“I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to You, O LORD, I will make music. 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; 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. A perverse heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil.” Psalm 101:1-4
Devotional Thought For The Day
There is an ancient introductory statement that this was a psalm of David. As such, it has often been viewed as the “Monarch’s Psalm,” or the “Prince’s Psalm.” The point being that this psalm reflects both what ought to be found in a pious ruler’s heart and how he is called to exercise his office of authority and power. He first reflects upon what his life of repentance and faith has made him, what he ponders and thinks about, how he prays and relates to the LORD, what he will NOT focus on, and on the nature and “work” of apostates, those who have fallen away from faith, God, and godliness. Apparently this is an ancient problem, of people who have tasted the goodness of the LORD but for whatever inexplicable reason have returned to the darkness. In the verses that follow, David asserts his orientation and commitment in regard to rewarding those who have the same commitment to good, to faith, and to genuine piety, and in regard to punishing those who are committed to evil, impenitence, lying, slander, and harming others.
His first reflection is upon “steadfast love and justice.” He is thinking about God’s steadfast love and justice – it is to God that he sings and makes music. In that we are sinful people – “there is not a just man upon the earth that doeth good and sinneth not” [Eccl. 7:20] – the concept of “justice” doesn’t make us very comfortable, and certainly not happy. The justice of God’s law brings condemnation upon us, and a verdict of death – “the wages of sin is death.” [Rom. 6:23] But David was no legalist – he understood God’s promises of a Savior, a Redeemer, One Who would take away our sin and guilt. He knew that God would establish a justice that brought mercy to us in His anointed One, the Messiah, the Christ. Like the apostle John, he rejoiced that God was “faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” [1 John 1:9] This is what he was reflecting upon in genuine repentance and faith, what moved him to sing praise and thanksgiving to God. This is what enabled him to “walk with integrity of heart,” the sure and certain knowledge of God’s steadfast love, mercy, and forgiveness in the “justice” of Christ, His cross, so that he was in fact “blameless” in the sight of God. This understanding and faith is the greatest prerequisite to good leadership, for it brings humility, understanding, forgiveness, grace, mercy, and wisdom into one’s heart and mind, and complete honesty – in our relationship with God, and with one another.
This is a great example of how God’s gracious mercy and forgiveness do not compel a person to license and commitment to continuing sin. Rather, God’s steadfast love and the sacrifice of His Son for our salvation moves people of faith to “ponder the way that is blameless,” to think carefully about how one who is righteous in the sight of God will live. He prays for God’s presence and His ongoing instruction, and commits himself to a life of integrity – walking in the light, a life of repentance and confession, and a life that is committed to the paths of righteousness, goodness, and love. He also commits himself to avoiding “anything that is worthless.” David certainly understood the nature of temptations, the pain involved in falls into sin, the grueling nature of genuine repentance, and the warmth of God’s merciful and gracious love. David does not make foolish promises that he will never again sin, but rather that his heart and mind were committed to what is good, and that he would endeavor to keep himself from temptations. He would walk with integrity, acknowledging and confessing transgressions, and relying solely upon God’s grace, mercy, and steadfast love.
For such a person of faith and love it is quite difficult and even painful to contemplate the state and nature of those who “fall away.” He is not talking about lapses and sins of weakness – which he had and which all believers have; he is talking about those who have turned away from God and faith completely, whose hearts have become perverse, committed to all kinds of evil, and who are stubbornly and recalcitrantly committed to impenitence, dishonesty, lying to God, and rejection of His mercy and forgiveness. These are people who think they will be able to argue their own “goodness” and “merit” before God and prevail against Him and His Word, and who prefer to live apart from Him anyway, regardless of the consequences. Such unbelief is insanity, and we find it impossible to fathom, although we see it all around us. David is completely opposed to such perversity of heart; it is unthinkable to him that he would ever allow such evil into his heart or join in with such wickedness. No, rather he hates it and despises it, for it is all wretchedly opposed to God’s love and the highest good.
Well, we are not kings, presidents, governors, or even mayors, but we do have some responsibility and oversight – if of no one else, then at least of ourselves. Integrity, repentance, confession, faith in God’s steadfast love, yield a commitment to love and goodness and a loathing of evil. This is the new life, an eternal life, which God provides to us through faith in Jesus Christ. Let us also pray that God come to us and keep us in this life, so that we never fall away. This He does through His Word and His Sacraments. As He kept David in faith so also He will graciously keep us in faith – thanks and praise be to God!
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, as we also walk in integrity of heart we are compelled to make confession of our own great sins of thought, word, and deed. Thanks and praise be to You, that because of Your steadfast love and Your work of redemption, we are able to rejoice in Your mercy, forgiveness, and love. We thank You also for the renewing power of Your love, that You have weaned us from commitment to sin and oriented us to what is good, right, and true. Come to us and graciously keep us in true faith and the joy of Your salvation. Amen.