Psa 101:4-5, 7-8 | Clarke | e4.org | Verse 4. A froward heart ] Rash and headstrong men shall not be employed by me. I will not know a wicked person. ] I will give no countenance to sinners of any kind; and whatever is evil shall be an object of my abhorrence.

‏ Psalms 101:4-5

Verse 4. A froward heart] Rash and headstrong men shall not be employed by me.

I will not know a wicked person.] I will give no countenance to sinners of any kind; and whatever is evil shall be an object of my abhorrence.

Verse 5. Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour] All flatterers and time-servers, and those who by insinuations and false accusations endeavour to supplant the upright, that they may obtain their offices for themselves or their dependants, will I consider as enemies to the state, I will abominate, and expel them from my court.

The Chaldee gives a remarkable meaning to the Hebrew, melasheni bassether reehu, which we translate, Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, and which it renders thus, demishtaey lishan telitai al chabreyah: "He who speaks with the triple tongue against his neighbour." That is, the tongue by which he slays three persons, viz., 1. The man whom he slanders; 2. Him to whom he communicates the slander; and, 3. Himself, the slanderer. Every slanderer has his triple tongue, and by every slander inflicts those three deadly wounds. Such a person deserves to be cut off. On this subject St. Jerome speaks nearly in the same way: Ille qui detrahit, et se, et illum qui audit, demergit; "He who slanders ruins both himself and him who hears him;" he might have added, and him who is slandered, for this is often the case; the innocent are ruined by detraction.

A high look and a proud heart] One who is seeking preferment; who sticks at nothing to gain it; and one who behaves himself haughtily and insolently in his office.

Will not I suffer.] lo uchal, I cannot away with. These persons especially will I drive from my presence, and from all state employments.

‏ Psalms 101:7-8

Verse 7. He that worketh deceit-that telleth lies] I will expel from my court all sycophants and flatterers. Tiberius encouraged flatterers; Titus burned some, banished several others, and sold many for slaves.

Verse 8. I will early destroy] I will take the first opportunity of destroying all the wicked of the land. I will purify my court, purge Jerusalem, and cleanse the whole land of every abomination and abominable person; so that the city of my God, where holiness alone should dwell, shall indeed become the Holy City; that the state may be made prosperous, and the people happy. Such an administration must have been a good one, where such pious caution was used in choosing all the officers of the state.

ANALYSIS OF THE HUNDRED AND FIRST PSALM

There are two parts of this Psalm:-

I. The sum, with the dedication of it, Ps 101:1.

II. The full explanation of mercy and judgment, and how practiced:-

1. Towards himself, Ps 101:2-5.

2. Towards ungodly men, Ps 101:4, 5, 7, 8.

3. Towards all good men, Ps 101:6.

I. The sum of the Psalm, mercy and judgment, the two great virtues of a king.

1. Mercy in countenancing, giving audience, judging, and rewarding the good.

2. Judgment in discountenancing, being a terror to and punishing the evil doers.

II. He begins with his own reformation and that of his house, that he may set a godly example to his kingdom.

1. "I will behave myself wisely:" most act foolishly; I shall be guided by Divine wisdom.

2. "I am in a perfect way:" I have professed to believe in the God of Israel, and I must walk suitably to this profession.

3. "When wilt thou come unto me?" I am sincere in my resolves; but without thee I can do nothing. Stand by me, and I will walk uprightly.

In his house he resolves, "I will walk within my house with a perfect heart."

1. "I will walk:" it shall be my constant employment.

2. "I will walk in my house:" I will see that my family fear God.

3. "I will walk with a perfect heart:" I shall do nothing for show; all shall be sincere and pious.

In order to walk in this perfect way, he promises,-

1. "I will set no wicked thing before my eyes:" evil desires enter more frequently into the soul by the eye than by any of the other senses.

2. "I hate the work of them that turn aside:" he that would leave sin must hate and abhor it: he that leaves God is an object of abhorrence.

3. "It shall not cleave to me:" it will cleave to him who cleaves to it. He who does not hate it, will cleave to it.

He shows what he will be towards the ungodly.

1. "A froward heart shall depart from me:" the headstrong, stubborn, and refractory.

2. "I will not know the wicked:" I shall not only not approve of such, but I will cultivate no acquaintance with them.

These wicked persons he particularizes. They are,

1. Slanderers: "Him that slandereth his neighbour I will cut off."

2. The ambitious: "Him that hath a high look," who wants influence and honour.

3. The proud: the haughty, who thinks all born to be his vassals.

How he will treat the godly.

1. "His eye shall be upon the faithful." Of them he will take especial care; he shall dwell with me.

2. The truly religious, "he that walks in a perfect way," shall be employed by himself. "He shall serve me."

He farther states what he will do in reference to the ungodly.

1. No fraudulent person shall dwell in his house: "He that worketh deceit," &c.

2. Liars shall be banished out of his sight.

In this work he tells us how he would proceed.

1. "I will early destroy." I will make despatch, that the land be not polluted.

2. The end, in reference to the Church: "I will cut off the wicked from the city of the Lord." The city, the seat of government, the place of God's altars, must be kept pure. There must be a thorough, a radical reform. No corruption or abuse, either in things political, domestic, or religious, shall be tolerated. All must be holy, as he who has called us is holy. This was a reformation according to God's word; not according to the caprice of the multitude.