Psalm 101

 A Psalm of David

1 I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O LORD, I will make music.

2 I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house;

This is the first psalm of David in Book 4 and it appropriately follows the psalms of corporate worship, particularly Psalm 100 which spoke of God’s steadfast love and faithfulness and the response of his people in worshiping him. In this psalm David describes how that is lived out in an individual life. The psalm is entirely in the first person voice and is expressed as a vow, a promise to live well as a leader. These two verses contain three promises and a question. The first is the promise to worship with music. The mechanism of worship is singing and psalming (singing with musical accompaniment). The theme of the song is the steadfast love and justice of YHWH. Worship is the foundation of a life well lived. It orients us to reality, to aligning our lives with the way things actually are. There is a God. He is good and just. Acknowledging and celebrating that fact has ramifications for every aspect of our lives. The second promise is to behave wisely and prudently in a way that is perfect. The word perfect means complete or whole. Integrity is probably the best way of saying it, meaning that we are the same inside and out. We don’t behave differently in public and in private. There is nothing we are ashamed of. No secrets that would undo us if we were outed. This is related to the third promise, “I will walk with a perfect heart in my house.” This is the private life of a king. One who had all power and resources at his disposal. Imagine the temptation to do as he pleased in his house. The fact that there was only one (reported) incidence of adultery in his life is remarkable, particularly in the historical context where kings had multiple wives and concubines. Indeed, David had a total of eight different women in his bed throughout his life. That doesn’t sound so good, until you compare it to modern day adultery and prostitution via pornography where regular users of pornography share thousands of sexual partners. Ordering one’s private world is foundational to integrity. A lie at home is a growing crack in the foundation of one’s life. David’s prayer in the midst of his two promises about integrity is simply a question, “When will you come to me?” It seems to come out of nowhere, but it expresses the reality that integrity is impossible without the presence of God. Left to ourselves, we’ll choose poorly almost every time. But knowing that God is present with us at all times can motivate us to choose wisely. Psalm 139 is a wonderful corollary to this psalm. Aware of God’s intimate knowledge of him, David pledges a life of faithfulness. 

3 I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless.

I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.

4 A perverse heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil.

These promises focus on the psalmist’s desire to be careful in his associations, in those things that would influence him negatively. So there are several things that he pledges to reject. The first is idolatry, literally a “worthless thing.” He won’t set it before his eyes, not even giving it a glance, no opportunity for it to take hold in his heart. This kind of standard seems rather intolerant these days, but it is wise. The human heart is prone to self-deception, so entertaining something that is false is a dangerous thing. The heart can rationalize anything, and valuing worthless things can quickly become the default rather than an easy rejection of them. This verse was printed on a sign that we posted above our TV for a while. It could also be applied to pornography or much of the sexual content that streams in our face in TV and movies. The Proverbs tell us to guard our hearts, especially in this area of sexuality. Second, the psalmist declares his hatred for the work of those who fall away. You can love unbelievers and apostates, but you don’t have to admire what they do. You don’t have to consume it and dwell on it. Hate may seem like a strong word, but there are some things that are worthy of our hatred. In fact the intensity of our love for things can be matched by our hatred for the things that would destroy what we love. For example, I love my wife, our children, our marriage, so I naturally hate anything that would harm or undermine those things. We must live in the world, but the worthless and evil things of the world do not need to stick to us. Next, the psalmist speaks of his associations, the people that he hangs out with and are potential influences. He keeps those with a perverse heart far from him. He doesn’t want to know evil. Some would call this naivete, others wisdom. Jesus said we are to be as innocent as doves and as wise as serpents. Jude advises us to help those who are being tempted, but do so with great care, hating even the clothing that is stained by the flesh. All of this comes back to the influences in my life. Think of the movies, TV shows, podcasts, music -- all of the things that fill your waking hours. Is the content perverse or evil? Reject it if you wish to be a person of integrity. Be careful in friendship, not that you should avoid befriending unbelievers, but your influencing friends should be drawing you closer to Christ not dragging you away. 

5 Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy. Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart

    I will not endure.

The leader has a zero tolerance policy on slander and gossip. This is a testament to the destructive power of words. James 3 makes a strong case for the terrible destructive power of words, and this is one of the strongest statements you’ll hear. “If you slander another person, I’ll destroy you.” There is a lot of public slander that goes on these days thanks to social media. Attacking others to signal your own virtue is standard practice, and there is a sense in which it is done in secret. Alone with your device, you can post slander and feel proud as you do so. You think you are making a positive difference as you pile on with other strangers who don’t know all the facts. In fact, you might even feel good about yourself for taking a stand, even though it took absolutely no courage to do so. You’re just going along with the crowd. We can also slander others in our private conversations. Follow the maxim and ask yourself these questions before speaking: Is it true? Is it kind? Is it helpful? If the answer to any of these questions is “no”, then remain silent. The truth is that we don’t know as much as we think we do. That’s why this promise about speech is connected with another about pride. The psalmist won’t tolerate an arrogant person, a know-it-all. Notice that the pride here is not expressed verbally. It is a haughty look and an arrogant heart. Sometimes pride is expressed nonverbally through facial expressions and gestures. Keep such people far from you lest they influence you the same. Thus far, the leader in this psalm has chosen to take very strong actions. There is no nuance here, no wiggle room. This suggests discipline on the part of a person who has convictions and the courage to live up to them. Courage is the foundation of all virtue. The leader need also be concerned about his own arrogance. As one lives virtuously, it’s quite easy to compare yourself to others and allow pride to gain a foothold. There may be a sense in which David is speaking to himself here. He will not tolerate arrogance, even if it lies within himself.  

6 I will look with favor on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in the way that is blameless shall minister to me.

Having described the type of person that is intolerable (slandering, gossiping, arrogant), the psalmist vows to destroy and avoid them. Alternatively, he will favor the faithful when it comes to friendship. The phrase, “They will dwell with him” suggests hospitality and association. David will be selective in his friendships so that he is influenced by others who are like minded. The two phrases describing these types of friendships are “the faithful in the land” and “he who walks in the way that is blameless”. Faithfulness likely refers to loyalty to God while walking blamelessly refers to integrity. It’s been said that you are the average of the five people that you spend the most time with. If that’s true, we need to hang out with people who are better than us to pull our average up! These godly friends not only dwell with David, they minister to him. This may suggest that they are servants in his house, as that is implied in the Hebrew word. But it may also suggest that they provide spiritual counsel and accountability. David could have used some of that the day the Bathsheba took a bath on her roof, but his mighty men were off fighting. This verse is a summons to invest in godly friends. Who is it that inspires you? Who is it that speaks truth and insight to you? If you don’t have such people in your life, find them. Get involved in a small group. Approach potential friends and get together for coffee. It’s my sense that most people don’t have these types of friends. A spouse certainly fills this role, but we need more than one close friend. Investing in friendships takes time, and there are always other more immediate things that need to be done. Call a friend today. Grab some coffee or lunch and enjoy their influence and wisdom. 

7 No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes.

8 Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all the evildoers from the city of the LORD.

The psalmist invites the faithful and people of integrity to dwell with him and minister to him, but those who are false and practice deceit will be kicked to the curb. David has a zero tolerance policy for lying. Lies are cute when three-year olds tell them, but ugly when adults rely on them to cover themselves. We generally lie to make ourselves look better or to get something that we want. David, as king, must have had a lot of people who wanted things from him, and were willing to do whatever it took to get it. Discerning lies takes effort and practice, but careful students of human behavior can identify them. If David doesn’t tolerate lying in his presence, he is saying the same about himself. He doesn’t want to practice lying and deceit. Integrity is the word that keeps coming back. He takes lying seriously in others and in himself. The final verse of the psalm may refer to David’s role as judge and kind. He was the “supreme court” of the land, hearing the appeals of those that were passed upt  him. In that role as the chief law enforcement officer, his job was to restrain evil. He did this by destroying them (punishment) and by cutting them off from the city (exiling them from the community). This may seem harsh, but it has to do with what you love. If you love others in your community, like a shepherd, you will have to protect them from the wolves and thieves. See the wicked for what they are, predators who would destroy you, your family, and your community. Love demands justice.