The Daily Psalm

The Daily Psalm: Growing in God through Praying the Psalms

The Daily Psalm: A Devotional by Mark D. Roberts, encouraging prayer based on the Psalms. Learn how to pray the Psalms.

Monday, January 16, 2006

O LORD, who may abide in your tent?
Who may dwell on your holy hill?
Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right . . . .

Psalm 15:1-2a

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Psalm 15

A Psalm of David.
1   O LORD, who may abide in your tent?
    Who may dwell on your holy hill?
2   Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is         right,
    and speak the truth from their heart;
3   who do not slander with their tongue,
    and do no evil to their friends,
    nor take up a reproach against their         neighbors;
4   in whose eyes the wicked are despised,
    but who honor those who fear the LORD;
  who stand by their oath even to their hurt;
5   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.

Daily Prayer (based on Psalm 15:1-2a)

Dear Lord, passages like this always give me pause, for I long to dwell with You, yet I am so aware of how much I fall short of Your righteous expectations. I do not walk blamelessly and I often fail to do what is right. Forgive me, Lord!

Yet You do more than forgive. Because You desire relationship with me – a wonder! – You have taken my sin upon Yourself, the Blameless One taking my blame, the One who always does right paying the penalty for my wrong. O Lord Jesus Christ, how I thank You for Your mercy. Through You I can abide in Your tent. I can approach the throne of grace with boldness. All praise be to You, my Savior and Lord!

Postscript

The Hebrew word translated as "blamelessly" is the adjective (which in Hebrew can be an adverb) tamim. This word can mean "whole, complete, sound, full of health." It's the word that is translated "without blemish" when it refers to an animal to be sacrificed (e.g. Exod 12:5). Tamim in Psalm 15:2 doesn't mean "perfect" or "sinless" so much as "with integrity." It describes a person whose life isn't shattered into contradictory pieces, but holds together in the service of God. We'll run into tamim again in the Psalms, and I expect I'll comment on it more than once.

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