"I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O LORD, will I sing. I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart."
Psalm 101:1-2
Part 5
Yesterday: How Close Should We be to the “Things of God?”
“O when wilt thou come unto me?”
David knew the importance of the principle of proximity, being near the Lord.
“I will walk within my house.” (a)
David wants his “walk” at home to be a blessing to his family.
Today: The “Perfect Walk”
“I will walk within my house.” (b)
How did God know that Abraham was the man he could trust with His blessings?[1] God knew his “walk” and his character, that he was the kind of man who does take care of his home, and he points his family to God.
“For I know him [Abraham], that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him” (Genesis 18:19).
This same quality of “caring for the home” is a prerequisite for pastors. A pastor is,
“One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity. (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)” (1 Timothy 3:4-5).
David realized the importance of a consistent testimony at home in front of his family.
Parents, do our children see us as the same – whether at home, church or in public? Do we put on a different mask and change like Jekyll and Hyde depending upon where we are or who we are with? Each believing dad and mom needs this as a personal goal for themselves, to live by the same godly standards at home as we do anywhere else.
“With a perfect heart.”
The word “perfect” is a little different Hebrew word than the first “perfect” in this verse. This means “integrity, completeness … fulness … innocence, simplicity”[2] (BDB).
When it was all said and done, how did David “walk” at home? He definitely was an imperfect husband and father, but how did God see David’s “walk?” As Solomon, David and Bathsheba’s son began his reign as king after David, God told him that he needed to “walk before me” the way his father walked. Even with his failures, God said that David walked “in the integrity of heart, and in uprightness” (1 Kings 9:4). Amazing! The reason God said this is because he knew David’s heart. When David blew it and sinned, he dealt with his sin God’s way. Ultimately, David was honest with himself and God. His heart’s desire was to please His LORD. Clearly, he was “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14).
David’s heart was one of integrity, for he was honest with God about his sin. He kept his sin account short with Him. He was not perfect, but he knew how to behave at home in a “perfect way.”
Believing Parents, how is life going in your home? Are you a leader in the community or at work but inactive at home? Do you sing special music at church while there is fighting that is unforgiven at home? Do your colleagues and friends see you as “the saint,” while your family has an entirely different impression of who you really are? Don’t we all need God’s help with our daily walk?
“What we are at home, that we are indeed. He cannot be a good king whose palace is the haunt of vice, nor he a true saint whose habitation is a scene of strife, nor he a faithful minister whose household dreads his appearance at the fireside”[3] (Spurgeon).
“What you are in your home is what you are.”
“Dear Lord, please help me be the parent you want me to be. Help my life to be consistent at home, church, and work. Help me to guide my family to You. Amen.”
Quote: “Kids have what I call a built-in hypocrisy antenna that comes up and blocks out what you’re saying when you’re being a hypocrite”[4] (Dr. Ben Carson)
[1] God made promises to Abram (Abraham), Genesis 12:1-3, 7; 13:14-17; 15:1-7, 12, 18; 17:1-8; 22:15-18.
[2] Brown, Driver, Briggs. Brown-Driver-Briggs’ Hebrew Definitions, the electronic version in eSword. Psalm 101:2.
[3] C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, the electronic version in eSword. Psalm 101:2.
[4] Carson’s quote Downloaded: Saturday, February 13, 2021. From: https://everydaypower.com/hypocrite-quotes/.