Psalm 15, Who Can Dwell With God?

A psalm of David.

Psalm 15:1, Who can reside with YHWH?

LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? 

Who may live on your holy hill?

This psalm is reminiscent of Old Testament Proverbs and also the first psalm. It asks a "wisdom" question: "Who can walk with God?" Who can really be involved in a relationship with the Almighty? (In New Testament terms, what is the citizenship of the Kingdom of God? of Heaven?

The answer is:

Psalm 15: 2-5a, Only the blameless

He whose walk is blameless 

and who does what is righteous, 

who speaks the truth from his heart 

and has no slander on his tongue, 

who does his neighbor no wrong 

and casts no slur on his fellowman,

who despises a vile man 

but honors those who fear the LORD, 

who keeps his oath even when it hurts,

who lends his money without usury 

and does not accept a bribe against the innocent.

In summary, a relationship with God requires blameless action, speaking truth, right action with ones neighbor, passionate opposition to injustice, promise keeping, lending without greed.

There is one final verse. The reward was walking in God presence, like the actions, is strong and unequivocal.

Psalm 15: 5b, Unshaken

He who does these things will never be shaken.

The answer has the simplicity of the Old Testament wisdom literature, concentrating on two options and two outcomes.  There is no ambiguity or complexity here.

A follow-up study. Let's compare this psalm with other similar Bible passages.

Read Matthew 22: 36-40.  Which of the two commandments is being stressed in this psalm?

Read II Samuel 6: 1-19.  What does this event say about being in God's presence?

The New Testament has an updated understanding of the location of God's temple and God's presence -- read I Corinthians 3:16-17.

What is God's plan for his citizens?  Read I Peter 2: 4-12 for the New Testament viewpoint.

Hebrews 11: 1-16 also describes citizens of God's country.

.First published Oct 11, 2023; updated April 17, 2026 

Psalm 14, The Corrupt Fool

For the director of music. Of David.

Psalm 14:1-3, All are scoundrels

The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." 

They are corrupt, 

their deeds are vile; 

there is no one who does good.

The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men 

to see if there are any who understand, 

any who seek God.

All have turned aside, 

they have together become corrupt; 

there is no one who does good, 

not even one.

The Hebrew word (nabal, נָבָל) translated "fool", indicates an assertive defiance, says Kidner. Alter translates it as "scoundrel."  The first verse is not a statement about intellectual ability but about arrogance. The one who is a scoundrel has already dismissed God in his thoughts and actions. The passage then goes on to say that when YHWH looks down on the sons of men, all are scoundrels.

The first verse does not say, "The atheist is a fool" -- this is not a statement about atheism but about corruption; people who act corruptly dismiss God as they do so.

Note the strong contrast between the confident, even scolding, opening of this psalm and the pleading, begging first verse of the previous psalm, Psalm 13:1!

Verse 3 is quoted in Romans 3:12. In that passage (Romans 3:10-18) Paul argues that this is a trait common to all humanity. As a result of the fall, all humanity (including people hiding within religious activities!) are seeking their own power and control and effectively dismissing God.

Psalm 14:4-6, But God is present!

Will evildoers never learn-- 

those who devour my people as men eat bread 

and who do not call on the LORD?

There they are, overwhelmed with dread, 

for God is present in the company of the righteous.

You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, 

but the LORD is their refuge.

As in many psalms (and much of the Old Testament) there is an emphasis on justice, on defending the oppressed. David angrily denounces those who, in their arrogance, "devour" his people. God will act, says David!

I am reminded of an old phrase, used in rural Russia and, at one point, in Alaska: "God is in His heaven and the Tsar is far away." In other words, all authority is far away and we can act without fear of consequence or punishment. David's words are intended to confront this belief.

Psalm 14:7, Future salvation for Israel

Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! 

When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people, 

let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

What does the term "salvation" mean in verse 7?  (It is much more general than the evangelistic "salvation" of some Christian circles; it is an earthly restoration of some type.)

Since David is concerned about justice, he is also concerned about Israel.  Like many psalms, this ends with a turn towards national concerns.  (This is an Old Testament concept, not a New Testament one. David was eventually king of Israel and could mix concerns for "God's people" with concerns for his personal safety.)

Note: This psalm is repeated as psalm 53, with minor differences around verses 5 and 6.

.First published Oct 10, 2023; updated April 16, 2026 

Psalm 13, How Lonnnng?

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

Psalm 13:1-2, How long, how long??

How long, O LORD? 

Will you forget me forever? 

How long will you hide your face from me?

How long must I wrestle with my thoughts 

and every day have sorrow in my heart? 

How long will my enemy triumph over me?

The repetition of "How long" emphasizes David's despair. David has prayed and God is silent. David has wrestled with his thoughts and endured sorrow. Yet the enemy seem stronger every day. Why is God silent?

A friend of mine asks about what to do when God is silent and does not answer. I have no response beyond this psalm, for this too is David's lament. How long must I wait? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts?

Psalm 13:3-4, Give light

Look on me and answer, O LORD my God. 

Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;

 my enemy will say, "I have overcome him," 

and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

Why does David talk about death in verses 3 and 4? What does God gain by keeping David alive?  (As in other psalms, I find a hint of negotiation.)

David wants to have energetic, eager eyes, lit up by life, instead of the dark unfocused eyes of death. And it is not just death that David fears, but that his enemies will take pleasure in David's death!

Psalm 13:5-6, My trust, my heart, my songs

But I trust in your unfailing love; 

my heart rejoices in your salvation.

I will sing to the LORD, 

for he has been good to me.

Then there is resolution. David will trust, rejoice, sing. Note the contrast between the "foes" rejoicing in verse 4 and David's rejoicing in verse 5. The enemy rejoices at David's defeat (death?) but David rejoices that God has saved him from defeat.

Some see a covenantal emphasis in "unfailing love", that this phrase echoes a promise of God to stay with David, a promise described in 2 Samuel 7.

Summary.  This psalm, like 11, is a classic psalm of supplication.  It begins with a plea and a complaint. David is free to express himself to God, without focusing on "respect" or religious phrases. After the desperate plea, there is a set of verses in which David elaborates on his prayer and his despair. And then there is resolution. In some psalms, David appears to get some type of direct reassurance that God has responded. Here David may have simply made a decision. He recalls God's promises and rejoices in them, moving on in trust.

.First published Oct 9, 2023; updated April 15, 2026 

Psalm 12, The Arrogance of the Wicked!

For the director of music. According to sheminith. A psalm of David.

The Hebrew word "sheminith" is presumably a musical term. It appears two other times in the Old Testament, in the heading of Psalm 6 and in 1 Chronicles 15:21 where it describes singing before the ark in Jerusalem. The word apparently has an association with the word "eight" and the Strong's concordance link above suggests that the word refers to an eight string lyre.

Psalm 12: 1-2, Everyone lies!

Help, LORD, for the godly are no more;

 the faithful have vanished from among men.

Everyone lies to his neighbor; 

their flattering lips speak with deception.

This psalm follows a thread from Psalm 11 and elaborates on it. It is a specific case of "The Problem of Evil".  How can a just and sovereign God allow evil? For David, the evil here is personal. David is likely the target of the lies and deception. So David's question is, "God, how can you allow such evil to happen to me?"

The success of evil has apparently led "everyone" to practice it.  No one is "godly" or "faithful"!  David feels alone, abandoned.

Psalm 12: 3-4, Boastful tongues

May the LORD cut off all flattering lips 

and every boastful tongue that says, 

"We will triumph with our tongues; 

we own our lips --who is our master?"

James elaborates on this concept in a series of proverbs in his New Testament letter. See James 3:1-12 regarding our inability to "tame the tongue".

Psalm 12: 5-6, Flawless words of YHWH

"Because of the oppression of the weak 

and the groaning of the needy, 

I will now arise," says the LORD. 

"I will protect them from those who malign them."

And the words of the LORD are flawless, 

like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times.

As in most of David's songs, there is resolution at the end. He eventually hears an answer from God, who promises to "arise". God will protect the weak.

In some way this is linked to God's "words"; I think the meaning here is that if God says that He will arise, then those actions will indeed be done.

The psalms of David have a repeated emphasis on social justice. This is, apparently, a major characteristic of God. The Jewish leader -- or any citizen of the kingdom of God -- should have similar concerns for justice!

Psalm 12: 7-8, Safe

O LORD, you will keep us safe 

and protect us from such people forever.

The wicked freely strut about 

when what is vile is honored among men.

I have old notes which say to read 2 Samuel 23, where we see David's last psalm.

Note how the psalm ends in verse 8. Is this verse a positive or negative statement? Is this the ending you would have expected?  Verse 8, "The wicked freely strut", may be a proverb of David's day, which David is repeating.)

Embedded in the problem of evil is a secondary question: If God eventually deals with evil and injustice, why is God's action so slow?

.First published Oct 7, 2023; updated April 14, 2026 

Psalm 11, The Davidic Refrain

For the director of music. Of David.

This header probably means that the psalm is written by David, but the interpretation "for David" is also possible.

Psalm 11: 1a, Refuge

In the LORD I take refuge.

This is David's theme, for this psalm, and throughout the psalms. Repeatedly David tells YHWH, "I stake my life on your protection" and then asks for help.

Psalm 11: 1b-3, Flee? No!

How then can you say to me: "Flee like a bird to your mountain.

For look, the wicked bend their bows; 

they set their arrows against the strings 

to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart.

When the foundations are being destroyed, 

what can the righteous do?"

In contrast to the theme, David, in the first three verses, is given panicky advice. "Flee, bird, to the mountains!" The world is in ruin, "what can the righteous do?" (Or, an alternate translation: "What is the Righteous One doing?")

There are always people forecasting disaster and ruin. Here David is warned that the wicked are lurking in the gloom, in the dark shadows, ready to fire on the upright.

Those individuals warning about the power and deceit of "the wicked" presumably claim some type of moral high ground.  It is, presumably, other "righteous" people who are saying, "All is lost!"

Psalm 11: 4-6, YHWH examines manking

The LORD is in his holy temple; 

the LORD is on his heavenly throne. 

He observes the sons of men; 

his eyes examine them.

The LORD examines the righteous, 

but the wicked and those who love violence his soul hates.

On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; 

a scorching wind will be their lot.

But David calms himself and remembers that God is on his throne and the LORD is active and watching. The "foundations" are not being destroyed if they rest on the "holy temple", ie. the presence of God.

Verse 4 is quoted by the prophet Habakkuk, who writes (Habakkuk 2: 20), "The Lord is in his holy temple" and adds, "let all the earth keep silent before Him."

(What Old Testament event is David probably remembering in verse 6?  See Genesis 19:24.)

Psalm 11: 7, Upright people will see the Righteous One

 For the LORD is righteous, 

he loves justice; 

upright men will see his face.

The psalm ends with resolution. Calmly we are reminded: God is righteous. Just as God sees all of humanity (verse 4), so, in reverse, the righteous will see the face of God.

We are reminded that God is at work and on the side of the "upright", opposed to injustice. This should be very encouraging and should allow us to resist the various "apocalyptic" voices of our age. But David's psalm does not leave room for us to relax and just say, "God is in charge. It will be OK." As other psalms and other parts of the Old & New Testaments make clear, there is an obligation to be involved in promoting justice, protecting the poor and the oppressed. A first step then is to understand that Seeking Justice is possible, that this fight is winnable. Instead of running from injustice, we should understand that "The Lord loves justice". Seeking and promoting justice is an important role of the citizens of God's kingdom.

.First published Oct 6, 2023; updated April 13, 2026 

Psalm 10 (continuation of 9), Justice!

Psalms 9 and 10 appear in the old Hebrew texts as a single psalm, forming an acrostic, each stanza beginning with a different Hebrew letter.  The acrostic breaks down at the beginning of Psalm 10 and then returns towards the end of Psalm 10. The Greek Septuagint translates this pair (from Hebrew to Greek) as a single song.

Psalm 10 continues the concepts of Psalm 9. But it begins on a very different note.  (Notice that there is no heading for this psalm, another indication that it was part of Psalm 9.)

Psalm 10:1, So far away!

Why, O LORD, do you stand far off? 

Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

In this psalm, distinct from Psalm 9, David is concerned that God does not seem to care about justice; the wicked and deceitful seem to be winning!

"Times of trouble" (verse 1) is apparently a unique Hebrew phrase, found only in Psalm 9:9 and here.

Psalm 10:2-11, Look, look at the wicked!

In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, 

who are caught in the schemes he devises.

He boasts of the cravings of his heart; 

he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD.

In his pride the wicked does not seek him; 

in all his thoughts there is no room for God.

 His ways are always prosperous; 

he is haughty and your laws are far from him; 

he sneers at all his enemies.

He says to himself, "Nothing will shake me;

 I'll always be happy and never have trouble."

His mouth is full of curses and lies and threats;

 trouble and evil are under his tongue.

He lies in wait near the villages; 

from ambush he murders the innocent, 

watching in secret for his victims.

 He lies in wait like a lion in cover; 

he lies in wait to catch the helpless; 

he catches the helpless 

and drags them off in his net.

 His victims are crushed, 

they collapse; 

they fall under his strength.

 He says to himself, "God has forgotten; 

he covers his face and never sees."

This long stanza details the arrogance of "the wicked man", characterizing him as consciously sneering at his enemies, including God. These hurried frantic verses represented a frustrated aside -- the psalmist cries out, "See, see, see!  Look what the wicked do!"  I think this is emphasized in Hebrew by the fact that the artificial acrostic structure breaks down. Verse 1 begins with the word lamah ("Why?") with first letter lamed. This is the twelfth letter of the alphabet and continues the acrostic begun in Psalm 9. But after verse 1 in this chapter, the psalm skips six letters, until verse 12 where it picks back up  with the word qumah, with first letter qof, the 19th letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Why does the acrostic fail? Is there a transmission error? Or is the psalmist so distraught in verses 2-11 that he gives up on the original structure?

The hurried phrases in this section come in pairs but also triples (verse 3: "boasts of the cravings/ blesses the greedy/ reviles the Lord", verse 9: "lies in wait/lies in wait/catches the helpless", and verse 10: "victims are crushed/they collapse/they fall.")

Psalm 10:12-15, Arise, helper of the fatherless

Arise, LORD! Lift up your hand, O God. 

Do not forget the helpless.

Why does the wicked man revile God? 

Why does he say to himself, "He won't call me to account"?

But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; 

you consider it to take it in hand. 

The victim commits himself to you; 

you are the helper of the fatherless.

Break the arm of the wicked and evil man; 

call him to account for his wickedness that would not be found out.

After expressing his frustration with the success of the wicked, David slows down and calls God to speak and act. He affirms that God does indeed have plans of judgment.

Psalm 10:16-18, King forever and ever

The LORD is King for ever and ever; 

the nations will perish from his land.

You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; 

you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,

defending the fatherless and the oppressed, 

in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.

Like many of David's psalms, it ends with resolution. David is reassured that God is indeed protecting the fatherless.

Summary. David, representative of the Jewish people of the Old Testament, knows that justice is rare and so flees to God, pleading for righteous judgment.

Psalm 10 reminds me very much of the Christmas hymn, by Longfellow, which begins, "I heard the bells on Christmas Day, their old familiar carols play, …"  The hymn, like this psalm, also laments that the wicked seem to be strong.

.First published Oct 5, 2023; updated April 11, 2026 

Psalm 9 (& 10), Justice!

Psalms 9 and 10 appear in the old Hebrew texts as a single psalm, forming an acrostic, each stanza beginning with a different Hebrew letter.   The acrostic breaks down at the beginning of Psalm 10 and then returns towards the end of Psalm 10. The Greek Septuagint translates this pair (from Hebrew to Greek) as a single chapter.

For the director of music. To [the tune of] "The Death of the Son." A psalm of David.

Presumably "The Death of the Son" was a known song of the time?  (Just as Luther took popular beer-drinking songs for his hymns ... maybe David did something similar?)  On a different tack, Alter suggests that the Hebrew laben (לַבֵּ֗ן, with consonants l-b-n and no vowels) might have originally been nevel (n-b-l), a type of lyre or harp.

Psalm 9: 1-2, I will praise you

I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; 

I will tell of all your wonders.

I will be glad and rejoice in you; 

I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

We begin with a declaration of praise and an intent to sing praises.

Psalm 9: 3-6, Enemies stumble, nations rebuked

My enemies turn back; 

they stumble and perish before you.

For you have upheld my right and my cause; 

you have sat on your throne, judging righteously.

You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; 

you have blotted out their name for ever and ever.

Endless ruin has overtaken the enemy, 

you have uprooted their cities; 

even the memory of them has perished.

After singing praises, David then turns to recounting things which the Righteous Judge has done in the past. This is a mixture of praise, emphasizing God's character and past actions.

Psalm 9: 7-9, A throne for judgment

The LORD reigns forever; 

he has established his throne for judgment.  

He will judge the world in righteousness; 

he will govern the peoples with justice.  

The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,

a stronghold in times of trouble.

Once again David leans on God's righteousness and interest in justice. As C. S. Lewis points out in his essays on the psalms, the view of God as Judge and the request for Justice and Judgment is an Old Testament concept, in which a judge is the defender of the oppressed; it is before a judge that one gets their case finally heard.

I am reminded of the recent event in which a Cleveland police officer killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice. (One version of the story is here.)  City officials, in their desire to get the case before a judge, took the unprecedented step of going directly to a judge (using an obscure Ohio law) instead of the traditional route through the local prosecutor.  The officials apparently feared that the local prosecutor was too close to the police and would not be fair.  That is the Old Testament concept of demanding a hearing before a judge!

Psalm 9: 10-12, YHWH remembers those who trust Him

Those who know your name will trust in you, 

for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.  

Sing praises to the LORD, enthroned in Zion; 

proclaim among the nations what he has done.  

For he who avenges blood remembers; 

he does not ignore the cry of the afflicted.

This plea is now a bit more personal, less historical than the previous lines. In the next stanza it indeed becomes quite personal, as David, as an individual, gives a personal plea for justice.

Verse 12 ("he who avenges blood") looks back to Genesis 9:5-6, to God's covenant with Noah.

Psalm 9: 13-14, Lift me up!

O LORD, see how my enemies persecute me! 

Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death, 

that I may declare your praises in the gates of the Daughter of Zion 

and there rejoice in your salvation.

We now alternate between personal appeals and appeals to general justice, to national justice.  David asks that, instead of being at the gates of death, he be allowed to return to the gates of Jerusalem (the Daughter of Zion) where he can praise God in public!

Psalm 9: 15-18, Wicked ensnare themselved

The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug; 

their feet are caught in the net they have hidden. 

The LORD is known by his justice; 

the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands. 

Higgiaon. Selah.

The wicked return to the grave, 

all the nations that forget God.  

But the needy will not always be forgotten, 

nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish.

As is common in David's songs, at the end he turns his attention to his nation.  A possible message to Israel is implied here -- Israel should be known by its justice.  (But recall Nathan's chastisement of David in 2 Samuel 12!)

As in Psalm 7, David emphasizes the "reflection" of evil, how it rebounds upon the evil-doer. A form of divine karma....

Psalm 9: 19-20, They are but men

Arise, O LORD, let not man triumph; 

let the nations be judged in your presence.

Strike them with terror, O LORD; 

let the nations know they are but men.

Selah.

This is a final appeal, a national one.

Summary.  New Testament readers tend to view judgment as bad, as something scary for all of us, and tend to assume the "judgment" refers to some final Day of Judgment (as in Hebrews 9:27.)  But the psalmist's view of judgment is that judgment is a good thing, a time when things are made right, when the oppressed are defended and uplifted.  In this psalm, David delights in God's protection and judgment.

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First published Oct 4, 2023; updated April 10, 2026