PSALMS 14
We will first give the 15th Psalm in metre, before we begin our
verse by verse study.
THE PSALMS OF DAVID IN METRE
Chapter 15
verse 1 "Within thy tabernacle, Lord, Who shall abide with thee?
And in thy high and holy hill Who shall a dweller be?"
verse 2 "The man who walketh uprightly, And worketh righteousness,
And as he thinketh in his heart, So doth he truth express."
verse 3 "Who neither slanders with his tongue, Nor to his friend doth
hurt; Nor yet against his neighbor doth Take up an ill
report."
verse 4 "In whose eyes vile men are despised; But those that God do
fear He honoreth; and changeth not, Though to his hurt he
sware."
verse 5 "His coin puts not to usury, Nor take a bribe will he
Against the guiltless. Who doth thus Unmoved shall ever be."
We will begin now in Psalms 15:1 "{A Psalm of David.} LORD, who
shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?"
The only one worthy to dwell in the tabernacle is our Lord Jesus
Christ. Christians will be admitted, because we have been washed in
the blood of the Lamb and made righteous in Jesus. Abide means to
continually dwell. Notice, who the tabernacle belongs to. The ultimate
tabernacle, of course, is heaven. The tabernacle on the earth is God's
house {church}. No one can approach the holy hill of God, except they
go through the Door who is Jesus. In the tabernacle in the wilderness,
the world was shut out. It was not that they could not come into the
outer court, it was that they did not come close to God. The holy
place was open to the priests who symbolize all Christians. Before the
crucifixion of Jesus only the high priest could go into the most holy
place where God dwelt in the tabernacle in the wilderness. The curtain
was torn from the top to the bottom at the death of Jesus' body on the
cross. The veil {curtain} symbolized Jesus' flesh. Jesus opened the
way for all believers to the very presence of God. II Corinthians 5:1
"For we know that if our earthly house of [this] tabernacle were
dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands,
eternal in the heavens." Revelation 21:3 "And I heard a great voice
out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God [is] with men, and
he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself
shall be with them, [and be] their God."
Psalms 15:2 He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness,
and speaketh the truth in his heart.
It is as if the Lord answers the question from verse 1 above. In
the natural, no man can live good enough to inherit heaven. Salvation
is a free gift of God to all who will believe. The catch is, if you
believe, you will want to do things pleasing to God. When you are
saved, you become a new creature in Christ. Old things pass away and
all things become new. The attributes mentioned above of those who
can abide in the tabernacle, are just what you will want to do after
you are saved. Look at the following 2 verses that Jesus spoke. John
14:15 "If ye love me, keep my commandments." John 15:10 "If ye keep
my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my
Father's commandments, and abide in his love." If we walk uprightly,
we walk in the Light of Jesus. Worketh righteousness means that he
does godly tasks. We see his faith through his good works. From the
issue of the heart, the mouth speaketh. A heart, stayed upon God,
would speak truth. The heart of man is what he is.
Psalms 15:3 "[He that] backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth
evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his
neighbour."
We see the example above of true believers. They are not like the
world. Their tongue is controlled by the Holy Spirit. They do good to
their neighbor, and not evil. Jesus said, Love thy neighbor as
thyself. Our neighbors should be like our brothers and sisters. We
should treat them just as we want them to treat us.
Psalms 15:4 "In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he
honoureth them that fear the LORD. [He that] sweareth to [his own]
hurt, and changeth not."
We are not only to stand up for the upright person, but we are to
condemn sin in the vile person. Romans 13:7 "Render therefore to all
their dues: tribute to whom tribute [is due]; custom to whom custom;
fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour." Jesus said swear not.
Matthew 5:34 "But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven;
for it is God's throne:" Matthew 5:35 "Nor by the earth; for it is his
footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great
King." Matthew 5:36 "Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because
thou canst not make one hair white or black."
Psalms 15:5 "[He that] putteth not out his money to usury, nor
taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these [things] shall
never be moved."
Usury, is unfair interest on money loaned. It is bad to do to an
enemy, and worse to do to a brother in Christ. The Jews were forbidden
to charge usury. It is a shame, but the poor, who can ill afford to
pay high interest, are the very ones who have to pay unreasonable
interest. Their credit is no good, so they pay unreasonable amounts
to be able to borrow. The person loaning them this money is not
helping them. He is digging them a hole they can not get out of. Be
kind to the poor. Except for the grace of God, you would be that
poor. If we were to sum this lesson up in a few words, we would have
to say, these are instructions on how to get a permanent home in
heaven. We are saved by grace and grace alone, but if we are saved, we
will live our life pleasing to God. The life we live before others
would show the love of Jesus.
THE PSALMS OF DAVID IN METRE
Chapter 16
verse 1 "To thee, O Lord, I fly, And on thy help depend;
I said, Thou art my Lord most high, To me deliverance send."
verse 2 "Not unto thee my worth, It reaches not that height,
To saints, the noble ones of earth, With whom is my
delight."
verse 3 "Their sorrow shall be great That other Gods adore,
Their very names I'll not repent, Nor their blood-offerings
pour."
verse 4 "A heritage for me Jehovah will remain;
The portion of my cup is he, My lot he shall maintain."
verse 5 "The lot to me that fell Is beautiful and fair;
The heritage in which I dwell, None can with it compare."
verse 6 "I'll praise God while I live, His counsel guides me right;
My reins to me instruction give, In seasons of the night."
verse 7 "The Lord before me still I set, and trust his love;
At my right hand he guards from ill, And nothing shall me
move."
verse 8 "Now gladness fills my soul, And joy shall be expressed;
My glory shall his name extol, My flesh in hope shall rest."
verse 9 "My soul in death's dark pit Shall not be left by thee;
Corruption thy wilt not permit Thy holy one to see."
verse 10 "Life's path thou wilt me show, To thy right hand me guide,
Where streams of pleasure ever flow, And boundless joys
abide."
We will now begin the verse by verse study of chapter 16 of
Psalms. Psalms 16:1 "{Michtam of David.} Preserve me, O God: for in
thee do I put my trust."
Michtam means engraving, or a poem. This prayer of David not only
asks for God to preserve him, but shows the perfect trust that David
has in the Lord, as well. Preserve, here, is really a protection as a
shepherd protects his sheep. Jesus is the great Shepherd. He watches
over us and keeps us from harm. The blood of Jesus protects us from
the wiles of the devil.
Psalms 16:2 "[O my soul], thou hast said unto the LORD, Thou
[art] my Lord: my goodness [extendeth] not to thee;" Psalms 16:3
"[But] to the saints that [are] in the earth, and [to] the excellent,
in whom [is] all my delight."
The soul of man has to do with the will of man. The flesh and the
spirit are in conflict. The man's will {soul} either follows the flesh
and sin, or follows the spirit and God. Notice, the soul of the man
above has declared the Lord. Man has no goodness to extend to God.
God's goodness extends to man, when the man decides to follow God. The
difference in a Christian and a non Christian is: Christians follow
the will of their spirit, and non Christians follow the desires of
their flesh. Saints are followers of Jesus Christ. I Corinthians 1:2
"Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are
sanctified in Christ Jesus, called [to be] saints, with all that in
every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs
and ours:"
Psalms 16:4 "Their sorrows shall be multiplied [that] hasten
[after] another [god]: their drink offerings of blood will I not
offer, nor take up their names into my lips."
False gods are everywhere today. Satan worshippers actually drink
blood as part of their ceremony. The drinking of blood is absolutely
forbidden by God. The things the believers in Christ had to keep were
the following. Acts 21:25 As touching the Gentiles which believe, we
have written [and] concluded that they observe no such thing, save
only that they keep themselves from [things] offered to idols, and
from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication." God is a
jealous God. He will not share His people with false gods. The very
first commandments in the 10 commandments are: #1 "Exodus 20:3 Thou
shalt have no other gods before me." #2 Exodus 20:4 "Thou shalt not
make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness [of any thing] that
[is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is]
in the water under the earth:" #3 Exodus 20:5 "Thou shalt not bow
down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God [am] a
jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children
unto the third and fourth [generation] of them that hate me;" #4
Exodus 20:7 "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain;
for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in
vain." God does not even want the names of false gods mentioned.
Exodus 23:13 "And in all [things] that I have said unto you be
circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither
let it be heard out of thy mouth."
Psalms 16:5 "The LORD [is] the portion of mine inheritance and of
my cup: thou maintainest my lot."
Galatians 3:29 "And if ye [be] Christ's, then are ye Abraham's
seed, and heirs according to the promise." Galatians 5:24 "And they
that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and
lusts." The LORD Jesus Christ is our portion. We inherit eternal life
because of our faith in Him. Just as God was the portion for Aaron,
and he owned no earthly treasures, we need no earthly portion. The
earth is not our home. Our treasures are in Jesus in heaven. We have
inherited eternal life, just by our faith in Jesus Christ. He is the
only portion we need. John 6:39 "And this is the Father's will which
hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose
nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day." John 6:40
" And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth
the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will
raise him up at the last day." Jesus is our protection now and at the
end. If we profess the Lord here as our Saviour, He will profess us to
his Father. Revelation 3:5 "He that overcometh, the same shall be
clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the
book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before
his angels."
Psalms 16:6 "The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant [places];
yea, I have a goodly heritage."
The Christian's heritage is through Abraham. He was counted
righteous, because he believed. We are counted righteous, because we
believe in Jesus Christ, as our Saviour and Lord. Galatians 3:29 "And
if ye [be] Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according
to the promise."
Psalms 16:7 "I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my
reins also instruct me in the night seasons."
David was guided by the Lord in all that he did. Christians are
taught and guided by the Holy Spirit of God within them. We should
bless and praise the Lord continually for guiding our life. Jesus
said, He would send us the Comforter who would guide us into all
truth. John 14:26 "But the Comforter, [which is] the Holy Ghost, whom
the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and
bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto
you." Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to be our counselor.
Psalms 16:8 "I have set the LORD always before me: because [he
is] at my right hand, I shall not be moved."
The Lord is with us even unto the end of the world. We must walk
in His Light. I John 1:7 "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the
light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus
Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." If God be for me, who can
be against me?
Psalms 16:9 "Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth:
my flesh also shall rest in hope."
We must not just have faith, but rejoice in the faith. We are not
like those who have no hope. Christians are assured that because Jesus
rose from the grave, we shall rise, also. Our joy is not in
circumstances, but in knowledge of what awaits us.
Psalms 16:10 "For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither
wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption."
This is all about David who died before the crucifixion of Jesus,
and, also, about the Holy One, Jesus Christ, who rose from the grave
before corruption of the flesh set in. Jesus rose on the third day.
Corruption of the body begins on the fourth day. We must all die in
the flesh, but we will rise again as our Saviour did.
Psalms 16:11 "Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence
[is] fulness of joy; at thy right hand [there are] pleasures for
evermore."
Jesus is the path to life. He is the Way, the Truth, and the
Life. Jesus is sitting at the right hand of the Father now. We
Christians will be at the right side of Jesus in heaven. Matthew 25:34
"Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed
of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation
of the world:" There is joy in heaven at the throne of God. Jesus
arose, and we shall arise to be in heaven with Him where there will be
no more sorrow, nor crying. We will be in the heavenly garden with Him
and rejoice forever more.
Questions 14
1. Who is the only One worthy to dwell in God's tabernacle?
2. Why will the Christians be admitted?
3. What does abide mean?
4. Where is the ultimate tabernacle?
5. What is God's tabernacle on earth?
6. __ ___ ___ was open to the priestsin the tabernacle in the
wilderness.
7. Who was the only one who could go into the most holy place?
8. When was the way to the Father opened to the Christian?
9. The tabernacle of God is with ___.
10. What answer is given in verse 2, to who shall abide in God's
tabernacle?
11. Salvation is a free _____.
12. If ye love Me, keep my _____________.
13. A heart stayed upon God would speak ______.
14. A believer's tongue is guided by what?
15. We are not only to stand up for the upright person, but are to
condemn what?
16. What do we learn from Matthew chapter 5 about swearing?
17. What is usury?
18. Who are those who are required to pay unfair interest?
19. We are saved by grace alone, but if we are saved, how will we live
our life?
20. What does Michtam mean?
21. What does the word preserve, mean in verse 1 chapter 16 of Psalms?
22. What does the soul of man have to do with?
23. What protects us from the wiles of the devil?
24. The flesh and the _______ are in conflict.
25. What is the difference between a Christian and a non Christian?
26. Who are saints?
27. What is one terrible thing Satan worshippers do that God has
directly forbidden?
28. God was Aaron's _______, and he owned no earthly treasures.
29. Where are the Christian's treasures?
30. We have inherited eternal life, just by what?
31. Who will raise the Christian up on that day?
32. Quote Galatians chapter 3 verse 29.
33. Who is the Christian's Teacher and Guide?
34. What cleanses us from all sin?
35. Because Jesus arose from the grave, we shall _____ ______.
36. Our joy is not in circumstances, but in what?
37. What day does corruption of the body begin after death?
38. Who is the path of life?
39. Jesus is the ____, the _____, and the _____.
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