Psalm 101:1-8
A Psalm of David
1 I will sing of mercy and justice; To You, O LORD, I will
sing praises.
2 I will behave wisely in 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 wicked before my eyes; I hate the work
of those who fall away; It shall not cling to me.
Today we begin our journey on the last one-third of the Book
of Psalms. The title of Psalm 101 tells us that David is the writer of it. Many
believe that David wrote this psalm about the same time that he wrote Psalms 15
and 24. For the background that motivated David to write these psalms we need
to remember a few things about the history of Israel during this time.
David had just recently become the King of Israel, first in
Hebron and then at Jerusalem. King Saul had ruled over Israel for 40 years. Saul
started out fairly good with a humble heart, but that all changed pretty
quickly when he was overwhelmed with the pressures of leadership. He surrounded
himself with corrupt, deceitful, and evil people who constantly lied to him and
gave him bad advice. He spent much of his time in a jealous rage trying to kill
David. Just before his death he even went to a witch go get advice about what
to do with a large Philistine army attacking Israel.
To say the least, when David became king, he inherited a
divided land and a discouraged people whose spiritual life was at low ebb. Goodness,
even in America we know what can happen in just four years when we have a
president who fills his administration with corrupt, deceitful, and evil people
who are always lying about what they are doing and the real condition of the
county. Imagine what it must have been like after 40 years of this kind of
leadership. Asaph described the situation in Psalm 78:56-72 and named David as
God's answer to Israel's problems.
We all know that everything rises and falls with
leadership, and David was determined to be a good king that followed the LORD with
his whole heart. No doubt, many of King
Saul's officers sought to join David’s new administration and hold on to their
positions of power and control. But
David recognized them as deceitful and a bunch of evil, lying men. Keep all
this in mind as you read this psalm.
Once David was established on the throne in Jerusalem, he
had a consuming desire to bring the ark of God back to the sanctuary so that
God's throne might near his throne. His question in verse 2, "When will
you come to me?" reflects this desire. The ark had been in the house
of Abinidab for many years (1 Sam. 6:1-7:2) and then in the house of Obed-Edom
after David's aborted attempt to relocate it (2 Sam. 6:1-11).
This psalm of dedication was probably written early in David’s
reign in Jerusalem. We could accurately call this psalm "Leadership
101" because in it David spells out the essentials for successful
leadership in the work of God. Psalm 101 is a psalm of royal resolve. In my
Bible, over this psalm, I have written, “The I Will Psalm”. Notice how many times David repeats “I will”. David's
heart and mind for God are backed by his will. He is determined to be the kind
of person and prince God wants him to be. And so should we!!!!
Today, let us also remember to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem”
(Psalm 122:6), as Israel has been attacked by Hamas, a terrorist
organization intent on destroying them. Whether we understand it or not, the
Bible teaches that the nation of Israel is God’s chosen people and still have a
purpose and plan in God’s future plans for the world. We need to pray for them
today!
God bless!
