Last week we reflected from Psalm 27 about finding our safety in God in a time when there is much happening around us to feel particularly insecure and unsafe. Today we will continue to reflect on a text from the book of Psalms, and our focus is on Psalm 15. Psalm 15 which is believed to have been written by David is like Psalm 24 its partner in substance, for those who looked to enter the temple to worship. You will notice that it begins by a question being asked presumably by the priest or the leader of the group of pilgrims and then being answered by those who journeyed up to the Temple. The essential subject addressed by the Psalm is the purity and readiness of those who are going up to worship and offer sacrifices to God. In those days you could not enter the presence of God, meaning the temple courts, without purifying oneself through the rituals of purification and sacrifice that the law prescribed. The psalm by extension invokes not only the acts of physical purification that had to be undertaken by anyone going up to worship or to be in the presence of God but also the spiritual purity or cleansing that must be done as well. It was always so much easier to do the external acts that others could see but not demonstrate the life of purity that was the most important. Psalm 15, like its sister Psalm 24, is invoking the need for those who seek to come before God to come with pure hearts and clean hands. This is God’s exclusive club. When we think of social clubs and organisations some are more exclusive than others. This means that you cannot easily be a member of those clubs unless you fulfill some obligation or pay some dues or conform to some conditions that are usually way beyond the ability of most people. Other clubs are more general and by nature open to all who care to join them. Psalm 15, I would suggest, is indicating that being in God’s presence could well be seen as being a part of an exclusive club. This is not because God wants to keep people out but because the conditions are not instinctively easy for human beings to meet. I must clarify here that in the biblical sense, purity does not mean perfection since no one can be truly perfect before God. When we speak of purity we think of a demonstrated desire and commitment to live according to God’s will for our lives. It is the expressed desire to live a life that is pleasing to God that really matters and as such the person consciously seeks to act in ways that are pleasing to God. In asking the question, “Who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain?” (Psalm 15:1 NIV) The Psalmist is really asking who is in a state of readiness to be in relationship with God or who is ready to commune with God. The Hebrew word for dwell carries the sense that the person who comes to dwell is an outsider, a foreigner who is blessed with the hospitality of the host. It establishes that it is not a right but an act of kindness and grace. God is the host and those who come into God’s dwelling come as recipients or beneficiaries of the kindness of the host. Every good host has standards. It is considering this reality that the Psalmist asks the question who may dwell. It’s a way of asking who is fit for living in God’s presence. As I said earlier, hosts do have their standards in terms of the type of guests they are willing to receive and the nature of the hospitality they are prepared to offer. Some hosts do offer very stringent and even harsh terms for those who may seek lodging in their place, whether it’s a home or an inn or motel. Some might say no pets, no babies, no small children, no alcohol etc. Many hosts may not offer hospitality to some types of persons based on skin color or race or gender identity, nationality or religious persuasion. You and I might say that they are well within their right to extend hospitality to whomever they choose and similarly to withhold it from whomever and for whatever reason they may have. This is also true. It is considering this reality that the question is asked which the Psalmist uses to focus our attention on what God’s conditions are to come into his presence. What does God demand that we might commune with him or as the psalmist puts it “dwell in His tent”.
As we read and reflect on the text, we will observe that God’s demands are not burdensome or selective towards certain groups or types of persons. Yes, God too has an exclusive club. God too, like humans, has conditions that must be met for us to enter his tent or into a relationship with him. Thankfully, God’s conditions are not selective or preferential to one group of people over another. God’s conditions are not exclusive in the sense that only one group of people can seek his presence or dwell in his tent or one could also say house.
As we come to the table for Holy Communion, we are always reminded that this is an exclusive setting for an exclusive group of people, but at the same time it is an open setting which means that it is available for anyone to partake of or share in without the considerations or demands that humans would apply for joining this select group or club.
So, the question, “Who may dwell in God’s tent?” is a question for all who as David says in Psalm 23:6 desire to “…dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” It is a question about what you and I need to demonstrate in our daily lives to show that we are meeting God’s conditions or God’s terms in order to maintain our relationship with Him.
The Psalmist answers the questions by saying it is the person whose walk is blameless, the person who does what is righteous. If you study the Psalms well, you will know the importance of repetitive ideas where two statements are used to convey the same idea. It is a technique used for emphasis. The person who is blameless and who does what is righteous is one and the same and the idea is singularly referring to the person who is spiritually pure. None of these terms whether “blameless” or “righteous” or pure should convey to you an idea of perfection. That’s not what they mean. They simply mean that the person so described is the one who has a heart for God and deliberately and faithfully seeks to live according to God’s ways. This person recognises that to do this he or she must live righteously in relationship with his or her fellow human beings. In other words, how we treat one another is the yardstick that is used to measure how faithful we are to God. It is for this reason that the Psalmist elaborates from verses two (2) to five (5) how we should treat each other and the things we should not do to each other as the example of what is righteous and blameless in God’s sight.
This text is most appropriate for us to consider on two levels at the very least.
First, we are reminded that we are welcomed to dwell in God’s tent based on God’s terms or conditions. This echoes the words of Micah when he asks, “What does the Lord require of you?” (Micah 6:8 NIV) Also like in Micah’s words, the Psalmist reminds us about the need for righteous relationships among our fellow human beings. It is the person who walks righteously who is ultimately blameless before God.
Secondly, we notice that God’s terms are not exclusive or selective after all. There are standards for sure, but these apply to all human beings. There are no different standards for one group over another or selective application of conditions for one group as against another.
Today begins Black History month, when we in North America pause to consider the history of human relationships in general and the treatment of Black people in our society in particular. It could well be a month for any other group of persons who have had a history of unjust and unfair treatment in the country or countries where they have been the minority in the population. Many other people have had their own history of being marginalized and oppressed in their own contexts whether it has been based on religion, race, nationality, gender identity, political persuasion or any other differences.
The real question for all of us is what it is like to do what is righteous before God. Apart from the word love which has pre-eminence in the New Testament, the word righteous is one of the most important words that describes how God expects humans to live. What does this word mean?
The Hebrew word ‘Sedeq’ which is translated as righteous has its root in the understanding of God as a just God and as such God’s laws are just. At the heart of it is the legal concept of someone receiving what is right and fair according to the provisions in the law. The word righteous also speaks to the idea of equity in one’s dealings with one another according to the terms that have been agreed to by both parties or persons. You can research the word more deeply on your own but in summary, the idea of being righteous is about doing what is right and fair in our relationships with one another. Jesus described it in another way when he said, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” (St. Luke 6:31 NIV) (See also St. Matthew 7:12) Most of us call this the ‘Golden Rule’. It is the ultimate standard of fairness and equity in human relationships. In Psalm 15 we read that it is ultimately our treatment of each other that determines how righteous we are and it is by this standard we can dwell in the tent or house of God or more accurately commune with our God.
As we have shared in the Holy Communion today, we must reflect on the message of the Sacrament, a message of God’s welcome to all of us who welcome other people, irrespective of how different they are to us, into right and just relationships with us. We do not slander, we do not steal from each other, we do not covet each other, and we do not exploit one another for financial or any other practical gain because it is unjust and unfair and ultimately against God.
As we go into this week and indeed, the rest of our lives, may we honestly reflect on our own relationships with our fellow human beings. Where we have failed in our relationships or our treatment or even our attitude and thoughts about other people who are different from us, may we have the courage to seek forgiveness from God and thereafter seek God’s own wisdom in seeking new ways to treat the other person over there as we desire that they treat us as well.
May God bless us in our dealings with one another and prepare us to be welcomed into his house now and through eternity. Amen.