Psalm 15:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart;

NIV: The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart;

NASB: One who walks with integrity, practices righteousness, And speaks truth in his heart.

CSB: The one who lives blamelessly, practices righteousness, and acknowledges the truth in his heart —

NLT: Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts.

KJV: He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.

NKJV: He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart;

The person who is the Lord's guest in His tabernacle (Psalm 15:1) proves the genuineness of his faith by leading a blameless life and speaking truthfully. The term "blameless" is often misunderstood to imply "sinless;" it means being sincere and free of any legitimate charge of sinful conduct, in so far as that's possible for a fallible person (1 John 1:8–10). At the beginning of the church age, the congregation at Jerusalem was instructed to choose seven men to oversee the church's welfare program. One of the required qualifications for these men was that of being "of good repute" (Acts 6:3). Paul exhorted the Philippian believers to be "blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation" (Philippians 2:15).

David also refers to this person as one who "speaks truth in his heart." Honesty and truthfulness are necessary parts of personal integrity. That not only applies to the world, at large, but to one's own thoughts and emotions. The Hebrew concept of "the heart" is not purely emotional. Terms translated as "heart" and "mind" in ancient writing are more closely related than they are in modern language. The righteous person is not only honest with others, and about others, but with and about himself, as well.

Clearly, the person who anticipates dwelling with the Lord in heaven demonstrates a righteous life on earth. Having received salvation by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9), he performs good deeds as a natural outcome and visible evidence of that salvation (Ephesians 2:10; Philippians 2:12–13).

Psalm 15:2–5 describes the person who is qualified to be the Lord's guest in the tabernacle (Psalm 15:1). This is not an explanation of "how" a person comes to be qualified. Rather, it describes "what" a person's life looks like to honor God and reflect His goodness. While not a direct parallel, the ten ideas given here complement the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1–17).

David raises the question of what it looks like to live worthy of the presence of God, even knowing such a thing is not entirely possible in this life (Psalm 51:1–2; 143:2; Romans 3:23). Such a person develops a good reputation as they live and speak truthfully. The righteous person serves God obediently, refrains from slander, and does not harm his neighbor in any way. He recognizes the difference between those who ignore God and those who honor Him. A righteous person is true to his word even when such integrity hurts. He does not take advantage of those who need to borrow money, nor accept bribes. The truly righteous person is secure forever, and nothing can shake him from his relationship with the Lord.

The psalms immediately preceding this describe the wicked who deny God's existence and assault the poor. Here, David describes the lifestyle of a righteous person. David makes these comments knowing no human being is without flaws (Psalm 51:1–2; 143:2). Ideally, however, a believer honors the Lord and relates righteously to his neighbor. David may have written this psalm after bringing the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.