************Psalms 101:1-8

Promised Faithfulness to the Lord

A Psalm of David.

101 I will sing of mercy and justice; To You, O Lord, I will sing praises.

2 I will behave wisely in a [a]perfect way. Oh, when will You come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.

3 I will set nothing [b]wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not cling to me. 4 A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not know wickedness.

5 Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, Him I will destroy; The one who has a haughty look and a proud heart, Him I will not endure.

6 My eyes shall be on the faithful of the land, That they may dwell with me; He who walks in a [c]perfect way, He shall serve me. 7 He who works deceit shall not dwell within my house; He who tells lies shall not [d]continue in my presence. 8 Early I will destroy all the wicked of the land, That I may cut off all the evildoers from the city of the Lord.

When You Make a Commitment and Declare Your Loyalty to the Lord, 101:1–8)

(101:1–8) Introduction: living a holy and godly life is not something that we do casually or automatically. Holiness and godliness are contrary to human nature, contrary to the desires of our flesh. To make our efforts that much more difficult, every day presents new temptations to hinder godly living. Therefore, walking in holiness and godliness requires commitment, discipline, and diligence. Young Daniel did not defile himself in Babylon not because he was not tempted to do so but because he purposed, or determined, in his heart not to do so (Da. 1:8). Likewise, if we are going to be holy in our corrupt and sin-infected world, we too have to purpose in our hearts to be holy. We have to make a commitment to godliness.

In Psalm 101, David made a series of commitments to the LORD, pledging to be holy and godly. David most likely wrote this psalm upon assuming the throne of Israel. He wanted to be a man of integrity, a man who was faithful to God’s laws and righteousness. With its repeated I will statements, it is a prayer of commitment to the LORD.

David was not a perfect man and, as God’s Word tells us, he failed at times to live up to these commitments. Nevertheless, he strived to keep these goals, repenting and rededicating himself to them each time he failed. To this day, he stands as Israel’s godliest and greatest king. With this psalm, he set an example for all who genuinely long to be holy and godly.

This is, When You Make a Commitment and Declare Your Loyalty to the LORD, 101:1–8.

1. Praise and bear witness for the LORD (v. 1).

2. Live a blameless life (vv. 2–5).

3. Seek the right companions for fellowship, counsel, and service (vv. 6–7).

4. Recommit yourself daily to uphold righteousness and justice (v. 8).

1 (101:1) Praise and bear witness for the LORD.

David began by exalting the righteous character of God. He declared that he would sing God’s praise and bear witness of the LORD’s mercy and justice. The LORD was Israel’s true king, and David desired to lead God’s people in a way that honored and glorified Him.

a. He is merciful and loving (v. 1a).

David exalted God for His mercy (chesed), His unfailing, covenant love. God’s relationship with His people was based on His covenant with them, and the LORD had proven Himself to be faithful to His word. He had never failed His people. His loyalty and steadfastness toward them were sure.

b. His judgments are just (v. 1b).

David also exalted God because of His judgment, His perfect justice. In all of His ways, God is absolutely just. He is the author of justice, establishing a flawless standard of fairness and righteousness. David was determined to make God’s holy law the basis for all judgments in the nation.

Thought 1. Regardless of what happens in our lives or in our world, the LORD is faithful, and the LORD is just. Nothing can separate us from His unfailing love (Ro. 8:35–39). The presence of trouble and trials in our lives does not mean that God has failed us or that He no longer loves us. To the contrary, God works our trials together for good, using them to accomplish His purpose for us (Ro. 8:28).

Furthermore, God is just in all of His ways. He always does what is right. When others persecute us or sin against us, we should not agonize over the situation nor should we seek vengeance. Instead, we should rest in the LORD, knowing that in His good time and in His right way, He will judge our enemies and vindicate us.

It is easy to praise the LORD when things are going smoothly, but it is not so easy when we are in the midst of painful or trying times. For this reason, we need to make a commitment to praise Him in all things, regardless of our circumstances. In our darkest hours, our song bears the strongest witness to others of God’s love and faithfulness (Ac. 16:25).

“And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them” (Ac. 16:25).

2 (101:2–5) Live a blameless life.

As the leader of God’s chosen people, David grasped the seriousness of his position. He had a holy obligation to God and to God’s people. He had to be a vessel whom God could use and bless, walking in full obedience to His commands. Then, he had to provide a proper example for the people, earning their confidence and assuring them that they would be treated righteously and justly. With a firm understanding of his holy duty as king, David pledged to live a blameless life, both privately and publicly.

a. Essential private behavior (v. 2).

David desired to be holy in every area of his life. He longed to please the LORD in his personal life as well as in his administration of the kingdom. Accordingly, he made a commitment to walk in a perfect (tamim) way and with a perfect (tom) heart. These Hebrew words come from a root word that means to be complete or whole. They refer to living with integrity, with being …

• consistently pure

• wholly righteous

• honest through and through

• the same inwardly and outwardly

• pure in motive as well as in word and deed

David knew that living with integrity would require God’s help. Temptation would be everywhere, especially in his position, and relying on human wisdom could lead him to rationalize and make wrong decisions. Therefore, he sought God’s presence and invited Him into his life. He even asked the LORD when He would come to him. David wanted God’s presence and needed His power to help him behave wisely.

In his commitment to integrity, David asked God to help him be the same man in his personal life as he presented himself to be in his public life. The palaces of kings were “usually places where passion, lust, and excess were given full reign.”1 Even so, David pledged to walk in integrity within his house—at home and in private. Realizing his responsibility to his family and his servants, he determined to model God’s love and righteousness before them.

b. Essential public behavior (vv. 3–5).

David then turned his attention to his public behavior, making a commitment to protect himself from evil things and wicked people. Desiring to live above reproach, he determined to guard his eyes from anything that was wicked (beliya’al’), anything defiling, vile, morally corrupt, or worthless (v. 3a). He would not look at anything that would tempt him to have or to do what God had forbidden (Lu. 11:34; 1 Jn. 2:15–16). In addition, he pledged to hate the deeds of those who turn aside from God and His law, backsliders who drift away from God and into sin (v. 3b). He refused to allow them or their sinful ways to cling to him.

Determined to have no dishonest officials in his administration, David promised to reject those with perverse (froward) hearts, people who were morally crooked and corrupt (v. 4). He resolved to stay away from all evil, declaring that he would not know (yada) or become personally involved with any wickedness.

David also made a commitment to cut off or silence (tsamath) those who secretly slandered others (v. 5). He would not tolerate prideful, self-important people who sought to further themselves at the expense of others. For that reason, He vowed to reject them for positions in his administration.

Thought 1. Like David, each of us should make a commitment to live a blameless life—a life of integrity that is above reproach. Certainly, before we can shine as lights in the world and point people to Christ, we have to strive to live blamelessly (Ph. 2:15). This is why those who serve in the Biblical offices of pastor and deacon are required to be blameless (1 Ti. 3:2, 10; Tit. 1:6–7).

If we truly walk in integrity, we will be the same in private as we are in public. We will not behave one way around our co-workers or fellow church members and another way around our families. We will be as godly at home as we are outside of the home. Even more telling of our character, the true test of integrity is how we behave when no one else is around. Do we change our behavior or do we remain the same?

Walking consistently in integrity is not easy in a world contaminated by sin. It requires commitment to stay away from everything and everyone who might tempt us to fall away from godliness. We have to guard our eyes, realizing that what we see affects our hearts (La. 3:51). Further, we need to separate ourselves from those who are unfaithful to the Lord, lest they influence us to backslide. Along with these, we need to stay away from all wickedness, avoiding even that which has the appearance of being evil (1 Th. 5:22). If we are going to be people of true integrity, we ought to make David’s commitments our own.

“That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world” (Ph. 2:15).

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (1 Jn. 2:15–16).

3 (101:6–7) Seek the right companions for fellowship, counsel, and service.

David wisely understood the importance of seeking the right companions for fellowship, counsel, and service. After describing the kinds of people he would reject, David identified the types of individuals he would select to assist him in governing God’s people.

a. Choose those who are trustworthy, who walk blamelessly (v. 6).

David promised to select faithful people to be his associates. Faithful (aman) describes those who …

• are trustworthy and dependable

• are constant and stable

• are loyal and dedicated

• are proven and can be counted on to do what is right

• are honorable and have solid reputations and backgrounds

The young king saw the importance of surrounding himself with the right kind of people—people whose way is perfect (v. 2). “Only by surrounding himself with the best and most capable men who will advance the interests of God can the king rest assured that the kingdom of God is strengthened.”2 Taking everything into consideration, David pledged to choose only men of integrity to serve under him. He would seek only those who had a record of walking blamelessly and above reproach.

b. Reject those who are deceitful, who lie (v. 7).

Not stopping with whom he would select as companions, David proceeded to state whom he would not select. In fact, he strongly declared that he would reject any who were deceitful or who had lied. He would not allow them to dwell in his house, nor would he let them stay in his presence. In using these phrases, David was speaking of his inner circle of associates, his closest advisors who would work directly with him. He was determined not to “walk in the counsel of the ungodly” nor to “stand in the way of sinners” (Ps. 1:1). If any of his officials ever deceived or lied to him or any spoke falsely about others, he would promptly remove them from their positions.

Thought 1. Scripture repeatedly warns about the power and influence other people can have over us. We will be impacted either for good or for evil by the people with whom we associate. Our attitudes, mannerisms, speech patterns, opinions, and philosophies are all affected by our companions. Therefore, if we want to live holy and godly lives and we want to walk with integrity, we have to surround ourselves with godly people. At the same time, we have to avoid close associations with those who are ungodly. We need to be vigilant in our daily lives, always on guard for those who might be a bad influence on us. This is not to say that we should not reach out in love to those who do not know Christ. However, we must be careful not to fall under their influence. To protect ourselves and our families, we need to walk closely with the Lord and always be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

“In the LORD put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?” (Ps. 11:1).

“He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed” (Pr. 13:20).

4 (101:8) Recommit yourself daily to uphold righteousness and justice.

David closed by recommitting himself to uphold righteousness and justice among God’s people. One of the king’s most important duties was to hear the people’s cases and execute justice. David promised to make this a priority of his administration, giving it his first attention every day. “I will early” is literally translated morning by morning.

a. Silence the wicked (v. 8a).

David promised to be fearless and just in all of his verdicts. He would destroy (tsamath) or silence the wicked—cut off their opportunity to do evil.

b. Remove all lawless evildoers from society (v. 8b).

David also promised to remove all lawless evildoers from society. Cut off (karath) may mean that he would expel them from Jerusalem, or it may mean that he would execute them according to the law.

Thought 1. Holy and godly living requires daily effort. It requires walking in integrity every day. Just as David recommitted himself daily to the duty of upholding righteousness and justice, we need to recommit ourselves daily to our duties as believers. Remember, we have to purpose or determine to do right before we will do right. We have to purpose to be holy before we will be holy. The world, the flesh, and the devil will never tire of trying to steer us away from obedience to God’s commands. We can be sure that we will face these enemies every day. Therefore, we need to dedicate ourselves anew every morning to holiness and godliness, clothing ourselves in the armor of God and arming ourselves with God’s powerful Word (Ep. 6:10–17).

“I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness” (Ro. 6:19).

“Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God” (Le. 20:7).