O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill?

Psalm 15:1

This psalm begins with a question of presence: who is able to dwell with God? David harkens back to the time when the Israelites were in the desert: when God dwelt among them in the tent of the tabernacle, guiding them by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. He also refers here to the city of Jerusalem: the “holy hill,” the Mount Zion which is the place of God’s presence.

Now the rest of the psalm seeks to answer this question, and this is something we should think about carefully. Most of us assume entering God’s presence is something like meeting a friend for coffee: it’s casual, carefree, and conversational. But in the Bible we never see a mere human approaching God in this manner. Now listen, I’m not saying God isn’t our friend, or that we cannot come to Him with everything…hear me clearly. Instead, all I’m saying is that we do not take the presence of the Almighty God as seriously as we should. 

Listen to just a few of the requirements David goes on to make for the person who is able to dwell with God:

• Walks blamelessly (v.2)
• Does what is right (v.2)
• Speaks truth in his heart (v.2)

• Does not slander with his tongue (v.3)
• Does no evil to his neighbor (v.3)
• Nor takes up reproach against his friend (v.3)

If I’m honest, I fall short at the very first one! And you do too. For who can truly walk blamelessly all their days before a perfect God? Who among us is without sin? How can we really say we have measured up to loving the Lord with all our heart, soul, strength and mind—all the time? 

So we find the entrance into God’s presence more impossible than we think. In other words, the answer to David’s question “who shall dwell on your holy hill?” seems to be a rhetorical “no one!” 

You see, if you read this psalm and try to put yourself in it, it leads only to despair. But let me now take you to the gospel. Yes, while you are incapable of walking blamelessly—and thereby incapable of entering the presence of a holy God—there is One who is indeed quite capable, One who has always dwelt in the presence of the Father, and One who became a human like you and me to walk blamelessly for us. This blameless One is the Son of God, Jesus the Messiah. 

We need to stop and take this in, for it really is good news. According to Psalm 15, you and I are effectively banished from God’s presence, for sin and perfection cannot mix. Not only does our sin make us incapable of dwelling securely with God, but it also makes us rebel and reject the goodness of it. In other words, you and I naturally avoid dwelling with God. We know that if we were placed before God as we were, we would be done. Finished.

But if we read Psalm 15 in light of Jesus, then the chasm of us entering God’s presence is bridged. The door has been unlocked. Indeed, the good news is not only that Jesus lived a perfect life (for if that were all He did, all we could do is admire and fear Him), but He also gave up His very life as a sacrifice (for only a perfect man can make a true sacrifice for sin). This truth cannot be any clearer than in 2 Corinthians 5:21: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” In simple terms, Jesus allows us to enter God’s presence. And He changes us from the inside out to now desire God’s presence.

Now, if after all this you’re really thinking, well now I don’t even know if I want to enter God’s presence. It sounds too terrifying. Won’t I be walking on thin ice? I believe you have half-understood me. There’s some truth to thinking this way. After all, when Moses saw God in the burning bush, he “hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God” (Ex 3:6). And when Isaiah saw that vision of God on His mighty throne, he said “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips…” (Isa 6:5). So yes, if you enter God’s presence, your sin will be exposed. And yes, if you enter God’s presence, you cannot remain the same. And these are absolutely terrifying things to experience. But they are necessary, for once you have truly met the Almighty God, you know that His presence is where you must be. He is too good, too beautiful, too lovely, to ignore.

So it all rests on Jesus. Because of Him, you can be sure of this: because of His perfect life, you can approach the throne of grace with boldness, knowing God is for you (Heb 4:16; Rm 8:31). And because of the transformation that takes place when you believe in Him, you don’t have to remain the same: you have been crucified with Christ; the old way of life is gone; and behold, the new is here. 

So don’t hide. Don’t run. Go up to that holy hill today in prayer today, for Jesus has opened up the way to the Father.