Psalm 15

1 LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary?
Who may live on your holy hill?

2 He whose walk is blameless
and who does what is righteous,
who speaks the truth from his heart

3 and has no slander on his tongue,
who does his neighbor no wrong
and casts no slur on his fellowman,

4 who despises a vile man
but honors those who fear the LORD,
who keeps his oath
even when it hurts,

5 who lends his money without usury
and does not accept a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things
will never be shaken.

We considered this scripture last night at our session meeting. Its a challenging passage. I focused on verse 4. Who may dwell with the Lord in his sanctuary? "He . . . who keeps his oath even when it hurts." The KJV says, "He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not." And the NASB, "He swears to his own hurt and does not change".

But if I hurt, don't I get to do something about it? If I hurt, that can't be right, can it? God is a good God, he wouldn't want me to hurt. I am entitled to a hurt free life, to a hurt free law practice, to a hurt free marriage, to hurt free parenthood and hurt free sonship. What good is an oath that works to my hurt? I am about pleasure, my pleasure.

But others with whom I desire a relationship want my oath, they want my committment, they want to know that I will be there, even when it starts to hurt. And why shouldn't they?

I begin to see where the Cross fits into all of this.