by Rev. Alex. McPherson
Psalm One Hundred and One
Verse 3. “I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.”
David, having determined that by God’s grace he would walk wisely and holily, sets out his plan of action. Previous experience has led him to take definite views on certain kinds of behaviour and character. By “wicked thing” he means everything contrary to God’s law. Everything morally wrong is to be excluded from his palace. Today, a resolve like David’s would make an establishment very different from those of other rulers. There would be no erroneous religious books nor teachers of error in this most vital of subjects. There would be no harmful fiction, nor pictures or statues which could be harmful to morals. Gambling of all kinds with the games of chance on which it is based, actors, dancers, wordlings of dubious morals; all would be debarred. Nothing would be permitted in his house which would lead men to forsake true religion or promote immorality. Are our own households governed in this way?
Next, we notice that he calls wickedness a “turning aside”, i.e. crookedness. He hates that; everything that savours of dishonesty and iniquity. In saying that it shall not cleave to him, David acknowledges the readiness with which sin and our souls adhere to each other. Therefore there must be a holy resolve, and a strict watch, and earnest prayer lest sin have that place within heart and home which the regenerate nature denies to it.
Verse 4. “A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person.”
A froward heart is one that deals faithlessly with God and men (see Deut. 32, v. 20). It is obstinate in disobedience and self-willed, and is often found in kings and great men who, to suit themselves, disregard the claims of righteousness and act the despot. David detests this trait and intends to discourage it. Often it is those in subordinate positions with a little power who show it most, and they can cause much misery by the abuse of their function. Neither will David know, i.e. approve of and have fellowship with any wicked person; not an easy thing for a king who would sometimes find himself obliged to men of bad character. Yet the resolve was right.
Verse 5. “Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will I not suffer.”
Good reason had David to know the injury and misery which false and injurious reports could cause (see the Seventh Psalm among others). Slanders had been given a high place in Saul’s court, and David wants none in his. It is wonderful how such characters find an entrance to the confidence of those in high places. Flattery, of course, is the usual key. It has been observed that when men have lost the esteem of others through their own passions, or folly, or wrongdoing, they become vulnerable to the flattery of meaner men, and then, giving heed to the slanders of their new friends, show animosity to former ones. Slanderers, says David, may expect short shrift from him, and let us also beware of this sin and of those sinners who create mischief, ruin reputations and destroy their own souls by engaging in a work that is typically satanic.
Another type that David intended to exclude from his employment was the conceited, proud and hard-hearted. Could the man who describes himself in Psalm 131 give a place to such men? Have we hearts which shrink from pride and dislike it in others?
Verse 6. “Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me.”
On the positive side of his policy-statement David states his intention to seek out upright, gracious men for servants. How wise! Any other sort will seek their own advantage, but these will strive to do their duty and assist the king in seeking the good of the whole nation. They will not accept bribes or be slack in their tasks; they may be trusted to give of their best all the time. How rarely in our day do those who seek servants stress the need for moral qualifications, yet these are supremely important. Little wonder that Britain stumbles from crisis to crisis!
Verse 7. “He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight.”
One receives the impression that David’s problem was not so much how to obtain good servants, but how to exclude the bad kind. He resumes his catalogue of undesirables with a mention of the deceitful person. That is the kind who leads others to believe what is not true by the use of deceiving words or actions. Often termed cunning when it is desired to present him in a slightly more favourable light, the deceiver is dangerous to have in one’s service, because his guile may be as readily used against one as for one. David wishes none of these around him.
Next he mentions liars. To lie is to say what is untrue for the purpose of deceiving someone. Lies may be broadly divided into three classes. The most common is that which is intended to deliver the liar from a predicament. Then there is the lie which is told in order to gain some advantage. And, thirdly, that which is designed to involve another person in trouble. All are evil and so contrary to ordinary morality as to be truly reprehensible in a gracious person.
Truth might be called the cement of society. Men depend upon it in their ordinary dealings with each other, and if falsehood became the rule, they would be unable to believe anyone, and the whole system of society which is built on mutual confidence would disintegrate. Therefore the God of order says of Himself; “The Lord doth hate a false witness that speaketh lies.” (Prov. 6, v. 19). The verdict that lying is a great evil is confirmed when we remember that truth is the instrument which God employs to save sinners. Unless men had been enlightened regarding the destructive power of sin and the availability of salvation, none could have hope. How precious then is the Word of salvation! “Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.” It is difficult to understand how anyone who knows their indebtedness to divine truth could take up with falsehood either in religion or in secular matters. Certain it is that the God of truth will allow none who think lightly of lying to enter heaven. “There shall in no wise enter into it anything that . . . maketh a lie.” (Rev. 21, v. 27).
Verse 8. “I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; that I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the Lord.”
David would make it his business to repress wickedness everywhere. In that way, Jerusalem, the holy city, would be kept morally pure. David had the good of Church and State alike in mind; he saw a connection between them. He was right. A pure national Church makes for a pure nation morally. On the other hand, abounding iniquity in the land will infect even a pure Church. What need that David’s pious resolves were found in Britain’s magistrates and people! Only an outpouring of the Holy Spirit will produce them. Let us be praying continually for that.