This psalm of David is a dramatic contrast of the previous psalm, but they go together very well. Psalm 14 describes the wicked. This psalm describes the righteous and the requirements of those who wish to have access to God at his temple.
In verse 1 he begins by asking the Lord who can dwell in his sanctuary. Then he answers the question in verses 2-5 Stuff like, “blameless walk” wow! So how do we do that? Is that possible? Is this applicable?: Philippians 3:9 (NIV84) and be found in him [Christ], not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. #noselfrighteousness
The last part of verse 4 stood out to me. Along with some other things, he describes the righteous as one “who keeps his oath even when it hurts.” And hurt it does. We like the stories of forgiveness, or debt cancellation. But the righteous will pay back. Sometimes the act of forgiving hurts too! Remember Jesus addressed this in Luke 7 in the story about the two debtors.
The conclusion of the psalm in the last part of verse 5, “He who does these things will never be shaken. Isn’t that wonderful! If we could only remember that, it would help us when things aren’t going our way.
This psalm has similarities to Psalm 24, which was probably written when the ark was brought back to Jerusalem.
This verse has been used a spiritual mandate that prohibits a believer from declaring bankruptcy. What do you think?