The Song of One Righteous Psalm 14 and 15 are coupled together for a specific reason. Why? Psalm 14 is the Psalm of every man. That is the Psalm where everyone of us fit in: “They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one” (Psalm 14:3). It tells us of the universal corruption of the human race, and that the only hope for man is the salvation of God. Psalm 15 is the portrait of a perfect man, and this perfect man pictured in this Psalm is Jesus Christ. I entitle Psalm 15: The Song of One Righteous. For centuries the church has linked this psalm with Ascension Day. Christ, having lived a perfectly holy life, passed into the presence of God, there to sit at God’s right hand, to make intercession for us. This is a portrait of a perfect man, and there is only One absolutely perfect, and righteous. This is really a portrait of the perfect man, our Lord Jesus Christ. This Psalm is closely related to two other passages of Scripture. Some have said that this Psalm is David’s Sermon on the Mount. It is closely related to Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5-7. This Psalm is also closely related to Psalm 24, which was written to celebrate the bringing of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. It is a Psalm of celebration as the Ark of Jehovah inhabits Jerusalem. This Psalm begins by striking the balance between life’s pilgrimage and also life’s permanence. Life is both temporary and transient, lasting and eternal at the same time. The word TABERNACLES, or a TENT, speaks of life’s transience. A tent is a moveable house, it is easily put up and easily taken down. This verse has been rephrased, “Lord, who shall be a guest in your tent?” God is host to the humble. The word, “ABIDE” also emphasizes the transient nature of life. Who will “sojourn as a stranger” in this world in a tent? The permanent aspect of life is emphasized by the word, HILL. A hill speaks of that which is lasting and immovable. Our true permanence and stability comes as we dwell in God’s presence. This life is passing away with all of its lust. He that does the will of God abides forever. Who will dwell in God’s holy hill? The word “dwell” is the Hebrew word, shakan, which is the word used of God abiding and resting among His people in the glory cloud. This is the root word of the word, “Shekinah.” Shekinah is a compound word from “Shakan” and “YAH” for Jehovah. Shekinah therefore speaks of the DWELLING PRESENCE OF GOD. Who will dwell, or shakan with the SHEKINAH for all eternity? Moving is our lot in life right now. We move from day to day, from year to year. We move from one stage of life to the next. We move from one house or city to another. Life is constant change. But one day, we will dwell forever in heaven, and there will be permanence. This world is nothing but a temporary stop in our soul journey into eternity. This world is temporary, but eternity is permanent.
In CHARACTER, the righteous One walks straight and upright and is without any blemish. This word is used to describe an Old Testament sacrifice that was without any imperfection. So Jesus is the Lamb of God, sinless, unblemished, and absolutely righteous who takes away the sin of the world. What a walk Jesus walked! In His earthly ministry he journeyed throughout Galilee. He walked through the villages and cities, proclaiming God’s Kingdom, healing, preaching, and teaching. 1 John 2:6: And he that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. The steps of Jesus on earth were so loving and tireless. He would go so far out of His way to meet one person, insignificant and hopeless in the eyes of men. He risked his life in the storm to meet the Maniac of Gadhara. He ventured far to the north to minister to the Canaanite woman.
In CONDUCT, He works righteousness. Not only is Jesus without any blemish, but he is blameless in his work. His every work was righteousness, without a drop of sin! He worked righteousness because He is righteous. Acts 10:38: How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. What amazing works Jesus did! He stilled the waves. He walked upon the raging Sea. He raised the dead with a word, and with a touch. The deaf hear. The dumb speak. The blind see. The lame walk. The lost are found. The poor have the Kingdom of God preached to them and they are rich!
In CONVERSATION, He is pure. He is a man of integrity, honesty, and sincerity. Jesus did all things to please His Father. Notice that of the few verses to describe a perfect man, more is said of the words of his mouth than anything.
He speaks the truth in his heart. Warren Wiersbe says, “Truth is the cement that holds society together. If people can get away with lies, then every promise, agreement, oath, pledge, and contract is immediately destroyed.” The liar in court turns the trial into a travesty and the innocent suffer as wrongdoers. When lies are believed, victims become criminals, the blameless become guilty. The murderers would go free. This is the first time the word “truth” occurs in the Psalms. It occurs regarding the inward thoughts, desires, and motives. Have you ever had to meet someone that you dislike? Maybe they owe you money. Or you have some sort of resentment towards them. But you don’t want to make a scene, so you smile, shake their hand, say all the right things: “How are you? Your family? What a lovely day!” But down in your heart, you are cursing them out or thinking, “You are a downright dirty thief and scoundrel!” Or have you ever had a disagreement with a family member and you had many negative thoughts toward them, but you pretend everything is all right?
He is not a backbiter: This speaks of not being a backstabber. Some people will be nice to your face, but when you are gone, they tell someone else what they really think. They stab you in the back! They gossip. They hurt. They pile on, roasting others with their words. His words are not evil, lewd, or corrupt. Jesus does not speak in ways that are off-color. Do you tell dirty jokes? Do you speak words against different ethnic groups when they are not around? Do you use ethnic slurs or mock people because of a disability? Could you imagine Jesus doing that? This person does not honor the ungodly and reject the godly. No matter how unpopular it is to give honor to the wicked, he would not do it. He honors them that fear the LORD. One of the ways to pinpoint the Messiah is to look at His words! Isaiah 53:7 says, “He opened not his mouth.” Isaiah 50:4 says that Jesus our Messiah had the tongue of the learned, who knew how to speak a word to those who were weary!
His overall COMPORTMENT was perfect in every way. Jesus knew no sin. He did no sin. In Him was no sin.
The only Man who ever walked in perfect uprightness, whose inmost thought and motive were perfectly pleasing to God, whose words were restrained, respectful and reliable, whose ways were fair and firmly fixed, was JESUS! Jesus is the Righteous One, and only His righteousness imputed to you will give you access to His holy hill! |