Psalm 15

Scripture 

Psalm 15:1 

“Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent?  Who may live on your holy mountain?”

Observation-What does it say?

King David writes this Psalm and lists the characteristics of people who can dwell in God’s sacred tent and holy mountain.

Understanding-What does it mean?

God is concerned with our character, more than He is with our outward appearance.

If you look at the list in this Psalm (blameless, righteous, truthful, not slanderous, no wrong done to a neighbor, honors and fears the Lord, keeps oath even when it hurts, lends money to poor, etc.), there is nothing in this list that talks about outward appearance such as how beautiful/handsome someone is, what type of clothes are worn, the amount of money they make, education, how big their house is, type of car they drive, their profession, how many followers they have on social media, etc. It all has to do with the person’s character and integrity.

It is fitting that King David wrote this Psalm because God didn’t chose him based on his outward appearance either. For those who don’t know King David’s story, he was the youngest son tending sheep, while his older brothers “looked” more qualified than he did to be king. However, God still chose David because of his heart, not outward appearance.  This is what the Lord told Samuel (who was sent to anoint David as king):  

“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at.  People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” -1 Samuel 16:7

Life Application

Invest time in being a person of Godly character and integrity and be willing to go through trials with the Lord, which is how character is refined. (James 1)

Instead of trying to impress and prove ourselves to the world and people who don’t really truly care about us, why don’t we live our lives trying to impress the One who truly matters? The One who will always be there even if everything was taken away. The One who holds eternity in His hands and not only sees, rewards and will judge things done in public, but things done in private as well. 

-Michelle Gaddi