The Bible explains that in addition to being present everywhere, God can be present in different ways or He sometimes acts differently in different places within His creation.

Sometimes the Bible speaks of His presence in a way that simply means that he is actively present to sustain his creation.  Theologians sometimes refers to His omnipresence as His ‘presence to sustain.’  Speaking of Jesus being God, the writer of Hebrews makes the following statement about Jesus’ presence to sustain, “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.” (Heb 1:3a)

A few times in scripture, God’s presence is spoken of in a negative way because He is present to bring judgement on those who are working against Him.  (Amos 9:1-4 is one example) Theologians called this type of presence His ‘presence to judge.’  When God is ‘present to judge,’ it is a type of presence that we want to avoid at all costs.

However, most of the other times in the Bible where it speaks about God’s presence, it is referring to “God’s ‘presence to bless.’”  God was present in the tabernacle in a special way and the Israelites were blessed when they worshiped there.  God was present with the Ark of the Covenant in a special way and His people were blessed whenever they were near to Ark.  Most of the time when the Bible talks about the Lord’s presence, it is speaking about the Lord’s blessing as a result of that presence.

When David is asking the question, “O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent?,” he is expressing a desire to be in the Lord’s ‘presence to bless.’  The words translated “sojourn” in the ESV describes a visit to receive the hospitality of a tent-dwelling host (or nomad or Bedouin).  This verse needs to be understood in light of the customs and settings in the ancient Far East.

Look at the picture up above.  The ancient eastern tent dwellers were known for their gracious hospitality.   If a person was in trouble, these nomads were known for taking them in.  They would shelter their guest from harm and meet all their needs.

This passage implies that the God-follower who “sojourns in His tent” is safe.  They can claim asylum from every foe and share in all the provision available in the Lord’s presence.  In other words, you would want to “sojoun to the Lord’s tent” because in His presence, you would find blessing and joy right now.  One chapter over in Psalm 16:11b, David wrote, “…in your presence there is fullness of joy;     at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”  It is good to be in the Lord’s ‘presence to bless!’

Sojourning to the Lord’s tent implies that it is immediate but also carries with it a temporary connotation.  The next line has a different implication.  The second question David asks is, “Who shall dwell on your holy hill?”  The word “dwell” in Hebrew means to settle down, to reside or to abide.  It is asking, “Who will be able to take up a long-term residency in the presence of the Lord?” (or more simply, “Who goes to heaven?”)

God’s people in the OT thought of God’s ‘presence to bless’ to be centralized at the temple or in the tabernacle which was located on a holy hill.  The people were responsible for preparing themselves to meet with God during various pilgrimages made to the hill during certain festivals throughout the year.  Before entering into the temple or tabernacle, they would take time to examine themselves.

This psalm could be used to examine a person’s life before one of these religious celebrations.  BUT…the application of this Psalm is meant to be wider than just an examination before entering the temple.  David is asking, “who shall dwell on your Holy Hill” for all of eternity future?  Who is a part of the eternal family of God?  What kind of people go to heaven forever?”

Honestly, when I first read Psalm 15 I was discouraged because I quickly realized that on my own, I’m disqualified.  I fall short of God’s standards.  There is nobody who lives up to these standards perfectly other than Jesus.

It also brought me to a new appreciation that it’s only because of Jesus and his righteous covering that I have any hope of being with the Lord for eternity.  Psalm 15 does not describe how to get to heaven, but it describes the reaction to God’s grace in the person who has been covered by the righteousness of the Messiah.