How do we praise God for His justice? This psalm makes it clear that we must not stop with the songs we sing in worship. Instead, David is determined to live out that same kind of justice in his own life by carrying out his royal responsibilities in a godly way.

Now, it’s easy to see how an ancient king could make such promises. As well as being personally responsible for his people’s safety, such an absolute monarch was both lawgiver and judge. So, no one could prevent him from destroying any wicked people he might find within his jurisdiction (verse 8). It would be easy for him to stamp out not only the slanderers, but the proud and the arrogant (verse 5).

Well, with our American belief in the rule of law and the separation of powers, opposing wickedness is a much less efficient process – our history has shown that it can take decades to change laws that allow practices such as slavery or abortion. But every elected official has both the right and the responsibility to choose good and godly advisors, as well as to reject those who speak falsehood (verses 6 and 7). So who can doubt that we voters should apply the same standards to those who stand for public office?

Moreover, because all Americans have both the right and the responsibility to participate in government through the ballot box and the jury box, as well as by serving in the armed forces and giving true testimony on the witness stand, we are all called to pursue justice, just as David was. That means if we want our states and our Federal Republic to reflect God’s righteousness, each of us must live in a blameless way (verse 2), focusing our hearts and minds not on fleeting feelings or passing fancies, but on God’s will alone.

No, if we want our homes and our society to reflect God’s lovingkindness – His unconditional, self-sacrificial, covenant-keeping love – we can’t just sing about it in public worship. No, we have to live out our profession of faith with integrity, demonstrating the love and truth and justice of Jesus in everything we say and do. There’s just no other way truly to worship God, devoting all we are and all we have to Him.

Psalm 101 (NASB)

A Psalm of David.
I Will sing of lovingkindness and justice, To Thee, O LORD, I will sing praises.
2 I will give heed to the blameless way. When wilt Thou come to me? I will walk within my house in the integrity of my heart.
3 I will set no worthless thing before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not fasten its grip on me.
4 A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will know no evil.
5 Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy; No one who has a haughty look and an arrogant heart will I endure.
6 My eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me; He who walks in a blameless way is the one who will minister to me.
7 He who practices deceit shall not dwell within my house; He who speaks falsehood shall not maintain his position before me.
8 Every morning I will destroy all the wicked of the land, So as to cut off from the city of the LORD all those who do iniquity.