Big Idea: Our worship and life in God are grounded more in ethical behavior than in liturgical correctness, though this does not suggest that the latter is unimportant.

Understanding the Text

Form critics often identify this psalm as an entrance liturgy (also Ps. 24), spoken perhaps to the temple gatekeepers (2 Chron. 23:19) before the worshiper entered the sanctuary.[1] Mays moves the discussion in another direction by pointing out that both Psalms 15 and 24, as well as Isaiah 33:14–17 (which is a similar text), seem to be teaching texts for instructing the congregation or community, with no mention of ritual requirements.[2] Based on the ethical content of the psalm, and the question/answer format, others believe it is a wisdom psalm[3] that spells out the conditions of the righteous l…