I will ponder the way that is blameless... I will walk with integrity of heart within my house; I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless....A perverse heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil. (Psalm 101:2-4 ESV)
I have served two roles in life that has given me a wide view of sin and its destructive path in people's lives. For many years I was a Police Chaplain in the city of Bremerton Washington and I have also served as Pastor for almost 40 years.
People often complain to me about not having God's blessings in their lives but when you look at how they live their lives and the things that they watch on TV or on their computer or the music they allow into their lives or just the possessions that they hold on to - then you get better understanding of why God isn't blessing their lives. The sinful influences that they hold on to are a barrier to the presence of God in and through their lives.
In this Psalm, King David expresses his commitment to build a godly home for his family. This Psalm was most likely composed at the beginning of his reign and it served as a pledge that he would guard his home from becoming overrun by hostile intruders that would steal away the hearts of his children and family. We can learn much from David’s Psalm of commitment.
Here, David speaks of guarding his personal life. In this chapter he mentions having a “blameless life” three times in these three verses.
The same word is used in Proverbs 28:18 "He whose walk is blameless is kept safe, but he whose ways are perverse will suddenly fall." David commits himself to walk before the Lord with a blameless heart.
The place to begin a blameless heart is in our home. You might put on a good front on Sunday mornings, but your family knows the real you. They see how you respond to difficulty. They know what books you are reading, and what shows you are watching. They hear your unguarded language. David commits himself to lead a life of integrity beginning in his own home.
I will walk with integrity of heart within my house; I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless.
The word "worthless meant "a thing of Belial." Belial was a false god. David promises not to allow false religion into his home. He promised that he would not allow himself to look upon the false gods of his day.
We can learn much from David’s commitment. We should have no contact with anything associated with evil. Think about the shows on televison. They are all to often filled with false ideas contrary to our God. Our Lord is offended as we laugh at the sinful practices of this world. There is little difference between our tolerance of evil entertainment and someone in David’s world tolerating false idols in their homes.
Scripture informs us to separate from ungodly influence, (Psalm 1:1) " Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers."
Charles Spurgeon wrote, "If I have wickedness brought before me by others I will turn away from it, I will not gaze upon it with pleasure. Not only shall it not dwell in his heart, but not even before his eyes, for what fascinates the eye is very apt to gain admission into the heart," (Spurgeon, The Treasury of David).
(Remember that he wrote this almost 100 years before the onslaught of television! What would this great preacher say today?)
How about what you view on the computer?
Time magazine recently described the contributing factors leading to divorce.
- 2 of 3 divorces involve pornography as one of the contributing factor.
- 1 of 3 list pornography as the MAIN FACTOR
- Pornography is a ten billion a year business. 1 of 5 video rentals is pornographic.
Pornography deceives it’s victims in the following ways:
- the false assumption that it is private
- the false assumption that it is not personal ("I’m not hurting anyone")
- the false assumption that there are no consequences
Pornography is sin. If you are observing pornography and claiming that you are innocent as long as you don’t do anything sinful, you have already done something sinful! Further, it is just a matter of time before you act out what you are viewing with your eyes. Remember, stimulation without satisfaction leads to frustration. Frustration leads to compromises which will lead you into the kinds of sin you never thought you would commit.
If you read Psalm 101:5-8 you will notice FIVE THINGS DAVID WOULD NOT ALLOW IN HIS HOME:
1. SLANDER. Those who sin with the TONGUE
2. HAUGHTY EYES. Those who sin with the EYES
3. PROUD HEART. Those who sin in their HEART
4. Those who PRACTICE DECEIT
5. Those who SPEAK FALSELY
On the other hand - there are THREE THINGS THAT DAVID WOULD ALLOW IN HIS HOME
1. The Faithful in the land. David sought good company.
2. He sought wholesome activity.
3. He sought a blameless walk indicated in the words worthy, upright, and complete.
It’s Time to take back control of our HOMES. Many are failing. Divorce is rampant in the church today. WHY ARE WE SO POWERLESS? Have we failed in the areas David warns us of in Psalm 101?
We have become de-sensitized to sin. We must all take inventory of what influences do we have in our life and our home. We must be willing to cut away that which brings evil pleasure and be willing to "cut it off." We must be willing to live a blameless life and walk with integrity before The Lord in all our ways. It is then that we will experience the blessings of God in our life!
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