Psalm 15, Part 1: The Good Citizen

Psalm 15 is a description of an ideal person. “The Talmud says that the 613 commandments of the Pentateuch are all summarized in this psalm.” In five verses, David lists the attributes a Christian must have in order to enter into the kingdom of heaven.

There are eleven answers to the question, “LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?” The person who walks uprightly, works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his or her heart is pleasing to God (v. 2).

But what does it mean to walk uprightly, work righteousness, and speak heart truth? Micah 6:8 outlines the requirements of the Christian: “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.” Psalm 15 and Micah 6 both deal with character development.

“There will be no second probation in which to prepare for eternity. It is in this life that we are to put on the robe of Christ’s righteousness. This is our only opportunity to form characters for the home which Christ has made ready for those who obey His commandments.” “Purity of mind is the first requisite for a sinless life. It is out of the abundance of the heart (mind) that good or evil comes into our lives (Luke 6:45). Sin is the indulging of the desires of the sinful, deceitful human heart (Jer. 17:9), hence the need for diligence in keeping the mind surrendered to God, who alone can keep it pure (see Eph. 4:17, 23).” In summary, Psalm 15:2 requires us, first, to be honest in word and deed. Walking “upright” is being scrupulously honest in all our dealings. Second, we must receive the robe of Christ’s righteousness by accepting Him as our personal Savior. And third, we should cultivate purity of thought by dwelling on God’s Word.

These three decisions are a good place to start building an acceptable character to enter heaven. “Purer yet and purer / I would be in mind, / Dearer yet and dearer / Every duty find.”