Psalm 15

The context of Psalm 15, with the application, is in verse 1. It’s about the man who is worthy to live in the Lord’s house, to dwell in heaven with Him, for His dwelling place has always been His throne on high.

“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.” – Psalm 15:4

Something stands out in verse four. It’s an odd statement, seemingly unfit for a Christian to accept. “He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.” A man who is suited for heaven’s holy hill in the presence of God as His train fills the throneroom is a man who makes his covenant and keeps it, even if it hurts. God’s men don’t choose the comfort of sin in the world, knowing the eternity that awaits.

The notion behind that statement in the Psalm is entirely foreign to modern Christianity in the West. The easy path is that of least resistance and is most often chosen. But what is the covenant, and what does it mean that we ought to do?

The covenant is that which is in the blood of Christ who died for your sins and called you to serve Him. Christ found you as a bondslave on the auction block caught between two masters, and Jesus Christ won the war, making you His purchased possession through love. Indeed you are freed if you are His, and though His burden light and yoke easy, especially by comparison to the sin and death that ruled over you, you remain a bondslave nonetheless, and that to Holy God, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

You’re on the right side, but it’s no playground. The war between good and evil rages, and as the ever-accelerating arrival of the judgment of God upon Western Civilization arrives, Psalm 15 has some straightforward questions as to who is God’s anointed people. As we’ve said several times: simple doesn’t mean something that’s necessarily easy. The choices coming are immense; war or peace; famine, pestilence, and death loom.

The information war is becoming intense. With AI-driven narratives and false news, it’s become impossible to know for sure what’s real; this is not a mistake. Our God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33). That old liar and a murderer from the start, the serpent himself, the devil, will take you captive at his will if he gets the chance. Boundaries here are critical. If you belong to Christ, birthed anew, secure in the power of His resurrection unto life eternal, in Him your final destination is set, but here we are, trouble brewing on every side.

Keeping that last sentence from Psalm 15:4 in mind, another verse that’s worth examination comes to mind. This is a favorite about wisdom.

“And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.” – Job 28:28

When you see Behold in the KJV Bible, as in this verse, or verily (sometimes emphatically, twice – see John 3:3, 6:47), it means to pay attention and get this right.

But what does God say of wisdom herself? It is fear of the Lord: reverence, love, and obedience.

It’s always interesting to see a concept struggled with and defined by the godless. Some definitions of wisdom at Webster’s are the exact opposite of what wisdom truly is. But, as every Christian ought, we take our world-life view not from men or the world’s understanding but from the Almighty. Wisdom is the fear of the Lord, and when rightly applied and acted upon, a man will flee the evil that is without and purge that evil which is within. Note the action in the last clause; just like faith, wisdom is nothing, useless, if it’s not applied. And what does God say is the right action in wisdom? Departing from evil shows our understanding of the wisdom reached through fear of the Lord.

Behold, fear God; get away from evil and purify yourself within, removing corruption so that you might not sin against Him. We have a covenant in Christ’s blood and the commandments to live without sin (1 Peter 1:16). And there is the duty to fear God, keeping His commandments (Ecclesiastes 12:13), and the charge in Psalm 15:4 to keep your covenant even to your own hurt: not submitting to evil, standing for Christ, by His power, we must possess our bond to God.

Being a public Christian is critical before persecution ramps up. As things get worse, it will seem necessary to do evil in the sight of the Lord. You can get all the money you want if you’re willing to sin a little on the job. You can cut a thousand corners in life thinking you’re better off, but God’s line measures by another standard. In every area, challenges are coming. Sin is easy, even fun for a time, but Moses chose not to belong to the empire enjoying the pleasures of sin for a season (Hebrews 11:24-25), but rightly regarded his future and that of his people as more consequential.

Steady in the face of the fight. Jesus doesn’t call the strong but strengthens the weak and weakens the strong so that He might be our power, persevering until the end in reliance upon Him.

If you’re not a public Christian, the likelihood that you will deny Christ at a pressing juncture of testing increases significantly. When you swore your covenant to Christ, you made your place with Him as His bride; for better or for worse, changeth not. Should evil or blessings reign down, even to your own hurt, depart from evil, for in this is the fear of the Lord brought to bear through a man who belongs by faith to Christ Jesus.

Compromise with evil is a killer, but the way of Psalm 15 is that of life for God’s glory. In times of arriving adversity, you can be numbered among those that changed not, set upon the infallible foundation which is the Rock our King; the man that does these things shall never be moved.

“LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? 2 He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. 3 He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour. 4 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. 5 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