The Lord’s Holy Hill. Who gets to live where God lives?
Psalm fifteen: The Lord sits upon his Holy Hill. Access to the home and throne of God is limited to those who are cleansed from their sins by the blood of Christ. There are no exceptions. God does not grade on a curve. Jesus is the standard. If you can’t meet that standard, (No one can.) Jesus has arranged an alternate route. The Roman Road.
Psalm 15:1 Who can live in God’s Holy Hill?
“A Psalm of David. O LORD, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill?”
From the Charles Surgeon Archives
THE QUESTION. Jehovah. Thou high and holy One, who shall be permitted to have fellowship with thee? The heavens are not pure in thy sight, and thou chargest thine angels with folly, who then of mortal mold shall dwell with thee, thou dread consuming fire?
Psalm 15:2 On the Holy Hill — Truth
“He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart.”
From the Charles Surgeon Archives
THE ANSWER. The Lord in answer to the question informs us by his Holy Spirit of the character of the man who alone can dwell in his holy hill. In perfection, this holiness is found only in the Man of Sorrows, but in a measure, it is wrought in all his people by the Holy Ghost.
Psalm 15:3 — No Slander (see here)
“He does not slander with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor takes up a reproach against his friend.”
From the Charles Surgeon Archives
After the positive comes the negative. There is a sinful way of backbiting with the heart when we think too hard of a neighbor, but it is the tongue which does the mischief. Some men’s tongues bite more than their teeth.
Psalm 15:4 — Respect for God
“In whose eyes a reprobate is despised, But who honors those who fear the LORD; He swears to his own hurt and does not change.”
From the Charles Surgeon Archives
We must be as honest in paying respect as in paying our bills. Honor to whom honor is due. To all good men we owe a debt of honor, and we have no right to hand over what is their due to vile persons who happen to be in high places.
Psalm 15:5 — No love of money
“He does not put out his money at interest, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.”
From the Charles Surgeon Archives
No storm shall tear him from his foundations, drag him from his anchorage, or uproot him from his place. Like the Lord Jesus, whose dominion is everlasting, the true Christian shall never lose his crown. He shall not only be on Zion but like Zion, fixed and firm. He shall dwell in the tabernacle of the Most-High, and neither death nor judgment shall remove him from his place of privilege and blessedness.
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