Theme: Integrity and the Right Use of Money
In this week’s lessons we look at the six characteristics David gives to describe someone of whom God approves.
Scripture: Psalm 15:1-5
5. His integrity. The fifth couplet contains an incomplete parallelism in which two additional parts need to be supplied mentally. As it stands, the couplet is the simple phrase "who keeps his oath even when it hurts." In full form it would read something like: who keeps his oath at all times, and is faithful even when it hurts.
His integrity. The fifth couplet contains an incomplete parallelism in which two additional parts need to be supplied mentally. As it stands, the couplet is the simple phrase "who keeps his oath even when it hurts." In full form it would read something like: who keeps his oath at all times, and is faithful even when it hurts.
The effect of the omissions is to shorten the phrase and highlight part of it, in this case the words "even when it hurts." That is the important thing. No one has much trouble keeping his or her word when to do so is to the person's own advantage. You would have to be unbalanced not to. But how about when the conditions have changed and the promise, agreement or contract is no longer to your advantage? Do you honor your promise then? Do you fulfill the contract? Or do you try to find some way to get out of what you had committed yourself to? The psalmist says that God approves people who keep their oaths even when it hurts them to do so.