Listen here to>>> Psalm 101
Yesterday I was meditating on
Psalm 101. It is about evil and how to
deal with it.
That's a pretty heavy topic, but since horrible things are in the news every day now, it is definitely timely.
The Psalmist makes his attitude very clear:
“The deeds of faithless men I
hate;
They will not cling to me.
Men of perverse heart shall be
far from me;
I will have nothing to do with
evil.” [Ps 101: 3b, 4]
Why?
I think that the whole poem reveals this reason:
Because
the Lord is just
as well as loving,
I will choose my companions with
care.
So, here is what to avoid and what to embrace when it comes to friends and associates.
What to avoid
|
What to
embrace
|
Vile (vs. 8)
|
Sing praise (vs. 1)
|
Faithless (3)
|
Love and justice (1)
|
Perverse (4)
|
Blameless life (2)
|
Evil (4)
|
Blameless heart (2)
|
Slander (5)
|
Faithful (6)
|
Haughty (5)
|
Blameless walk (6)
|
Proud (5)
|
|
Deceit (7)
|
|
Speaks falsely (7)
|
|
Wicked (8)
|
|
Evil doer (8)
|
|
This psalm teaches us how to
deal with evil actions and treat evil people. We need to avoid where we can, reject where we must, and keep our own hearts and actions pure in the process. Here's a further list of tips:
At home – make sure what I do is pure
At home – make sure what I see is pure
Hate – actions of the
faithless
Shake off – actions of the
faithless
Keep far away from -- men of perverse heart (who think evil is good)
Have no dealings – with evil
Put to silence – person who
slanders neighbor
Don’t put up with – person with
haughty eyes and proud heart
Don’t live with – person who practices
deceit
Don’t hang around – person who
lies
Silence at every chance –
the wicked
Reject and cast out – every evil doer
Why do we need to have these boundaries? Because if we don't exclude from our inner circle those who are bent on doing wrong, we will be victimized by them, and ultimately become like them.
"Bad company corrupts good morals." 1Cor. 15:33
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