3 I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work
of those who fall away; It shall not cling to me.
Psalm 101 is a psalm written by David who had just recently
become King of Israel. The nation was broken, and he had a tremendous task and
challenge before him as he had to deal with both internal corruption and
foreign adversaries such as the Philistines. David’s great desire is to lead
the nation with integrity and fulfill God’s heart for it to be a nation that
reflected the glory of God. As I read this chapter, I see at least four things
that David had that will guide and help him as he transforms the broken nation
into a world power.
David was determined to follow the instructions of
God’s Word and be a king of “mercy and justice” (v. 1), which is a reflection
of the character of God. David desired to have a “perfect heart” (v. 2). He was
devoted to worship of the only true God. David also was committed to
having eyes of discernment (v. 3), as to what he would and would not be
looking at and for. And finally, David now could make good decisions
about the kind of people that would serve in his administration (vv. 6-8). The four “D’s – Determined, Devoted, Discernment
and Decisive!
Today, we live in a broken world full of corruption,
violence, conflict, and fear. I personally believe the present conflict in the
Middle East is setting things up for the end time events that are described in
the prophecies of the Bible. They remind us that Jesus Christ, the greater son
of David, is coming soon to set up His Kingdom! But before He comes, a false
Anti-Christ will come promising peace to the Middle East and the world. His
peace is just a deceitful move to take control of the whole world and to set up
his diabolic kingdom that will not last long. Jesus Christ will come, destroy
the Anti-Christ and his armies, and set up His Millennium Kingdom and true
peace will finally come to the world!
Today, as we look at Psalm 101:3-5, we notice that David
moved from the heart of the leader to the hearts of the sinners (vv. 4-5) and
turned the emphasis to the leader's eyes and what he saw (vv. 3, 5, 6, 7). The
heart and the eyes work together, for what the heart loves, the eyes will seek
and find (Eccl. 2:10; Jer. 22:17). This section parallels Psalm 15 where David
described the ideal worshiper whom God welcomes to His dwelling. David did not
want anyone in his official family who was not walking with the Lord. "I
will set no worthless thing before my eyes" (v. 3a) means more than
beholding vile things "the lust of the eyes" (1 John 2:16). It also
means setting worthless goals and seeking to reach them.
Leaders must set the best goals, guided by God's will, for
outlook determines outcome. The spiritual leader not only sets the best goals
but he or she also uses the best methods for achieving those goals (v. 3b).
"Faithless" people are apostates, people who have abandoned God's way
for their own way and the world's way. David had his eyes on the faithful, not
the faithless (v. 6).
A "perverse heart" (v. 4) is a twisted
heart, one that does not conform to God's will (Prov. 3:32; 6:16-19; 11:20),
and a twisted heart produces a deceitful tongue (v. 7; Matt. 12:34-35; see
Prov. 17:20). The word translated "proud" in verse 5 means
"wide, expanded" and describes people who are inflated with their own
importance. It is important that leaders cultivate humility and lead by being
servants, not dictators. Like Moses, David was a model of a “servant-leader”.
Today, please continue to pray for the “peace of
Jerusalem” (Psalm 122:6), which actually means you are praying the last
prayer of the Bible. “Even so come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).
God bless!
