This post was last updated on January 1, 2026

Day 307, Year 1

Integrity, Righteousness, and Truthfulness

“A Psalm of David. O LORD, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill? He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, And speaks truth in his heart.” (Psalm 15:1-2 NASB)

The word “walk” in today’s verse, halak in Hebrew, also means “go, come, depart, proceed, move, or manner of life.” “Truth” is the word ’emeth, and can mean “truthfulness” here. In other words, those who are allowed to dwell in God’s holy tent are upright, righteous, and honest in words and deeds, and also have been cleansed from sins. Those regarded as acceptable to God are thoroughly honest, sincere, and righteous, and trust in Him with integrity. This resonates with the interpretation of Psalm 24:4, “He who has clean hands and … not sworn deceitfully.” (NASB) 

But some may question that some believers are still unrighteous and dishonest, so how can an unbeliever be upright or righteous? Today’s verse was written in the Old Testament era, when people usually only had the law that advocated trust in God. Apart from rules and ordinances, most of the righteous were learning from examples. So, what this verse demands of believers is simply that we are as upright, righteous, and honest as much as possible, rather than that we are perfect or infallible.

In my opinion, integrity, righteousness, and truthfulness are the choices corresponding to the voice of our sound conscience. A person’s conscience can be distorted due to upbringing, values, and culture within the family and society. However, when we make the most virtuous decisions according to our conscience and to the best of our ability, we are often acceptable to God. Human integrity, righteousness, and truthfulness, though not perfect in His eyes, can still be a stepping stone to God for nonbelievers. They try to weed out distortions or crookedness, unfairness or incorrectness, hypocrisy or lies, etc., for the conscience’s sake. The highest standard of integrity, righteousness, and honesty is, of course, only found in God. Often, as a result of obedience to the biblical truth and the inspirations of the Holy Spirit, we further nurture our virtues to conform to God’s standards. In other words, we who act uprightly, do righteousness, speak the truth from our hearts, and act according to God’s leading in every moment, can dwell in His holy tent and receive His favor. The next day, I will first discuss the truth in our speech.

Reflection questions:

1) Why can imperfect integrity, righteousness, and honesty still be a stepping stone for nonbelievers to go into God’s presence?

2) Which of the three things do you find most difficult to achieve: integrity, righteousness, and honesty? And how will you progress with the help of the Lord?