Psalm 15:1-2 (ESV) – O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart;

I went to an NBA exhibition game when I was a young boy. As the game was wrapping up, the star players were on the bench. I walked down and stood ten feet behind the bench, hoping to get an autograph or a sweaty towel. Karl Malone and John Stockton were right in front of me. These were guys I had watched on TV and now they were right there in real life. But there was no access to them. There were security guards by the bench and a rope that kept ten-year-old boys like me from bugging them. 

This story touches on something we find in our passage today. These basketball players were celebrities. Nobody could approach them because they were set apart. They were “big deals.” But in the grand scheme, they were just men. They were no different from any other person in the arena that evening except they were taller, made more money, and had their profession broadcasted on television. But they were still just men. However, God is altogether different. He is the Creator, not a creature. He is the self-existent One. Who can approach Him?! This is what the psalmist asks in our text. He asks, “O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart….”

Why does the psalmist pose these questions? Because God’s greatness is such that it is unthinkable that sinful creatures like us could possibly approach Him. Who can draw near to His presence? There is an answer given. The person who walks blamelessly and does what is right. In other words, the person who walks holy. Holiness is required from us if we want to draw near to God because He is holy. 

There are two kinds of holiness we need. First, we must receive the holiness that only Jesus can give us through His death and resurrection. Only in Christ are we made clean to approach God. Second, once we’ve trusted Christ, then we must practically live holy. We will always have struggles with sin and the flesh, but as Christians, we seek to win the battle to honor God. Those who live holy can draw near to Him. 

In a world that bombards us with invitations to indulge the impulses of our flesh, remember that those who walk blameless will dwell near to God. 

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Reflection & Journal:
- Why does the psalmist ask the questions in this passage? What do they communicate?
- What are the two different types of holiness?
- How can we strive to live more holy?

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