READ Psalm 101. 1 I will sing of your love and justice; to you, LORD, I will sing praise. 2 I will be careful to lead a blameless life—when will you come to me? I will conduct the affairs of my house with a blameless heart. 3 I will not look with approval on anything that is vile. I hate what faithless people do; I will have no part in it. 4 The perverse of heart shall be far from me; I will have nothing to do with what is evil. 5 Whoever slanders their neighbor in secret, I will put to silence; whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart, I will not tolerate. 6 My eyes will be on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; the one whose walk is blameless will minister to me. 7 No one who practices deceit will dwell in my house; no one who speaks falsely will stand in my presence. 8 Every morning I will put to silence all the wicked in the land; I will cut off every evildoer from the city of the LORD.
A BLAMELESS LIFE. This is a psalm of David. The claims to be “blameless” (verses 2–3) and to have “nothing to do with what is evil” (verse 4) are not pharisaical delusions of moral purity but a king’s desire for an uncorrupt administration (“house,” verse 2). He won’t allow slander (verse 5) or dishonesty in his politics (verse 7). He seeks justice in the land (verse 8). This is a great set of ideals for all in government. But it also chastens, exposing how far human societies fall short of the vision. Most tragically, we know David and his son Solomon, the greatest of Israel’s kings, themselves violated this standard. “Happily the last word is not with David . . . but with his Son. There, there is no shadow.”98
Prayer: Lord, I pray for the leaders of states and nations, of business and commerce, of the arts and cultural institutions. I pray that honesty, wisdom, skillfulness, justice, and virtue characterize all their duties, and that their work be a public blessing. Amen.