Psalm 15 begins with a repeated question: "O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill?"
The mention of "tent" and "holy hill" makes us think of pilgrims going up to Jerusalem for a festival. As these people were approaching God's presence, they would be examining themselves. They might well ask, "Who am I to be approaching the holy God?"
Some scholars suggest that this psalm was used in a liturgy for people coming to the Temple. Perhaps a priest and a worshiper would alternate in saying the lines. Such a ceremony would remind pilgrims that in physically climbing up to Jerusalem, they also wanted to ascend to a higher spiritual level. They wanted their journey to make a lasting difference in their lives.
The answer to the question in verse 1 is summarized at the beginning of verse 2: "He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart." The goal is integrity in all aspects of life---in doing and speaking.
"Blameless" was the word used for Noah in his walk with God (Gen 6:9). God directed Abraham to "walk before me and be blameless" (Gen 17:1). Blamelessness does not necessarily mean "sinlessness," but it does mean being submitted to God and committed to following him.
Psalm 15, a wisdom psalm, asserts that good results will follow from this way of living (v 5). Such a person will "never be moved." The faithful pilgrim ascending Mt Zion will become like Mt Zion. Here we are reminded of another psalm: "Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved" (Ps 125:1).
The midrash on Psalm 15 reflects on how God himself embodies the qualities listed here. For example, God does not "put out his money at interest," but gives freely (Isa 55:1). It also cites examples of people who had these qualities. Elisha was one who "swore to his own hurt" in refusing to take payment from Naaman (2 Kings 5:6). So was Elijah when he predicted a 3-year drought (I Kings 17:1).
No comments:
Post a Comment