:

Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Col. 3:16)

This psalm poses the question of how a person may become acceptable to God and at home in God’s presence. The psalmist draws on the imagery of the OT tabernacle, that elaborate Bedouin structure designed to represent God’s dwelling place among the Israelites. Only Moses and the priest could approach God there. But this psalm counterbalances God’s transcendence with His accessibility. His presence is more than just a geographical location. Solomon, who later constructed the temple to replace the tabernacle as an earthly house for God’s presence, prayed:

“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You, how much less this house which I have built!” (1 Kings 8:27)

So when David, the psalmist, writes of abiding and dwelling, he speaks in a broader, more spiritual sense. He imagines, for us, approaching God in prayer, worship, and praise with the confidence of Moses entering the wilderness tabernacle or the high priest entering the temple. And not just to enter occasionally and briefly, but to dwell there in God’s presence.

The psalm includes a three-part general foundational description of the person who can make himself at home in God’s presence:

He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, and speaks truth in his heart. (Ps. 15:2)

For a person desiring to approach God, integrity leads the way, and his wholeness and interconnectedness provide a solid foundation for confidence. We think of what the author of the Book of Hebrews wrote:

Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Heb. 4:16)

Confidence and boldness to enter God’s presence require the humble acknowledgment of our need for grace and mercy. That’s integrity.

Hypocrisy undermines everything; integrity undergirds everything.

Righteousness and truth join integrity as the foundational trinity of character. We need to build on this base with nine specific actions. The person of integrity, righteousness, and truth:

• Speaks truth in his heart – is not duplicitous, deceitful, or delusional.
• Does not slander with his tongue – controls what he says about others.
• Does [no] evil to his neighbor – instead he loves his neighbor.
• Takes up [no] reproach against his friend – does not unjustly inflame a relationship.
• Despises reprobate people – does not celebrate the wicked.
• Honors those who fear the Lord – speaks well of fellow believers.
• Swears to his own hurt and does not change – keeps his word no matter how much it costs, even if doing so results in “his own hurt.”
• Does not put out his money at interest – avoids taking advantage of others’ financial hardship.
• Takes [no] bribe against the innocent – avoids using money nefariously.

The psalm concludes, “He who does these things will not be shaken.” (Ps. 15:5b). The person who lives by the teaching of this psalm will be able to approach God in confidence without doubting or wavering.

Lord, I want to live a life of integrity so I may approach you boldly and confidently; help me resist the opposing desire to live selfishly and foolishly, resulting in duplicity and hypocrisy.