Psalm 101 is a lesson in Righteousness 101

I was reading Psalm 101 several days ago for our church's read through the Bible in a year program. (You can find the schedule for reading at http://www.compasschurch.org/.) It is a short Psalm, packed full of important examples and lessons for us.

David begins with praise for the Lord and a promise to study his own heart and behave wisely "within my house". David knows that God cares most about us examining our own hearts and behavior. We cannot deal with others' sin without "cleaning house" in our own hearts first. As it states in Matthew 7:5,

"Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you
will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."

David promises God to deal with his own behavior first. Verse 3 of Psalm 101 states,

"I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall
away; It shall not cling to me. A perverse heart shall depart from
me; I will not know wickedness."

These are strong promises. He says he will set nothing wicked before his eyes. How does this apply to us? We have to take notice of any wickedness in our TV shows, in magazines, books, computer sites, and hobbies. There should be no trace of wickedness before us. David doesn't say he'll be careful to not follow wickedness or not be tempted by it when it is in front of him. He says he will not even put wickedness in front of his eyes. Wow! That takes discernment, sacrifice, a setting apart and a commitment to God.

After dealing with his own habits and behavior, David turns to his kingdom. He states in verses 5-8,

"Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, Him I will destroy; The one who has a
haughty look and a proud heart, Him I will not endure.

My eyes shall be on the faithful of the land, That they may dwell with me; He who walks in a perfect way, He shall serve me.

He who works deceit shall not dwell within my house; He who tells lies shall not continue in my presence.

Early I will destroy all the wicked of the land, That I may cut off all the evildoers
from the city of the Lord."

David certainly took sin seriously. Of course, we are all sinners and wicked in God's eyes without the salvation of Jesus Christ, so David was referring to those who rejected God's commands and continued in habitual sin. David was personally aquainted with the disgrace of sin and the need for atonement! David knew his kingdom needed to pursue righteousness in order to succeed and be blessed. I love that he states "early" as the point in when he deals with the stubborn sin around him. He doesn't hesitate to act and cut off the cancer of wickedness that is in the land.

Do we cringe when we see sin and wickedness? Do we deal with it immediately, or do we shake our head later and click our tongues from time to time without action? We need to abhor sin as if Satan himself were handing it to us from his hands. When we become complacent or allow subtle nuances of sin to permeate our lives, Satan gets a foothold.

Take a lesson in righteousness 101 and deal with sin in your life and in influences around you. Flee from sin and seek holiness.