Mensa Otabil - Live Honourably (10/14/2025)
Psalm 15, verse number four: in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but he honors those who fear the Lord. He who swears to his own hurt and does not change. Remember, Psalm 15 starts with a question: Who will abide in the presence of the Lord? Who will be in the tabernacle of the Lord? The contemplation here is that of a person who experiences the presence of God at all times, very different from the priests of the Old Testament who go to the temple, come back, and don’t stay there forever. David is asking what must I do to always feel the presence of God wherever I am-in my home, at church, in the office. What kind of behavior should I exhibit if I want to sense God’s presence with me at all times? That’s what he is leading us through.
Here, he discusses two more things we should be doing. He says we should honor what God honors. He states that, in our eyes, a vile person should not be honored. What does that mean? In other words, you shouldn’t take someone who is really doing the wrong thing and make them your hero-someone who despises God while you approve of them. In our current celebrity age, where many of us idolize people on social media or TV, we sometimes create heroes out of individuals whose lives are very questionable. If you examine the people you admire and consider your heroes, you might find that their lifestyles are often very ungodly, even blasphemous against the name of the Lord. Yet, unfortunately, we honor these vile people. God says that if you want to truly enjoy His presence, you have to honor what He honors. If someone’s life doesn’t please God, even if they are your hero, you cannot simply honor them because you like something they do.
As believers in Christ, we must honor the people and things that God honors. We must be selective about what we approve of. It states not only must we honor what God honors, but we must also honor our word. There are strong instructions here. It says that even when you speak or give your word, if you make a promise and realize that fulfilling it will hurt you, you still must go ahead and fulfill your promise. This means your word must be a very serious thing to give.
God Himself takes His word seriously. God’s word is important; He created all things by His word and made us in His image, meaning our words must also be important to us. Our word is part of our personality. When we say, «I will do it,» it matters. When you say, «I will be there,» it is significant. Thus, this passage says if you really want to please God, you have to honor your word. You must honor your word.
Now, that is not always easy because there are times when you may give your word or make a promise and then find it very difficult to keep it. In those circumstances, you have to be honest, and if you need to apologize, do so. But never take it for granted, saying, «I said I would do it; I didn’t do it, and it doesn’t matter.» It matters, especially with our children. For those of us with young children, we must keep our word to our spouses, friends, and colleagues. We must keep our word. Can we imagine a world where everyone keeps his or her word? What a glorious place it would be if we all meant what we said and did what we promised.
The passage states that is what we should be aiming for, and I trust each one of us will endeavor to make our words count for something. Let’s pray: Say with me, «Heavenly Father, help me to live in honor before You, to hate what You hate and love what You love. In Jesus' name, Amen.»