In Psalm 15:1, David poses the question of who is worthy to have intimate fellowship with God, worthy to be a guest in God’s tent. He answers the question by describing several qualities of such a person: “He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart; who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend; in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honors those who fear the LORD; who swears to his own hurt and does not change”(Psalm 15:2-4).
Several lessons in this passage: First, truth is vitally important to the person who is worthy to fellowship with God. His daily walk is governed by a desire to do right, and his heart is true. He resists the temptation to lie to himself and others. A heart accustomed to ignoring truth and justifying deceit will deceive itself and lose the ability to see truth, and close fellowship with God won’t be possible.
Second, this person doesn’t spread mistruths about others. Sometimes, to make themselves feel better or look better to others, people misrepresent situations or present others in a negative light. The person who resists the temptation to color or slant the truth and refuses to join with those who do is a person who can have fellowship with God.
Third, this person recognizes goodness and evil in others and honors those who are true to the LORD. This can be difficult. To keep a facade of harmony with everyone, we may be tempted to pretend that someone’s lies are truth or that their sin doesn’t matter; but if our goal is to glorify God, we figure out a way to stand for truth. Zechariah’s message from God to Israel encourages them to, “Speak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace”(Zechariah 8:16). Only true judgments produce true peace. Some people desire to “keep the peace” despite the absence of truth or righteousness in a situation. According to God’s Word, this is not the path to true peace. The Apostle Paul explains that Christ made peace, not by ignoring the sins of the world, but, “By the blood of his cross”(Colossians 1:20). His love didn’t pretend sin didn’t exist; his love presented the solution for reconciliation.
The fourth quality of the one who is worthy to fellowship with God is that he does what he says he will do, even if it is a hardship. His word can be trusted.
Do you want precious, blessed fellowship with your God? Value truth. Be honest. Avoid those who are dishonest, and honor those who value truth. Keep your word.