Psalm 101: Mercy And Judgment

This is a Psalm of David, the circumstances of which we know little. It would seem that

it comes from a time when he was already king, because it speaks of his determination

to manage things with righteousness. In fact, this Psalm was often spoken of as a guide

of rulers, and has been called “The Mirror of Magistrates” and “The Prince’s Psalm.”

1 A Psalm of David. I will sing of mercy and judgment; to You, O LORD, will

I sing.

• In God we see mercy and judgment perfectly mingled together; only He can

balance these two together in Himself. Men will always err in favor of one or the

other, but not God.

2 I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when will You come to me?

I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. 3 I will set no wicked

thing before my eyes; I hate the work of those who turn aside; it shall not

cleave to me.

• These verses show David’s personal determination to walk uprightly before God.

We would express walking “in a perfect way” as “walking in integrity.” He

connected this idea to God coming to him – he realized that God dwells with the

righteous and the humble.

• One way to maintain the innocent heart of verse 2 is to not place anything wicked

before our eyes. Most literally this means no word of Belial, or the Devil. At its
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root, much of sin is simply taking into our hearts some plan the enemy of our

souls has spoken to us.

• David refuses to join in the work of those who fall away from God to idolatry.

4 A crooked heart shall depart from me; I will not know a wicked person.

5 Whoever secret slanders his neighbor, him will I cut off; he who has a

high look and a proud heart will not I suffer. 6 My eyes shall be upon the

faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in a perfect

way, he shall serve me.

• Here the thought changes to his conduct as a ruler. He will not have

relationships with crooked men, nor recognize the wicked as friends or servants.

Rulers – and all of us – should beware of alliances with evil people.

• He would dismiss from his employ the slanderers and the proud, but reward

those who are loyal and have integrity. We can see these passages as prophetic of

the Messianic King as well.

7 He who works deceit shall not dwell within my house; he who tells lies

shall not tarry in my sight. 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.

• David would banish deceitful, false people. This passage also speaks more

strongly of the future kingdom in wickedness will be quickly punished and evil

will not have opportunity to spread.

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Psalm 102: Pouring Out My Complaint

This powerful, anonymous Psalm is in David’s style, beginning with complaint and

turning to faith. The writer expresses hope that the people and the city will be restored.

1 A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and pours out his

complaint before the LORD. Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come

to You. 2 Do not hide Your face from me in the day when I am in trouble;

incline Your ear to me; in the day when I call answer me speedily.

• A common pattern in which God is implored to listen and answer.

3 For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as a

hearth. 4 My heart is smitten, and withered like grass, so that I forget to

eat my bread. 5 By reason of the voice of my groaning my bones cleave to

my skin. 6 I am like a pelican of the wilderness; I am like an owl of the

desert. 7 I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top.

• Poetic imagery describing the emotional and even physical ruin in which the

Psalmist finds himself. The references to birds speak of intense loneliness.

8 My enemies reproach me all the day; and those who are mad against me

are sworn against me. 9 For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my

drink with weeping, 10 because of Your indignation and Your wrath, for

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You have lifted me up, and cast me down. 11 My days are like a shadow that

declines, and I am withered like grass.

• Here is more Davidic language – receiving reproach all day long. He is either

being accused falsely or else mocked for his trust in God.

• Dust and ashes were signs of mourning; people would even sit in it and refuse to

move. He attributes his misfortunes to God’s anger against him.

12 But thou, O LORD, shall endure forever; and Your remembrance to all

generations. 13 You shall arise, and have mercy upon Zion, for the time to

favor her, yes, the set time, has come. 14 For Your servants take pleasure

in her stones, and favor its dust.

• In contrast to his weak and temporary life, God shall endure forever. He

expresses hope that God will indeed have mercy upon Zion, the City of God.

• He knows that the set time for God to help them has come, because the people

have begun to love Zion again. This sets forth the principle that when God wants

to bring help to His people, He turns their hearts to pray. The great

commentator Matthew Henry said, “When God intends great mercy for his

people the first thing he does is to set them a praying; thus he seeks to destroy

their enemies by stirring them up to seek to him that he would do it for them;

because, though he has proposed it and promised it, and it is for his own glory

to do it, yet he will for this be enquired of by the house of Israel…”

15 So the heathen shall fear the name of the LORD, and all the kings of the

earth Your glory. 16 When the LORD shall build up Zion, He shall appear

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in his glory. 17 He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise

their prayer. 18 This shall be written for the generation to come, and the

people which shall be created shall praise the LORD.

• The result of this intercession is that the Gentile nations will fear God’s Name and

even see His glory. In fact there is even an indication here that when He builds

up Zion His return is near. This passage has been seen by some as an indicator

of the Lord’s soon return in our day because of the building up of Zion.

• The people to be created can mean generations to come or, it is often said, may be

a reference to a people not yet existing, meaning the Church.

19 For He has looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven

did the LORD behold the earth; 20 to hear the groaning of the prisoner; to

loose those who are appointed to death; 21 to declare the name of the

LORD in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem; 22 when the people are

gathered together, and the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.

• This shows the mercy of the Lord, that His heart was to hear the cries of people

and loose them from the sentence of death. This is a great picture of our

salvation; we were all appointed to death unless Jesus came.

• Once rescued, we now celebrate His Name, and will do so in Zion when the

people are gathered together to serve the Lord. This may be a reference to the

future celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles, when the nations of the world are

invited (even commanded) to come up to Jerusalem and worship the King.

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23 He weakened my strength in the way; He shortened my days. 24 I said,

“O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days; Your years are

throughout all generations. 25 Of old You have laid the foundation of the

earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hands.”

• Here again the Psalmist thinks about his own distress, as God has weakened his

strength. He prays that God may not remove him from this life too soon, and

think s about how God is eternal.

26 “They shall perish, but You shall endure; yes, all of them shall grow old

like a garment; as a vesture You shall change them, and they shall be

changed. 27 But You are the same, and Your years shall have no end. 28

The children of Your servants shall continue, and their seed shall be

established before You.”

• We can see in this passage that the writer is content - although no doubt

disappointed – to leave the issue with God. It is God alone who is eternal and

even if he personally does not see these wonderful events, he knows that the

people of God will continue on and the next generation will be established in His

presence.

• This section is often viewed as a declaration of the eternity of Christ, and in the

Letter to the Hebrews (Heb. 1:11-12), it is viewed as something spoken to Jesus by

the Father to declare that Christ will live forever.