Protecting The Presence
Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the Lord. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved. Psalm 15:1-5 (KJV)
This Psalm is formatted as a question and answer discussion. It addresses how we can have God’s continual presence in our lives and how we can lose it.
Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?
We must desire and protect God’s presence in our lives so we don’t lose it.
He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness,
We must live right and do what’s right. This speaks of our outer life; what we do that is seen outwardly.
and speaketh the truth in his heart.
This speaks of our inner life, what we really think and feel- what we say in our hearts. What’s in us comes out of us. Then it shows us in verse 3 that our inner life affects our outer life.
He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.
We can’t bless God and curse man (James 3:9-11). Those who do have a heart problem. We have to watch what we say about other believers and how we treat them. When we speak or do something wrong to somone in the body of Christ, we do it to the Lord because He is the Head of the body. This will quench God’s Spirit (I Thessalonians 5:10), putting out the Spirit’s fire in our lives. As a result, the fire of God’s manifest presence is gone and you can’t see or feel evidence of His nearness.
If you don’t sense the Lord’s presence, check your inner and also your outer life. As long as we confess Him as our Savior, He won’t leave us- but He can withdraw from us. He distances Himself, so to speak, to get our attention; to let us know there’s something not right. The more we love, the more of God’s presence we will experience (see I John).
In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the Lord. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.
We must despise evil and choose the good in all our relationships. Others can affect how much we experience God. And we must keep our promises even when it hurts. It is better to keep your word than to lose God’s presence. God keeps His promises, and He hangs out with promise keepers- not frauds.
He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent.
If we lend money, we are to do it without interest. We must never accept a bribe against the innocent. The way we treat others is how God will treat us- it’s basic sowing and reaping.
He that doeth these things shall never be moved.
The Psalmist concludes that those who adhere to the wisdom given in this Psalm will not be moved. Moved from where? From God’s presence. The way we live affects our relationships, especially with the Lord. The more we walk in the light, the more of the light of God’s preence we will experience.
