Psalm 15: 1 – 5
Scripture Misapplied
1 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.
Did I get your attention with today’s topic? Satan and the fallen angels have been around since the beginning. They know what the Scripture says. This is what Satan scrambled to deceive Eve, ‘hast God said.’
In today’s scripture we see the flip side of how some evil people invested in the world. There is a term listed today called ‘Usury’ which is what we call today ‘interest’. Our Holy God foreseeing the evil side of this financial action could cause gave a command that His elect people could not charge another Israelite ‘usury’ on any financial activity.
In the book of Leviticus chapter 25 He teaches, “35 ‘If one of your brethren becomes poor, and falls into poverty among you, then you shall help him, like a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with you. 36 Take no usury or interest from him; but fear your God, that your brother may live with you. 37 You shall not lend him your money for usury, nor lend him your food at a profit. 38 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God.”
So, looking at the Scripture some thought if God does not want this to happen perhaps this is a way that they could enrich their earthly existence by doing exactly what He said not to do. They applied the flip side of scripture and not only charged ridiculous interest rates on foreigners (that’s all us gentiles) but in addition started to rip off their fellow brother and sister Israelites.
Our Great and Holy Creator God would not go along with this sin. They were breaking the two greatest commandments. To love the Lord God with all your heart, mind, and strength, and to love their neighbor as themselves. This horrible sinful action would not be tolerated by our Merciful and Gracious God Yahweh.
This psalm is called only ‘a psalm of David’. It is a psalm of approach. Possibly it was sung, with responses, when the people approached the tabernacle in assembly during feasts.
1 LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill?
It is a further psalm in the Davidic collection. The reference to the Tabernacle or Dwelling place suggests the pre-Solomonic nature of the Psalm.
As the people begin to consider their approach to God’s Dwelling place they ask themselves the question, quite rightly, as to who has the right to sojourn in His Tent, that is, be there on a temporary basis. Then the question becomes a little stronger. Who has the right to take up a dwelling in His holy hill? The point is that to approach near to YHWH’s Dwelling place is a serious thing, and only open to those qualified. The former situation may be thinking of the people, the latter of their representatives the priests. They are conscious that both situations represent a great privilege. Or the latter question may be as to who has the right to establish their camp there during the feasts. The questions by their nature acknowledge that not all are to be having the right.
The reply follows in detail. It is very significant, however, that it is not the religious requirements but the moral requirements that come to the fore. Both priests and people who would approach God must be pure and holy in their lives. That is the first requirement. The very purpose of their approach is to offer sacrifices and to worship God in accordance with His ordinances. But it emphasizes that genuine moral purity rather than ritual requirements is primary with God.
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.
The man who would approach God and dwell with Him must be upright, righteous and without deceit. He must not be a slanderer, nor a doer of evil, nor a talebearer. He must regard with disapproval and reproach those who reveal their disregard of God’s commandments, and he must honor those who fear YHWH. He must keep his word once given even when it costs him to do so, and he must not take interest when he lends to the poor or accept bribes to pervert justice and harm the innocent. This is the portrait of the true believer. He alone can dwell in God’s presence.
The term ‘He who walks uprightly ’refers to a man of full integrity, who does right in all his ways. He is the complete man, blameless and devoted to God. He is a doer of righteous deeds so that he is loved and respected among God’s people. He is genuine through and through, right from the heart. His word can be trusted, and he is totally reliable.
‘He who does not slander with his tongue.’ Everyone knows that such a man will not bear tales, or gossip about others. He will say only what he knows to be true, and only do so when it is necessary.
‘Nor does evil to his associate, nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor.’ Both associate and neighbor can rely on him not to let them down in any way, either in the way he behaves or by small talk. He never causes them hurt or speaks badly of them without cause.
‘In whose eyes a reprobate is despised, but who honors those who fear YHWH.’ He is a man who disapproves of those who are not true through and through, especially those who treat God and His ways lightly, but honors those who truly fear YHWH, and whose lives reveal the fact. ‘Despised’ is not to be taken in its literal application. It rather indicates disapproval, not so much of the person, as of the person’s way of life and attitude towards God.
‘He who swears to his own hurt and does not change.’ There was a time in the last century when the word of a gentleman was his bond. Nothing would cause him to break it. That is what the godly man who approaches YHWH must be like. Even if he regrets what he has sworn or what he has promised, he must fulfil it. He has given his word.
‘He who does not put out his money to interest.’ The reference to not charging interest was because in an agricultural society man who borrowed did so because of dire poverty. No good man would therefore seek to benefit by such a person’s poverty and dire need. He would lend from the goodness of his heart.
It has no reference to a modern capitalist society, and in fact charging of interest was allowed with foreigners (Deuteronomy 23.19-20). The point was not that charging interest in general was forbidden, but that a man would not do it to his brother in God. The principle clearly still applies in so far as it applies to money lent to the poor, or to a fellow-believer in need, and includes not being greedy in the amount of interest taken in general.
He would scorn to accept the possibility of accepting bribes to perjure himself (Isaiah 33.15; Ezekiel 22.12; Deuteronomy 27.25; Exodus 23.7-8). To aid the condemnation of an innocent person would be abhorrent to him.
The man described above, whose behavior is like this because of his love for YHWH, will have access to YHWH’s holy hill and Tent. None will seek to move him from where he sojourns at feasts on the holy hill. None will dispute his right to approach YHWH and find atonement. And that joyous position will be true for him wherever he goes. He will always be close to YHWH. Yahweh will always be with him. He will enjoy His protection and guidance under all circumstances.
