Psalms · psalm 101 of 150
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Psalm 101 is a psalm of David in which a king promises to sing of steadfast love and justice and to walk with integrity in his house. He declares that he will set nothing worthless before his eyes, that he will reject the perverse heart, slander and pride, that he will look to the faithful of the land to dwell with him and that every morning he will put an end to wickedness in the city of the Lord.
The title attributes this psalm to David, and it is a royal psalm: it is spoken by one who governs. It stands in Book IV of the Psalms, after the psalms about the Lord's reign, and shows what it means for a human king to serve the true King. It is a promise of personal, family and public integrity, and it has been read as a model for any leader.
David begins by singing of steadfast love and justice, declaring that he will sing to the Lord. In verse 2 he resolves to pay attention to the way that is blameless and asks when the Lord will come to him; he promises to walk with integrity of heart within his house.
Then he lists what he will reject. He will set no worthless thing before his eyes, he hates the work of those who fall away and it will not cling to him. A perverse heart will be far from him and he will know nothing of evil. Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor he will destroy, and he will not endure a haughty look and an arrogant heart.
By contrast, his eyes will be on the faithful in the land so that they may dwell with him, and whoever walks in the way that is blameless will minister to him. No one who practices deceit will dwell in his house, and no one who utters lies will continue in his presence. Morning by morning he will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all evildoers from the city of the Lord.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The king sings to the Lord of steadfast love and justice. He joins two values that must go together in government: the kindness that forgives and the justice that corrects, because both reflect God's character.
He promises to walk with integrity of heart within his house. Public integrity begins in private life, and one who leads others must be consistent where no one sees.
He will set nothing worthless before his eyes and hates the work of those who fall away. He is careful about what he looks at and whom he surrounds himself with, because it shapes how he lives.
His eyes are on the faithful in the land so that they may dwell with him, and whoever walks in the blameless way will minister to him. A good leader chooses co-workers for their faithfulness, not their convenience.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: Of steadfast love and justice. — Psalm 101:1
Answer: With integrity of heart. — Psalm 101:2
Answer: Anything worthless. — Psalm 101:3
Answer: He will destroy him. — Psalm 101:5
Answer: The faithful in the land. — Psalm 101:6
Answer: Destroy the wicked of the land and cut off all evildoers. — Psalm 101:8
Psalm 101 is good reading for pastors, Sunday school teachers, youth leaders and parents. It asks how we live inside our homes, what we look at and whom we listen to. A small group can talk about concrete practices that protect integrity: what we watch, what we say about others, whom we trust.
It also warns against pride and slander, which damage a community. No leader fulfills this ideal perfectly, as the life of David showed, so the psalm also leads us to ask forgiveness and to look to Jesus, the King who fulfills what David promised: to rule with steadfast love, justice and faithfulness.
Psalm 101 ends with the commitment to remove wickedness from the city of the Lord. Psalm 102, by contrast, is the prayer of an afflicted person who feels consumed but looks to a God who remains forever.
The text does not say. The title attributes it to David and several scholars link it to the beginning of his reign, but there is no certainty. What matters is that it presents the ideal of a king who rules with integrity under the Lord's authority.
It is the language of a king who administered justice, often in the morning (2 Samuel 15:2; Jeremiah 21:12). It is not a call to private violence but a commitment not to tolerate injustice and wickedness in the government of the city.