HOLY PSALM OF DAVID (ZABUR) FIFTEEN

1 Who may worship in your sanctuary Lord? Who may enter your presence on your holy hill?  2 Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking truth from sincere hearts. 3 Those who refuse to gossip or harm their neighbours or speak evil of their friends. 4 Those who … honour the faithful … and keep their promises even when it hurts.

If we are to sincerely worship God we need to be righteous. However, as David has told us (Psalm 14) none of us can naturally stand in God’s presence: we all desperately need God’s grace. But with God’s grace we can be counted as righteous not on our own, but with the righteousness of Jesus Christ (NT/ Ingil Rom.3 v.24). David goes on to describe what this ‘righteousness’ looks like in the flesh.

Some Christians (and some Muslims) get stuck on proclaiming the necessity of faith in God without proclaiming or demonstrating what this looks like. As the NT/Ingil tells us ‘Faith without works is dead (Jam.2 v.17).’  King David is quite clear about it. Those who may rightfully enter God’s presence are those who have faith in and pursue the one God who forgives sins and are those who do good, speak the truth from sincere hearts, love their neighbours, honour the faithful and keep their promises.  Jesus Christ went further proclaiming that this means people of faith should also love their enemies and do good to everyone (refer. NT/Ingil Matt.5 v.1-12).  David goes on to include how this affects our business and social actions.

5 Those who lend money without charging interest, and who cannot be bribed to lie about the innocent. Such people will stand firm forever.

David’s culture had no sophisticated banking system and when he speaks of not charging interest in his subsistence farming economy, I believe he was pointing to what we would term ‘loan sharks.’  In a modern economy (and in Islamic economies) it is recognised that the lending of money helps a nation plant crops and develop their industries and that this essential process must be done with reasonable income for the lender.  Our economies also need to be regulated so as to try and prevent unscrupulous people form exploiting the poor and desperate.

A poem inspired by Psalm 15: -

Lord keep our tongues from lies and slander

May our hearts pure spotless be,

As by grace we remain united

To your root of Jesse tree.

Help us lord to keep our promise

And honour those who trust your name

May we care for all in business

Be true to you and all the same.

A prayer: - Lord may our lives demonstrate the beauty of your grace! Amen

mjk 12/12/17 c. mikereflects