Jonathan Edwards is well-known for many things, but one of them is a set of resolutions that he composed about how he should live day by day. In this psalm, David does something similar when he lists several intentions that he wants to fulfil. Some of them are connected to his role as a king about how he intends to govern. Others are personal characteristics that he intends to develop.
David begins by stating his estimation of covenant love and justice (v. 1), two matters that are revealed primarily and perfectly in God himself. Any desires that David has for such are because of the way God has worked in his life. He is working out what the Lord has worked in him. Therefore he acknowledges by his song that all such personal progress is a result of divine grace, and he praises the Lord for bringing it about.
In verse 2, David mentions what he will think about, which is how to live a blameless life. He does not mean a perfect life because such a standard is impossible for a sinner. But it is useful to reflect on how we live in order to attain to a level that no-one can find fault with. An example of such a person can be seen in Psalm 15, and the way to become such a person is found in Psalm 1. David knows that he will need divine help in order for his desires to happen. In particular, David intends to be upright in his home life, and it is often the case that we can let our guard down there. We don’t know when David wrote this psalm, but we know that some of his biggest problems came from what went on within his house.
In verse 3, David probably has idolatry in mind – idols were worthless things. We know that Solomon was led astray by accepting idols, but here we see that his father resolved not to get involved with such practices. In fact, David hated any activity connected to such practices. Idolatry has many shapes, but David determined that he would have nothing to do with such practices. As the king, he would have wanted to be a good example in this regard.
Verses 4 and 5 point to the kind of counsellors or local leaders that David would appoint. He would not promote those who advocated evil schemes or promoted themselves at the expense of others. Instead, he would employ those he describes as the faithful in the land, those with godly hearts and aims (v. 6). Obviously, there is also an application in these verses about the kind of friends we should have.
In verses 7 and 8, he describes how he will rule. Truth will be paramount, and he will protect God’s city from evildoers. Here we have a description of David as the man after God’s own heart and the aspirations he had regarding his personal walk with God and his determination to fulfil his special calling as best he could with the Lord’s help.
One lesson for us from the psalm is to pray for righteous rulers. Another lesson is to note that it might be a useful practice for us to write out our intentions and then use them as a guide regarding how we are getting on in the spiritual life.
No comments:
Post a Comment