15:1 O LORD, who may abide in your tent? Who may dwell on your holy hill?
15:2 Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right, and speak the truth from their
heart;
15:3 who do not slander with their tongue, and do no evil to their friends, nor take up
a reproach against their neighbors;
15:4 in whose eyes the wicked are despised, but who honor those who fear the LORD; who
stand by their oath even to their hurt;
15:5 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.
I better add a word of explanation! I can't see Jesus fitting the "In whose eyes the wicked are despised" line. And while only the righteous were welcome at the temple, Jesus made it a point to associate with sinners and tax collectors.
DR
Given how Jesus spoke about hypocrites and vipers, and how he pronounced it would be better for Sodom on some days than it would be for those who rejected the disciples, I think I can understand the "In whose eyes the wicked are despised" line.
Judge Redd
I think, this psalm has two lesson for us:
1. We, Christians, should try our best to seperate ourselves from the worldly activities like the above mentioned stealing, lying, etc... However,
2. How Many of us read this passage and know we have fallen short and done this stuff. Yes, unfortunately, we are in the world , so temption will come. Jesus Christ was perfect, so he faced His 40 day temptation with flying colors, Jesus was God incarnate...
However, if we had that to do..I am sure Satan would have won... That's why God HAd to be born and live and minister and be tempted and suffer and eventually die on the cross... because we humans cant do it! We humans are going fall short, have indecretions of sexual nature, have abortions, support abortions, and support things like using child labor to make Kathie Lee clothes and rugs, and buy Liz Claiborne-when slave labor in indonesia makes it. etc...
Even though we all do this stuff... doesnt mean we are not supposed to try better...I don't appreciate the remark about UMC. Whoever that person is doesnt really understand UMC! ALL DENOMINATIONS fall short...AM Bap. South. Bap. Presby's. Episcoples's. Lutheran's. Pentecostals. etc... the person who posted that comment needs to wake up and smell the coffee!!! LadyPreacher in OHIO and UMC!!!!!
Uh, as a sister UMC pastor, and with the knowledge that I'm speaking for someone else, I think Gen's joke was on being moved -- as in the itinerant system. I know a preacher who retired and, when the area got 911, and they had to name their streets, they named their rural route "Dunmovin Lane."
Sally in GA
It may be helpful to know that in Talmudic tradition this is considered to be a summary of the Mosaic law. David is considered to have taken all of the law and reduced it from 600+ commandments down to 11. (Later reduced by others to 6, 3, and 1.)
For a fuller explanation, see:
http://www.jewishgates.org/taland/talmud/textslaw/mitzvot.stm
Judge Dredd
BTW, I take it as a joke on the itinerant system too!
A fellow UMC pastor, Judge Redd
wow, all these people in the Psalm!!! Ok clearing it up, My sarcasm. Sometimes we are moved when we do the very things that this Psamlist talks about. It won't preach, but it made me feel better getting that said. We still will speak up for truth and work against evil even if corporate America downsizes, and ecclesial America downshifts.
gen
I do fine with this Psalm segment until we get to the part about despising the wicked.....I think I "get it" that Israel believed that hating those who had no relationship with God was a way to prove
their own faithfulness to God (holy war against pagans, praying for the destruction of enemies, etc., were lauded), but the Christian side of my understanding struggles with this idea of holiness being achieved when one despises the wicked. Is there more to the word "despised" than I'm getting?
It seems pretty clear-cut, but there are often other meanings......I'm not much of a lexicon-ite at heart.
KyHoosierCat
15:1 O LORD, who may abide in your tent?
It seem that those who have reconciled and atoned can be there. I think that there is a great difference in abiding in the earthly house of the Lord than in the tent of the Lord or would this be refering to a regular place of earthly worship and require the person to be "clean" . Nancy-Wi
