Psalms 101:5

GUIDELINES FOR ADMINISTERING THE GOVERNMENT

"Whoso privily slandereth his neighbor, him will I destroy:

Him that hath a high look and a proud heart will I not suffer.

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 minister unto me.

He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: He that speaketh falsehood shall not be established before mine eyes.

Morning by morning will I destroy all the wicked of the land;

To cut off all the workers of iniquity from the city of Jehovah."

No king ever entered upon his reign with any better intentions than those which were evidently of David when he penned this psalm. It should also be noted that, "In the earlier years of David's reign, his life is well known to have been irreproachable; during that period, he practiced what he preached."[8]

"Whoso privily slandereth his neighbor" (Psalms 101:5). "This may refer to a person hailed into court because he had falsely accused his neighbor."[9]

"A high look and a proud heart" (Psalms 101:5). In Proverbs 6:18ff, Solomon is reputed to have listed the seven things God hates; and it is "the proud look" that leads the whole shameful list. From this, it is not too much to say that, at least some of the famed wisdom of Solomon was derived from his father David.

"Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful ... he that walketh in a perfect way" (Psalms 101:6). The meaning here is that only the faithful, only the persons who are doing right, only the honorable and the truthful, "Shall be promoted to office under my government."[10] Scheming, underhanded scoundrels shall be excluded from public office; and only men of known honor and integrity shall have responsible places in the king's court.

"He that worketh deceit ... he that speaketh falsehood" (Psalms 101:7). This passage states negatively what is affirmed in the preceding verse.

"Morning by morning" (Psalms 101:8). The meaning of this is "continually," "constantly," "all the time," "every day." "The king here promises that he will be no dilatory judge whose citizens despair of a hearing."[11]

Apparently, in the latter days of David's kingship he failed to keep this resolution. This enabled Absalom to steal away the hearts of the people. 2 Samuel 15:1-6 tells how Absalom met people every day on the way to see the king; he would interrupt them, declaring that no court was in session, openly expressing the allegation (which might or might not have been true) that the king had not deputed anyone to hear the plaintiff's case, also exclaiming, "Oh that I were made judge in the land." It was by such devices as these that Absalom was able to steal the hearts of the men of Israel.

Regardless of the truth or falsity of Absalom's allegations, there must have been some slackening of the king's diligence that allowed such a situation to develop.

"To cut off the workers of iniquity from the city of Jehovah" (Psalms 101:8). It was a noble purpose indeed to strive for a clean city, where crime and wickedness would be suppressed, and where righteousness and truth would be honored. Human nature being what it is, we must allow that David's hopes along this line were never completely achieved. Nevertheless, he did a far better job as king than the vast majority of the Davidic dynasty that followed him, whose lives, in the aggregate, appear to have been no better than that of other Oriental despots of that historical era.