O LORD, who may abide in your tent? Who may dwell on your holy hill? Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right, and speak the truth from their heart;” vss. 1-2
Psalm 15
The question asked by the psalmist was enormously important for the religious leaders in Jerusalem. They revered the Law of Moses and believed wholeheartedly that only those who were perfectly obedient were welcome in the temple of the Lord. The righteous were those who walked blamelessly by keeping every law, and they certainly spoke the truth in all their interactions. Their division of people into two different groups is familiar to us, and even those who are followers of Jesus are likely to have lists of such people written on their hearts. It’s just such an easy way of keeping track of who’s naughty and who’s nice! We might not use the same standards as the folks in Jerusalem but we have our own rules too, and they’re equally rigid. And we know all the “tells”! Even walking through the mall on a hot summer Sunday afternoon we can easily spot those on the “sinner” list. The problem is that Jesus paid no attention to the lists drawn up by the religious people, and he still doesn’t. He loves sinners and brings healing to the broken. For him walking blamelessly would be to embrace the hurting and to care for the outcasts. And of course he wants us to speak the truth from our hearts. There are some things that just never go out of style for the people of God.
Thought for the Day: Who is on my “naughty” list?
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