Wednesday, August 17, 2022

Behaving Wisely (Psalm 101)

"I will behave wisely in a perfect way.… I will set nothing wicked before my eyes" (Ps. 101:2–3).

Psalm 101 shows us something of why David bore the praise of being a man after God’s own heart. Here we discover a king who desired to be conformed to God’s standards of holiness not only in his public duties but in his home. While many may wear ornaments of religion in public, Psalm 101 reveals to us God’s desire that our religion be sincere and universal. Not only should we exhibit mercy, justice, and holiness in our employments and stations at church, but in our homes. We find this principle echoed in Paul’s qualifications for elders in his letters to Timothy. There we learn that elders must not only be honorable in the public eye but he must be in control of his household, raising his children in godliness. A person who desires to be after God’s own heart must be willing to take God’s commands seriously, to resolve as David did, to “walk within my house with a perfect heart.”

David made a number of vows in this psalm to “behave wisely in a perfect way.” He resolved to set nothing wicked before his eyes. David understood the power of temptation. He also understood that to behave wisely meant to remove those things that cause him to be tempted. How often do you watch something on television that is ungodly? How often do you sit through a movie filled with wickedness, yet you refuse to avert your eyes? David resolved not to put any wicked thing before him. Strive to do the same. “Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, and revive me in Your way” (Ps. 119:37).

Just as David wrote in Psalm 1 that he would not stand in the way of sinners, here he listed a number of people whom he would not bring into his company: gossips and slanderers, the proud and haughty, workers of deceit, and liars. While we are certainly called to minister to all people, God commands us not to take such people as companions. Instead, we should desire the company of the faithful, of those who love God and share the one true faith. David declared, “I am a companion of all those who fear You, and of those who keep Your precepts” (Ps. 119:63). May the desire of your heart be as David’s, to walk in holiness and to cherish those who love the Lord.

Spend some time reading through this psalm again. Note David’s fervency to please the Lord and be conformed to His ways. What wicked things need removing from before your eyes? What bad company are you keeping? Endeavor to remove one thing from your life, and ask God to give you the strength.