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Psalm Fifteen
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO Psalm 15
A Psalm of David. As in the preceding psalm
according to
Theodoret
the salvation of the inhabitants of Jerusalem is foretold
and the
liberty of the captives; so in this advice is given to them
and the life they
ought to live proposed
who should share in such benefits.
Psalm 15:1 Lord
who may abide
in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill?
YLT
1A Psalm of David. Jehovah
who doth sojourn in Thy tent? Who doth dwell in Thy holy hill?
Lord
who shall abide in thy tabernacle?.... This
question
with the following
is put by the psalmist in a view of the sad
corruption and degeneracy of mankind described in the preceding psalm
which
renders the sons of men unfit for the presence of God
and communion with him;
and it is put to the Lord himself
the founder of Zion
who has set his King
over this holy hill of his; who has enacted laws for the good of it
and brings
his people thither
making them meet for it
and so is most proper to give the
qualifications of such as are admitted here; for by the tabernacle is meant not
the human nature of Christ
as in Hebrews 8:2; as some interpret it
and
apply all the characters in the following verses to Christ; nor heaven itself
of which the holy place made with hands in the tabernacle and temple were a
figure
Hebrews 9:24; for to "sojourn"F4ינוו "peregrinabitur"
Pagninus
Montanus;
"diversabitur"
Muis; so Ainsworth; "vel hospitabitur"
Cocceius. or "lodge"
as in an inn
as the word rendered abide
signifies
will not suit with that state and place which is fixed and
immovable; but the church of God on earth
called a "tabernacle"
in
allusion to the tabernacle of Moses
where God granted his presence
sacrifices
were offered up with acceptance
and the holy vessels were put; and which was
mean without
but rich and glorious within: so God affords his gracious
presence in his church
accepts the spiritual sacrifices of prayer and praise
offered to him there; and here are the vessels of mercy placed
which are
sanctified and meet for the master's use; and though it is mean and despicable
in its outward appearance
in the eyes of men
it is all glorious within; see Song of Solomon 1:6; and this is the
tabernacle of God
being of his building and preserving
and the place of his
residence;
who shall dwell in thy holy hill? the same is here
intended as in the preceding clause; the allusion is to Mount Zion
whither the
ark of the Lord was brought in David's time
and on one part of which the temple
was afterwards built: and the church may be compared to this hill
for its
eminence and visibility in the world; for the holiness which God has put upon
it
and for the immovableness of it; for though like
a tabernacle it may be
carried from place to place
yet it is like an hill that can never be removed
out of the world; it is built on a sure foundation
the Rock of ages. Now the
purport of these questions is
who is a proper person to be an inhabitant of
Zion? or to be a member of the church of God? the answer is in the following
verses.
Psalm 15:2 2 He who walks uprightly
And
works righteousness
And speaks the truth in his heart;
YLT
2He who is walking
uprightly
And working righteousness
And speaking truth in his heart.
He that walketh uprightly
.... Or
"perfectly"F5ותמים
"perfectus"
Montanus
Gejerus
; see Genesis 17:1; not so as to be without sin
entirely
but as not to be chargeable with any notorious crime
and living in
it; moreover
perfection and uprightness often signify sincerity
and the
phrase here may design an Israelite indeed
in whom is no guile; whose faith is
unfeigned
whose love is without dissimulation
whose hope is without
hypocrisy
and his whole conduct without fraud and deceit; likewise such an one
may be said to walk uprightly who walks according to the truth of the Gospel
and by faith on Christ and in Christ
as he has received him; and such an one
is fit to be a member of a Gospel church;
and worketh righteousness; not in order to his
justification before God; for not such an one
but he that trusts in the Lord
for righteousness
shall inherit his holy mountain
Isaiah 57:12; but he that works the work of
faith
and believes in the righteousness of Christ; who looks to it and
receives it; that lays hold on it and pleads it as his justifying
righteousness; he that does righteousness in this sense
is righteous as Christ
is righteous
1 John 3:7; and such an one is a proper
person to dwell in his house; and who also by faith does works of
righteousness
and whose life is a series and course of righteousness
as a
fruit of his faith
and in consequence of his having laid hold on the
righteousness of Christ;
and speaketh the truth in his heart; receives Christ who is
the truth
and the Gospel the word of truth into his heart
and makes an hearty
profession of the same before men; and both speaks according to his light in
the Scriptures of truth
whenever he speaks of divine things; and in common
conversation speaks truth from his heart to his neighbour
and does not speak
with a double heart
or say one thing with his mouth
and intend another in his
heart; see Psalm 12:2; or endeavour to deceive
persons
and impose a falsehood on them
or tell them lies; for as such a
person is not fit to dwell in a private house
or to be in a civil society
much less is he a proper person to be in the house of God.
Psalm 15:3 3 He who does not
backbite with his tongue
Nor does evil to his neighbor
Nor does he take up a
reproach against his friend;
YLT
3He hath not slandered by
his tongue
He hath not done to his friend evil; And reproach he hath not
lifted up Against his neighbour.
He that backbiteth not
with his tongue
.... Is not a slanderer
a defamer
a tale bearer; a backbiter is
one who privately
secretly
behind a man's back speaks evil of him
devours
and destroys his credit and reputation: the word here used comes from רגל
which signifies the "foot"
and denotes such
a person who goes about from house to house
speaking things he should not
1 Timothy 5:13; and a word from this root
signifies spies; and the phrase here may point at such persons who creep into
houses
pry into the secrets of families
and divulge them
and oftentimes
represent them in a false light. Such are ranked amongst the worst of men
and
are very unfit to be in the society of the saints
or in a church of Christ;
see Romans 1:30
2 Corinthians 12:20;
nor doeth evil to his neighbour: to any man whatever
good or bad
friend or foe
whether in a natural
civil
or spiritual relation
either by words or deeds
to his person
property
or good name;
nor taketh up
a reproach against his neighbour; does not
raise any scandalous report on him himself
nor will he bear to hear one from
another
much less will he spread one; nor will he suffer one to lie upon his
neighbour
but will do all he can to vindicate him
and clear his character.
Psalm 15:4 4 In whose eyes a vile
person is despised
But he honors those who fear the Lord; He who
swears to his own hurt and does not change;
YLT
4Despised in his eyes [is] a
rejected one
And those fearing Jehovah he doth honour. He hath sworn to suffer
evil
and changeth not;
In whose eyes a vile person is contemned
.... A
"vile" man is a very wicked
profligate
and abandoned creature
one
that is to every good work reprobate; and such sometimes are in high places
Psalm 12:8; and are greatly caressed and
esteemed by the men of the world; but then
as they are an abomination to God
they should be despised by his people
let them be what they will as to their
riches
honours
and wisdom among men; as Haman was by Mordecai
Esther 3:2; and Ahab by Elisha
2 Kings 3:14; and such who keep company
with
and express a delight and pleasure in such sort of persons
ought by no
means to have a place in the house of God. Some understand this of a good man
being "despised in his own eyes"
as it may be renderedF6נבזה בעיניו "qui despicit se
in oculis suis"
so some in Vatablus; "ille est despectus in propriis
oculis
reprobatus"
Gussetius
p. 453. ; on account of his vileness
and
the imperfection of his obedience
and as expressive of his great humility
esteeming others better than himself; and who renounces himself
and is
rejected by himself
having a very mean opinion of himself; which is the sense
of the Targum
Aben Ezra
and Kimchi; and which is no bad sense
though the
former is countenanced by what follows;
but he honoureth them that fear the Lord; who have the
covenant grace of fear wrought in their hearts
and serve the Lord with
reverence and godly fear; that is
who are truly religious and godly persons;
these such who are fit members of the church of Christ love heartily
esteem of
highly
and honour them by thinking and speaking well of them
and behaving
with great respect and decency to them; see Romans 12:10;
he that sweareth to his
own hurt
and changeth not; having taken a solemn oath
so sacred is it
with him
and such a regard has he to the name of God
by whom he swears
that
though it is to his civil loss and detriment
yet he will not break it and
depart from it
but punctually observe it: some render it
"he that swears
to his neighbour
and changeth not"F7להרע
τω πλησιον αυτου
Sept.
"proximo suo"
V. L. Sic. Syr. Ar. Aethiop. ; he that is just to his
word
faithful to his promises
that exactly fulfils all the obligations he
lays himself under unto others; he that is honest and upright in all his
dealings. The Jewish writers interpret this clause of a man's vowing and
swearing to afflict himself by fasting
which
though it is to the emaciating of
his body
yet he strictly observes his vow or oath; but this is foreign from
the scope of the place: it might be rendered
"he that swears to do evil
and does not recompense or perform"F8So Ainsworth.
it being
better to break through such an oath than to keep it; see Leviticus 5:4.
Psalm 15:5 5 He who does not put
out his money at usury
Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who
does these things shall never be moved.
YLT
5His silver he hath not
given in usury
And a bribe against the innocent Hath not taken; Whoso is doing
these is not moved to the age!
He that putteth not
out his money to usury
.... To the poor
in an extravagant and exorbitant way
by which
he bites
devours
and destroys his little substance
and sadly afflicts and
distresses him; see Exodus 22:25; otherwise
to lend money on
moderate interest
and according to the laws
customs
and usages of nations
and to take interest for it
is no more unlawful than to take interest for
houses and land; yea
it is according to the law of common justice and equity
that if one man lends money to another to trade with
and gain by
that he
should have a proportionate share in the gain of such a trade; but the design
of this passage
and the law on which it is founded
is
to forbid all
exactions and oppressions of the poor
and all avaricious practices
and to
encourage liberality and beneficence; and such who are covetous
and bite and
oppress the poor
are not fit for church communion; see 1 Corinthians 5:11;
nor taketh reward against the innocent; either to
swear falsely against him
or to pass a wrong sentence on him; see 1 Samuel 12:3;
he that doeth these things shall never be moved; from the
tabernacle of God
and his holy hill; he is fit to be a member of the church of
God
and an inhabitant of Zion; and he shall dwell and abide there
he shall be
a pillar which shall never go out
Revelation 3:12; he shall finally
persevere
through the grace of God; he shall hold on and out unto the end: and
though he may fall through infirmity and temptation into sin
and that many
times
yet he shall not finally and totally fall
2 Peter 1:10; but shall be as Mount Zion
which can never be removed
Psalm 125:1; The words should be rendered
since the accent "athnach" is on אלה
"these things"
thus; "he that doeth these things"
not
only what is mentioned in this verse
but in the foregoing
"he"
I
say
"shall never be moved".
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》