Psalms 101

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Psalms 101
A PSALM OF DAVID
[Psalms 101:1] I WILL SING OF MERCY AND JUDGMENT: UNTO THEE, O LORD, WILL I SING. 
The Almighty is our judge. HE is merciful to us. We should remember that God will judge us
And that HE is merciful and on our side.                   
 
[Psalms 101:2] 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.
God will come unto us at some time or other if we wait on HIM and pray and conduct ourselves well.
PERFECT: Hebrew "tom" connoting simple. An animal (such as a bull) that is not known to attack people is also described as "tom" or "tam". This is probably the root of the English word "tame". 
Seforno: I will conduct myself without overlording and without pride even in the privacy of my home.                    
 
[Psalms 101:3] I WILL SET NO WICKED THING BEFORE MINE EYES: I HATE THE WORK OF THEM THAT TURN ASIDE; IT SHALL NOT CLEAVE TO ME.                     
<<THEM THAT TURN ASIDE. Hebrew "satim" connoting veering away and perversion. A person is not an island. Everything you do affects others. A large proportion of prostitutes were the victims of incest as children. It works both ways. Do bad and bad will come of it and the opposite many times over. You have heard the expression "a little light drives away much darkness". This is true.
 
[Psalms 101:4] A FROWARD HEART SHALL DEPART FROM ME: I WILL NOT KNOW A WICKED PERSON.                     
 
[Psalms 101:5] WHOSO PRIVILY SLANDERETH HIS NEIGHBOUR, HIM WILL I CUT OFF: HIM THAT HATH AN  HIGH LOOK AND A PROUD HEART WILL NOT I SUFFER.
There is a difference between slandering someone and telling the truth about them. Women especially seem to need to talk about people in order to set up various barriers and social controls of their own. The Bible however does not favor such behaviour. At the least we should always be careful and try to weigh what we say before we say it.                     
 
[Psalms 101:6] MINE EYES SHALL BE UPON THE FAITHFUL OF THE LAND, THAT THEY MAY DWELL WITH  ME: HE THAT WALKETH IN A PERFECT WAY, HE SHALL SERVE ME.
God will be close to they who do good, tell the truth, do not slander others, and maintain their innocence. We may not be at such a level and think we have little prospect of reaching it. At the least we should do what we can when we can and one good thing should lead to another.                    
 
[Psalms 101:7] HE THAT WORKETH DECEIT SHALL NOT DWELL WITHIN MY HOUSE: HE THAT TELLETH LIES  SHALL NOT TARRY IN MY SIGHT.
It is important to tell the truth. It is also necessary to acknowledge the truth and our own mistakes if we make them. The Bible frequently repeats this principle though obviously there are exceptions. 
There also exist "grey" areas of reality and honesty that we should be aware of.
I heard the following case. The details MAY NOT BE ACCURATE but suppose for the sake of illustration they are.
In Israel a person pays insurance to the Government that is supposed to cover him for accidents. Because of a technicality if the accident is caused by an Arab it is almost impossible to collect the insurance money even though by rights one has already paid for it. Suppose someone who is struggling to make ends meet is involved in an accident for which he was not culpable but was caused by an Arab. Is such a person justified in merely stating he ran into a tree all by himself in order to collect the insurance money that is rightfully his anyway?? Probably not! It could be better off for everyone if he just tells the truth. If enough cases like his own occur sooner or later the law will be altered as it should have been from the beginning. On the other hand I would not want to judge such a person nor be in such a position. Truth is honesty. Who is being honest here? The Government that denies the injured party what he paid for because of a technicality? Or the injured party who changes a few details in order to obtain what should be his anyway? Could it not be claimed that the Government that represents the people would want in such a case the injured party to lie in order that the People not bear the guilt of an injustice and resulting negative social consequences? 
This is just an example (perhaps an extreme one and perhaps the details are inaccurate) but similar situations occur elsewhere in other ways.
At all events one should strive to tell the truth and not fall into a rut of deceit and self-deception.              
 
[Psalms 101:8] I WILL EARLY DESTROY ALL THE WICKED OF THE LAND; THAT I MAY CUT OFF ALL  WICKED DOERS FROM THE CITY OF THE LORD.
People who do good have good done unto them. And the opposite. We should avoid the mistake of acting like our own paymasters and standing with a stopwatch in our hand after every little good deed we did waiting for payment.                    
 
 
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