Saturday, October 16, 2021

Today’s Reading: Psalm 15

Lord, who can dwell in Your tent? Who can live on Your holy mountain?

Psalm 15:1

Reflection: David asks, “Who is able to draw near to Him, to come into His presence, to abide or live permanently with God?” The tent David refers to is the Tabernacle of God, the portable Temple for God which traveled with the Israelites during the years that they wandered in the wilderness. When approaching God’s Tabernacle, a person would offer a sacrifice, and then be cleansed with water. Even then, only the priests, considered the most holy among the people, were allowed to enter the actual Tent where God dwelt.

David longs to be near to God, not only to draw near to Him, but to stay near to Him. And yet, he acknowledges who is worthy to remain so close to God, Who is Holy: those who are upright in character and speech, those who love their neighbor and hate all that is evil, those who honor God at all times and keep all of their promises, those who are not swayed at all by material gain. Only these people, David says, are the ones who will “never be moved” from God’s presence.

But this creates a problem for us, doesn’t it? Who has ever been this righteous? Who has always done all of these things without failure? While many of us do our best, we all fall vastly short of this standard. Seeing this truth shows us our need for Jesus, who lived in perfect righteousness and exchanged our sins for His perfect work. Only because we believe in Jesus, because we trust in His righteousness to cover us instead of trying to live righteously ourselves, can we be near to God. Our nearness to God is a result of God drawing near to us through His Son. Therefore, we must not trust in our own righteousness. It won’t get us far. Only by relying on the One Who is righteous can we live with the LORD.

Prayer: LORD, I come before You remembering my need for a Savior. Because I know the depth of my sin, I am able to treasure the beauty of Your Cross more fully. Thank You for drawing near to me through Your Son. Thank You for the lengths to went to save me. In Jesus’ Name I pray, AMEN.

Bible-in-a-Year Reading Plan (credit: Biblestudytools.com): Luke 12:32-59; Genesis 22; Psalm 15