Click here to read PSALM 101 in poetic form.
Background
Psalm 101 is the twelfth in the Numbers Book of the Psalms, which goes to Psalm 106. God’s rest is a major theme of these 17 Psalms, and in this specific Psalm, we see the Messiah walking in God’s perfect way and refusing to allow the wicked and deceitful to be with him.
Structure
(Verses 1,2) Messiah walks in God’s perfect way with those in his house
(Verses 3-5) Messiah allows no wicked workers, perverse hearts, or prideful slanderers
(Verse 6) Messiah walks in God’s perfect way with the faithful who dwell with and serve him
(Verses 7,8) Messiah allows no wicked workers, deceitful doers, or liars
Key Scriptures
Verse 1—“I will sing of mercy and judgment.” In Christ God has shed forth His mercy for our sins. He also reckons righteous judgment in our lives.
Verse 3—“I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes.” The Hebrew word belial is translated “wicked” in this verse. It is used 27 times in the Old Testament, and its first use gives insight into its meaning. Deuteronomy 13:13: “Certain men, the children of Belial, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known.” These sons of Belial are often set deep within a religious or cultural position in society; they constantly seek to withdraw the believers from the unity they enjoy in Christ, and their main motive is to serve their master (the Devil) by getting people to worship false gods. Jesus Christ confronted these wicked ones in John 8:44: “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” He also taught about those who sin against the Holy Spirit, and commit the unforgiveable sin (Matthew 12:31).
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.” The Hebrew for “early” reads, “at dawn” or “morning by morning.” When an offense occurred, it was adjudicated the same day and punishment was pronounced and carried out. There were no prisons or jails to hold offenders for long-term waits due to delayed trials or sentencing. Whenever such justice was not swift, evil workers continued in the wicked plans and evil deeds, as seen in Ecclesiastes 8:11: “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.”
FOR FURTHER STUDY
All 150 of The Psalms in Poetic Form are available from Amazon in a book, either Large Print or a smaller Bedside Reader. Also available for free with a Kindle Unlimited membership. Enjoy!
The entire blog series is now available in the publication The Psalms: Background & Structure with Key Scriptures Explained.
