1. A Journey Through The Psalms
Wisdom From God
A Journey Through The Psalms

2. Psalm 15 – Who May Abide?
What is the Lord looking for in a citizen of Heaven?
What traits should we exhibit on Earth that prepare us for eternity in Heaven?
This short psalm gives us a wonderful view of the character of a righteous child of God in eleven statements.

3. The Thematic Question
“O Lord, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill?
Tabernacle
Zion

4. The Positive Positives
Verse 2: “He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, and speaks truth in his heart.”
Integrity: TAWMEEM = without blemish, sincere, undefiled.

5. Walking With Integrity
Proverbs 11:3 – “The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the crookedness of the treacherous will destroy them.”
Proverbs 19:1 – “Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than he who is perverse in speech and is a fool.”

6. The One Who Works Righteousness
Works indicates a settled practice.
Is our settled practice one of demonstrating and living righteousness?
Do those who know us best recognize us as righteous people?

7. Who Speak Truth In Their Hearts
Again, the heart indicates a settled practice. Truth resides in your mind, intellect, and emotions. You are a truth seeker and a truth speaker.
Psalm 51:6 – “Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, and in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.”
Proverbs 23:23 – “Buy truth, and do not sell it, get wisdom and instruction and understanding.”

8. Round 2: Positive Positives
Verse 4: “In whose eyes a reprobate is despised, but who honors those who fear the Lord; He swears to his own hurt and does not change….”
Second group of three positives for a total of six in the psalm.

9. Despises Reprobates
Hosea 4:6 – “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”
Same word as REPROBATE

10. Jeremiah 6:30
“They call them rejected silver, because the Lord has rejected them.”
The Zion dweller knows those who are reprobates as concerns their behaviors and thinking.

11. Honors Those Who Fear The Lord
Can’t feel truly comfortable around those who are still in the world.
Best and closest friends/family are those who fear the Lord.
We show greater honor and affinity with those who share a like faith.

12. Keeping Vows
Has at its heart the idea that a person’s word is their bond. Oh how we need to remember the power of the spoken word!
A vow is a promise. Keep your promises – whether to people or to God.
Numbers 30:2 – “If a man makes a vow to the Lord, or takes an oath to bind himself with a binding obligation, he shall not violate his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.”

13. The Negative Positives
Five traits are stated as negatives, but the result is positive.
Verse 3, 5: “He does not slander with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend….He does not put out his money at interest, nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.”

14. Does Not Slander “Backbite”, a talebearer
From word usually translated as “spy” or “spying”.
Idea is using something known about a person to dishonor that person or damage their name or reputation.
Much care is needed!

15. Does No Evil To His Neighbor
A good time to mention that all of these traits can be used to sum up the two most important commandments.
To do evil to a neighbor is to strike out against someone you should be loving – as yourself.
God’s people love and nurture.

16. No reproach against friend
1 Samuel 17:26 – “Then David spoke to the men who were standing by him, saying, ‘What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?’”

17. Loans Without Interest
Luke 6:35 – “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.”

18. No Bribes Bribes to misrepresent the truth in legal cases.
All bribes are dishonest.
Exodus 23:8 – “You shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of the just.”

19. Promise For Obedience “He who does these things will never be shaken.”
Eternal security.
Trustworthy and honored in this world.