Psalm 101

There are not many songs out there for this Psalm so it's "slim pickins"!

Psalm 101
Psalm 101
Psalm 101 Dramatic reading
Psalm 101
Psalm 101

As I read this Psalm through before studying it, I was reminded of a song we learned while living in MD when the kids were tiny.  It was Romans 16:19 & 20 which says:
Be excellent at what is good.  Be innocent of evil. [repeat]
For the God of peace will soon crush satan under your feet!

The more I read the Bible the more I am convinced that God is mostly concerned with our heart attitudes as they show up in the way we live.  This verse in Romans basically says what Psalm 101 is saying.  So let's study it!

First, this is another royal psalm of David.

The king’s concerns are social and moral; he himself sets the standards that his people should follow, and these standards are defined by conformity to the Law of God.

Bratcher, R. G., & Reyburn, W. D. (1991). A translator’s handbook on the book of Psalms (p. 855). New York: United Bible Societies.

The king of Israel was God’s representative on earth and was expected to rule the way God commanded.   David was determined to be that kind of leader, and he opened the psalm with “I will” and repeated this promise eight more times. He made it clear that there must be no separation between the leader’s personal life and his or her official life, the private and the public.

Wiersbe, W. W. (2004). Be exultant (1st ed., p. 42). Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries.

When we read the Bible we should strive to live what we read as David did...setting the standards by conforming to what/how God's word says we should live.
Verse 1 ~ two different but synonymous words are used for sing.  One commentator said sing & chant.
Verse 2  ~ we have the King's 1st promise.  He promises to be blameless in his behavior. “When will you come to me?” is an expression of the king’s desire to have an immediate and personal revelation of God’s power and guidance. Secondly, the King promises to live a pure life - His private conduct will be moral and pure.
 “Blameless” does not mean “sinless,” for David was a sinner like the rest of us. However, unlike David, we have not seen the account of our sins written down for all the world to read! “Blameless” is another word for integrity, cultivating wholeness of heart and singleness of mind, instead of a double heart and a double mind.

Wiersbe, W. W. (2004). Be exultant (1st ed., p. 42). Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries.

As a believer, I should have integrity whether I am a leader or not! Faith is living without scheming, and the way of faith is “the blameless way”.
Verses 3-4 ~ David said he would keep himself pure by not tolerating evil. He would  not allow vile … faithless, and perverse people and their activities to be around him. “Vile thing” is literally, “things of Belial” (worthless and wicked). “Perverse” (‘iqqēš) means “crooked, twisted”.  A “perverse heart” is a twisted heart, one that does not conform to God’s will. "I will not know evil"- In addition to acting blamelessly, the psalmist intends to occupy his thoughts only with that which is wholesome and helpful (compare Phil 4:8).
Verses 5-6 ~ The psalmist intends to fill his house with those who are faithful to God and His ways.  "the way of integrity" - Now that the psalmist understands “the way that is blameless,” he will surround himself with people who exemplify that path of life.
Verses 7-8 ~ He vowed to God that he would punish offenders according to God’s law, silencing the liars and expelling the evildoers.

Let me end this with a thought provoking snippet from one of the commentaries I consulted:
Was David successful in maintaining the high standard of this declaration? No, not completely; but what leader besides Jesus Christ has ever maintained an unblemished record? David failed in his own family. His sin with Bathsheba set a bad example for his sons and daughters (2 Sam. 11–12), and David failed to discipline Amnon and Absalom for their sins (2 Sam. 13–15). He had problems with his generals Joab and Abishai, and his trusted counselor Ahithophel betrayed him. But David reigned for forty years, during which time he expanded the borders of the kingdom, defeated Israel’s enemies, gathered the wealth used to build the temple, wrote the psalms, and established the dynasty that eventually brought Jesus Christ into the world. Like us, he had his weaknesses and failings, but over all, he sought to honor the Lord and be a good leader. Jerusalem is known as “the city of David” and Jesus as “the Son of David.” Could any compliment be higher than that?

Wiersbe, W. W. (2004). Be exultant (1st ed., p. 44). Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries.