Senwes Scenario December 2016 / January 2017 | Page 55

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F O O D F O R T HO UG HT ••

Who has the right to
enter your abode?
READ: Psalm 15

REV WILLIE BOTHA

IN THE TIME OF THE OLD TESTAMENT BELIEVERS
EXPERIENCED THE PRESENCE OF GOD IN THE
TEMPLE IN A VERY SPECIAL WAY. WE READ IN
PSALM 73 THAT IT WAS IN THE TEMPLE WHERE
THE POET CAME TO A DIFFERENT REALISATION
REGARDING HIS OWN SUFFERING AND THE
APPARENT PROSPERITY OF THE WICKED.

A

ccording to old customs
one would expect that all
sorts of cultic rules would have
applied before one could enter
the temple. However, this is not
the case. The emphasis is rather
on the character of the person
involved. Who that person is
before God. A person whose life
is unimpeachable, may come
to the Lord. This is particularly
true about the person's relationships with his fellow man. He
does not speak ill of others, he
does not harm them or insult

them. Such a person's "yes" is
yes and his/her "no" is no. Even
if it is at his own cost. Business
transactions are conducted with
honesty and integrity.
In a way this psalm reminds us
of the ten commandments. The
first five refer to the relationship
between man and God. You may
not serve or create idols, you
may not use the name of the
Lord in vain, etcetera. The second five deal with the fact that
your conduct may not be to the

detriment of your fellow man.
As in the case of the ten commandments it is evident in this
psalm that the actions of man
cannot be separated from his
actions towards God. These two
issues are also not separated in
the New Testament, when Jesus
summarised the ten commandments in Matthew 22:35-40.
Temple and community cannot
be separated from each other.
However, when we read this
psalm, we realise that not one
of us can really approach God.
None of us is unimpeachable.
We trespass against one another on a daily basis and we fail
in the assistance that we can
render. But, when Jesus comes
to us, our position before God
changes. Romans 5:1 and 2
says: Therefore, since we have
been justified through faith, we
have peace with God through
our Lord Jesus Christ, through
whom we have gained access by
faith into this grace in which we
now stand. And we rejoice in the
hope of the glory of God.
The emphasis moved from
condition to gratitude, from
human performance to the grace
of God. On the basis of God's
grace, our character and our
conduct towards our fellow man
should be irreproachable.

SENWES Scenario • DEC 2016/JAN 2017

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