Integrity of Heart, Psalm 101

David was a sinner. He was a great sinner, committing adultery and murdering the husband of his lover. When the prophet Nathan confronted him with his sin, he confessed his sin and pleaded with God for mercy in Psalm 51.

One wonders if David wrote Psalm 101 after that incident. In this psalm, David conveys his conscious decision to guard his mind and his heart. He determines to surround himself with faithful believers who can provide godly counsel. He rejects deception and falsehood, prohibiting such evils from even entering his home.

Because he has chosen to live with integrity, David is able to sing of God's steadfast love and justice:

I will sing of steadfast love and justice;
to you, O LORD, I will make music (verse 1).

He makes an effort to change old thinking patterns by focusing on that which is pure and honorable (Philippians 4:8). Although he still feels as if God is distant, he is determined to be the godly head of his household that God calls him to be. He has made a decision to "walk with integrity of heart":

I will ponder the way that is blameless.
Oh when will you come to me?
I will walk with integrity of heart
within my house (2).

Walking with integrity of heart includes guarding his private thoughts and actions as well as his relationships with others:

I will not set before my eyes
anything that is worthless.
I hate the work of those who fall away;
it shall not cling to me (3).

He is determined to guard his mind and heart so zealously that sin will not gain even a little foothold:

A perverse heart shall be far from me;
I will know nothing of evil (4).

He will not be arrogant or participate in gossip; he will not even allow himself to be exposed to these evils:

Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly
I will destroy.
Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart
I will not endure (5).

He will surround himself with faithful believers and follow their godly counsel:

I will look with favor on the faithful in the land,
that they may dwell with me;
he who walks in the way that is blameless
shall minister to me (6).

He will guard his home and family from all deceivers and liers, even himself:

No one who practices deceit
shall dwell in my house;
no one who utters lies
shall continue before my eyes (7).

This isn't a one-time decision that David can make and then forget about. He needs to remind himself daily of his decision to have integrity of heart:

Morning by morning I will destroy
all the wicked in the land,
cutting off all the evildoers
from the city of the LORD (8).

Every day David has to thwart the efforts of Satan in his kingdom and in his heart. The fight against sin in his life, and in ours, is a constant struggle. We must never let up in our vigilance. We must decide each morning to walk this day with integrity of heart.