O Lord, who may abide in your tent?
Who may dwell on your holy hill?
Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right,
and speak the truth from their heart;
who do not slander with their tongue,
and do no evil to their friends,
nor take up a reproach against their neighbors;
in whose eyes the wicked are despised,
but who honor those who fear the Lord;
who stand by their oath even to their hurt;
who do not lend money at interest,
and do not take a bribe against the innocent.
Those who do these things shall never be moved. ~ Psalm 15
According to this list, it feels like no one can dwell on God's holy hill or abide in God's tent.
When we see lists like this in scripture, it is easy to become discouraged. I mean, some I can pretty confidently say, "yup. I'm good there. I'm pretty good at keeping my promises, and I haven't bribed anyone since I was in elementary school."
It gets tricky for me when I read that in my eyes the wicked should be despised. I mean, how do I know exactly who to despise? Is my judgment trustworthy?
Someone, though, long after this Psalmist wrote this, said something else. That someone said: "bless those who curse you," and "love your enemies."
That someone showed us that God has a really big tent that sits on a really big hill that can fit lots and lots of people.
That someone let me know that it isn't for me to decide who should be despised. Maybe it's a good thing because that means someone who just might not like me so much also doesn't get to decide!
Gracious God, help me to honor you in all that I do - and to honor all your people as well. Amen
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