Our psalm for today is Psalm 15, in which the psalmist asks two eternally important questions in the first verse. For Israel, the first hearers of these questions, these were salvation questions. These questions are equally vital for you and me today. We might phrase them something like "How can I be saved?" or "Who will be saved?".
PSALM 15 A Psalm of David.
1 O Lord, who shall sojourn in Your tent?
2 He who walks blamelessly and does what is right
and speaks truth in his heart;
3 who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor,
nor takes up a reproach against his friend;
4 in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honors those who fear the Lord;
who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
5 who does not put out his money at interest
and does not take a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things shall never be moved.
Foolish readers [...which I sometimes am!] are convinced they can meet these qualifications, or work toward fitting within these moral guidelines. Foolish readers will conclude they are approximately blameless and approximately righteous; they think they're good enough to be right with God. It is human nature for all of us to think we're as good as most and much better than some.
On the other hand, wise readers will see the demands in these few verses as impossible for them to accomplish on their own. In a wise reader, we would say that God's Law has done its work. The answer to this salvation question, "How can I be saved? is made clear: ...not by my own reason or strength! These verses burden and humble the wise reader, making clear their need for grace and mercy and forgiveness.
This, of course, is the good news in this short psalm. Only one man, Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, walked blamelessly and did what was right. Only Jesus fully & perfectly kept His Father's Law, living His entire life without a single sin. This man Jesus, then suffered and died on Calvary's cross, taking the punishment you and I and all people deserve for all our mistakes and sins. Only Jesus gives grace and mercy and forgiveness of sins to all who believe in Him.
So, who will sojourn in God's tent? Who will dwell on God's holy hill? Who will be saved? The answer is you! You will be saved, because Jesus has given His gifts to you! All people who believe in what Jesus Christ has done for them will receive His gifts of forgiveness of sins and eternal life! [Romans 10:9]
Peace in Christ, who saves us,
Pastor Mark
Pilgrim Lutheran Church, LCMS Burton, Michigan
We are Pilgrims with a Purpose: sharing God’s love & mercy with each other and the world.
office: 810.744.1188
mobile: 248.881.7627
Soli Deo Gloria
"My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth." Psalm 121:2
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