"He who walks blamelessly and does what is right ..."
The previous Psalm just condemned all men as fools who have rejected God and do no good. Under such judgment, who then can sojourn in the LORD's tent or dwell on His holy hill (v1)? No one! For one of the requirements to ascend the mountain of the Lord is to do what is right! Yet "there is none who does good, not even one" (14:3).
Rather than being discouraging, this Psalm ought to evoke a sense of desperation. "If you do not save me I will perish! If you do not set your face toward me for good, I am ruined!" It reminds me of James 3:7 "For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison." There are mainly two responses to this text: 1) Since I cannot control my tongue I am not responsible for what I say. 2) Since I cannot control my tongue I am condemned by everything I say. Only if God, the tongue maker, has grace upon me, will I be able to tame it.
I see this same idea in Psalm 14 and 15. All men are condemned, disqualifying anyone from dwelling on God's holy hill. Only the righteous can ascend ... thus God must impart this righteousness to us, lest we remain in our foolish rejection of God.
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