Psalm 15

1. Psalm 14 speaks mostly of those who are wicked, so Psalm 15 is a great breath of fresh air, speaking mostly of those who are righteous and how they live.

2. In my mind, verse 2 shows a “reverse progression.” We have integrity when we live righteously, and one way we do that is to speak truth.

3. Verse 2 says that the truth is in our heart. That’s where every good or bad thing we say and/or do begins. “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.”

4. I have used verse 3 on more than one occasion speaking to young people. Slander is very prevalent among young people, and many do not even realize it is a sin. There are times we need to saying something “against” someone else, but it must be done in love and it must be the truth.

5. Verse 4: One who is in God’s favor is the one “who honors those who fear the Lord.” While we do not need to have people as idols, we can set good Christian people up as examples to be followed. We should make these people our heroes.

6. The reason verse 5 mentions “interest” is because, in that time, interest rates were running as high at 50% (sounds like modern “pay-day loans!”), but God had given very specific commands dealing with lending money to the Israelites (see Deuteronomy 23:19-20 for an example).

7. Personally, I love how the psalm ends: “He who does these things will never be shaken.” What comfort!