O LORD, who may abide in your tent?
Who may dwell on your holy hill? (Ps. 15:1)

Imagine standing in attendance for worship before the temple of Yahweh in Jerusalem. You have traveled far over the course of many days to reach this holy spot, a place of mystery and majesty, a place that is said to be the very house of God. Together with other pilgrims, you stand shoulder to shoulder outside the temple, anxiously waiting for the priests to arrive and for the worship service to begin.

Perhaps you wonder if you are worthy to come into such a sacred space. Might you dare to think that the Lord himself is present in your own heart and life?

A hush sweeps across the crowd as a man clad in priestly regalia mounts a platform. Surprisingly, he gives voice to your own question: “O LORD! Who may abide in your tent? Who may dwell on your holy hill?” (v. 1).

As you wonder if there is an appropriate congregational response that you don’t know, a cultic prophet steps up and gives the answer: 

“Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right, and speak the truth from their heart; who do not slander with their tongue, and do no evil to their friends, nor take up a reproach against their neighbors; in whose eyes the wicked are despised, but who honor those who fear the LORD; who stand by their oath even to their hurt; who do not lend money at interest, and do not take a bribe against the innocent. Those who do these things shall never be moved” (vv. 2-5).

Questions and answers

This scenario is one possible way in which Psalm 15 might have been used in worship. The brief text poses an age-old question: “How can I experience God’s presence in my life?”

The first verse poses the query in two different but related ways. “Who may abide in your tent?  Who may dwell on your holy hill?”  The Hebrew word translated “abide” (more literally, “sojourn”) means “to keep company with,” “to travel with,” or “to share life with.”  It was used to describe nomadic clan members who journeyed, worked, and lived together.  

The word for “tent” could refer to the common tents in which nomadic peoples lived, but it could also describe the portable tent that housed the ark of the covenant and was thought to be the epicenter of Yahweh’s presence on earth. There were other, more technical words to describe the tabernacle, but scripture often refers to it as “the tent of meeting,” “the tent of Yahweh” (1 Kgs. 2:28), the “house of the tent” (1 Chr. 9:23), or simply “the tent.” The Hebrews believed that God’s presence literally dwelt in the tabernacle. To sojourn in the Lord’s tent was to experience the Lord’s presence. [DD]

“Who may dwell on your holy hill?” repeats the thought. A participle from the verb we translate as “dwell” (shakan) became the primary term for God’s dwelling place (mishkan), the tabernacle. The inclusion of “your holy hill” speaks to a time when the tabernacle had come to rest in Jerusalem, on Zion, God’s “holy hill.” 

Do the right thing (vv. 2a, 4a)

The question, then, is “Who is worthy to brave the awesome holiness of God’s presence?” Despite its inclusion in Israel’s book of temple liturgy, the answer is not ritualistic or even particularly religious.  Rather, the requirements are ethical.  It is the kind of message we would expect to hear from the eighth century prophets, who challenged Israel to avoid trusting empty rituals and to practice right living, or from the “wisdom school” of ancient Israel, which emphasized the need for obedience and doing good.

The response (vv. 2-5a) is cast in the form of good Hebrew poetry, which is characterized by a repetition of thoughts — a rhythm of sense rather than sound. The punctuation preserved in the Masoretic text (the basis of our current Hebrew editions of the Old Testament) divides the response into five sections, with the first two consisting of three lines each. 

This form is followed by most modern translations, but I would argue that the text should be divided more naturally into six couplets, arranged in careful fashion so that the second three couplets mirror and amplify the thought of the first three. That is, the fourth couplet is related to the first, the fifth to the second, and the sixth to the third.

The people who dwell in God’s presence are “those who walk blamelessly and do what is right” (v. 2a), according to the first couplet. The psalmists had no illusions of perfection. To walk blamelessly and do right is to orient oneself toward right living because it is in one’s nature as a child of God to do so. 

Walking rightly before God is not a performance of duty, but the living out of a relationship of grace, a result of knowing God’s spirit.

This first characteristic is related to the fourth: “in whose eyes the wicked are despised, but who honor those who fear the LORD” (v. 4a). Because of their love for God, those who “dwell on his holy hill” not only seek personal righteousness, but also honor this quality in others. The faithful do not act hatefully toward those who behave wickedly, but give praise where it is due, to those who live respectfully before Yahweh.

Say the right thing (vv. 2b-3a, 4b)

Right action is reflected in right speaking. Those who know God’s presence “speak the truth from their heart,” and “do not slander with their tongue” (v. 2b-3). Speaking the truth is a primary quality of “blameless” living. The scriptures teach that we worship a God of truth (Ps. 119:160; John 1:14; 14:6), while lies and deceit have a more diabolical source (Heb. 6:18; John 8:44).

Those who know God’s presence speak truth not from fear, but because it is in their nature: it comes “from the heart.” They speak truthfully because they are truthful people. They do not “wander about on their tongue” (literally), speaking untrustworthy or slanderous words.

The second requirement is related to the fifth: “who stand by their oath even to their hurt” (v. 4b). Here we have a picture of someone who has promised to do something, and later discovers that it will be to their disadvantage to follow through. Still, they stand by their word and keep their promise. 

We live in the era of “alternate truth,” conspiracy mongering, and “the Big Lie.” Some subscribe to the belief that if you tell a lie often enough, people will believe it. Sadly, many do. This represents the opposite of the psalm’s call to be people who “speak the truth from their heart” – not from conniving corners of their brains.

Avoid the right things (vv. 3b, 5a)

The third and sixth responses have to do with personal relationships. Those who dwell in God’s presence “do no evil to their friends, nor take up a reproach against their neighbors” (v. 3b). They “do not lend money at interest, and do not take a bribe against the innocent” (v. 5a).

“Do no evil” can encompass any type of harmful behavior to another, even as “takes up no reproach” (NIV11 “casts no slur”) covers a wide range of injurious language. 

The word translated “friend” usually implies a close relationship, but it can also be used in the sense of “fellow citizen” or any others with whom we have some reciprocal relationship. It is the same word used in Lev. 19:18 and later quoted by Jesus: “you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

The word rendered as “neighbor” literally means “one who is near.” It can refer to a close kinsman, someone living close by, or someone who happens to be near at the moment. Both words suggest that the command is for all persons. Those who know God’s presence treat family, friends, and persons on the street with the same care: they do no harm, either to their persons or their reputations.

The last couplet gives two specific examples of such harmful behavior. “Do not lend money at interest” is not a blanket injunction against bankers or investors, but is an appeal for persons not to exploit one another, especially the poor. “Payday lenders” and other predatory loan sharks offer the perfect image of what the psalmist condemned. [DD]

Few of us are involved in interest-gouging, but that does not absolve us of a concern for social justice. There are many ways of exploiting the poor. Migrant workers and minimum wage earners often fall prey to unscrupulous employers who take advantage of their need. Those who profit from the system – including any of us who enjoy lower prices enabled by poverty-level wages – must confess complicity in wrongdoing.

Those who dwell in God’s presence reflect God’s heart, and God’s heart bleeds compassion for the poor, the disadvantaged, the outcasts of society. Jesus’ teaching about the judgment in Matt. 25:31-46 reflects Old Testament teaching. Those who inherit the kingdom and are welcomed by the Father are those who showed kindness to “the least of these my brethren.”

The psalmist concludes with a single thought that returns to the opening question: those who live compassionate lives because of their devotion to God will be assured of their place in God’s tent, on the Lord’s holy hill. They will “never be moved” (NRSV) from their place in God’s presence, they will “never be shaken” (NJPS) from their faith. We would do well to join them.