Commentari biblici

David was certainly the penman of this psalm, and it has in it the genuine spirit of the man after God's own heart; it is a solemn vow which he made to God when he took upon him the charge of a family and of the kingdom. Whether it was penned when he entered upon the government, immediately after the death of Saul (as some think), or when he began to reign over all Israel, and brought up the ark to the city of David (as others think), is not material; it is an excellent plan or model for the good government of a court, or the keeping up of virtue and piety, and, by that means, good order, in it: but it is applicable to private families; it is the householder's psalm. It instructs all that are in any sphere of power, whether larger or narrower, to use their power so as to make it a terror to evil-doers, but a praise to those that do well. Here is, I. The general scope of David's vow, Ps 101:1,2. II. The particulars of it, that he would detest and discountenance all manner of wickedness (Ps 101:3-5,7,8) and that he would favour and encourage such as were virtuous, Ps 101:6. Some think this may fitly be accommodated to Christ, the Son of David, who governs his church, the city of the Lord, by these rules, and who loves righteousness and hates wickedness. In singing this psalm families, both governors and governed, should teach, and admonish, and engage themselves and one another to walk by the rule of it, that peace may be upon them and God's presence with them.

This psalm purports to be a Psalm of David, and there is no reason to doubt that it was composed by him, though it is not possible to ascertain why it did not have a place in the collection of his psalms in the early part of the book Psalm 1-72. There are several such, however, scattered through the latter part of the Book of Psalms, leading us to suppose that this which may have been an early collection or "edition" of his psalms, became known as the Psalms of David, and that miscellaneous psalms - and among them not a few of his composition - perhaps later psalms - were subsequently "added" to the volume.

The time when it was composed cannot be ascertained with any certainty or probability. It would "seem" to have been written when he was entering on domestic life, as the psalm consists of "rules" which he appears to have laid down for himself as the head of a family, or as indicating the course which he purposed to pursue in the management of his household. As such, the psalm has a universal application, and may be useful in all times and in all places. Few questions are more important than those which occur to one entering on married life, in regard to his own conduct as the head of a family, to the principles which he shall maintain in his own dwelling, and to the rules by which he shall govern his own conduct. For one in such circumstances it is an inestimable advantage to have an inspired composition like this, indicating what is proper, and suggesting the rules which should guide one in such circumstances.

The psalm consists of the following parts:

I. The introduction - the purpose to praise God with respect to "mercy and judgment;" that is, to make these the theme of his song, Psalm 101:1.

II. His purpose to lead an upright life - a life characterized by wisdom - especially in his own family, Psalm 101:2-3. It is a purpose to "begin" life in this relation aright; "to be" an upright man in his family.

III. The principles on which he purposed to do this, especially in reference to those who should be in his employ as domestics, servants, or laborers, Psalm 101:4-7 :

(1) He would employ no "froward" person, Psalm 101:4.

(2) He would employ no one who was a "slanderer," Psalm 101:5.

(3) He would employ no one who had "a high look or a proud heart," Psalm 101:5.

(4) He would seek out the faithful and the pious in the land to be in his service, Psalm 101:6.

(5) He would employ no one who was deceitful; no one who could not be trusted; no one who was a liar, Psalm 101:7.

IV. These same principles, he says, should govern him in a higher relation - as a sovereign and monarch, for they were principles which were as needful in administering the government of a nation, as in a family; they were principles which a good man should take with him to all the public duties of life, whatever might be his rank, Psalm 101:8. Thus understood, the psalm contains important principles applicable

(a) to man or woman entering on the married life;

(b) to those who are at the head of manufacturing establishments;

(c) to farmers and mechanics;

(d) to those who occupy official positions, and who administer the government of a land - judges, rulers, princes, monarchs.

No better rules could be given to guide those who have others under them or in their employ, in respect to their own conduct, or in respect to those who shall be employed, than such as the psalmist here says should guide him.

The subject proposed, mercy and judgment, Psalm 101:1. The psalmist's resolution in respect to his private conduct, Psalm 101:2. He will put away evil, inward and outward, Psalm 101:3. No evil person shall stand in his presence, Psalm 101:4; nor any slanderer of his neighbor, Psalm 101:4, Psalm 101:5. He will encourage the faithful and upright, Psalm 101:6; but the deceitful, the liars, and the profligate, he will cast out of the city of God, Psalm 101:7, Psalm 101:8.

The Hebrew and all the Versions attribute this Psalm to David. It shows us the resolutions he formed when he came to the throne; and it is a perfect model according to which a wise prince should regulate his conduct and his government.

INTRODUCTION TO Psalm 101

A Psalm of David. The title of this psalm, in the Syriac version, is,

"for Asaph, an exhortation of David, concerning those things which are required in the ministry of the house of the Lord; and a prophecy of the praise of the conqueror, and of the perfect man in God.''

Theodoret thinks it was written by David concerning good Josiah, whom he foresaw, by a spirit of prophecy, would rise up a great reformer of the people, and whom he proposes as a pattern of perfection to others; but it was, no doubt, written by him of himself; very likely, after he was delivered out of his troubles by the death of Saul, and was come to the kingdom, since he resolves to "sing of mercy and judgment": though by the interrogation, "when wilt thou come unto me?" it looks as if he had not arrived to the height of his honour: wherefore, perhaps, this psalm was penned between his being made king over Judah, and his being made king over all the tribes; but, be it as it may, the design of it is to show his resolutions, how he would behave as a king in his court, and as a master in his family; so that it is very instructive to kings and civil magistrates, and to parents and masters of families: and as David was a type of Christ, he seems, throughout the whole, to represent him; and, indeed, there are some things in it which agree with none so well as with him; such as behaving wisely, in a perfect way, and walking in his house with a perfect heart; not suffering any evil thing to cleave unto him, and knowing none, and the like.

CI.

The best comment on this psalm lies in the number of interesting associations that it has gathered to itself. It has been called a “mirror for princes,” “a mirror for magistrates,” and “the householders’ psalm;” and many anecdotes are told of its use. Eyring, in his Life of Ernest the Pious (Duke of Saxe-Gotha), relates that he sent an unfaithful minister a copy of the 101st Psalm, and that it became the proverb in the country, when an official had done anything wrong, “He will certainly soon receive the prince’s psalm to read” (Delitzsch). “When Sir George Villiers became the favourite and prime minister of King James, Lord Bacon, in a beautiful letter of advice, counselled him to take this psalm for his rule in the promotion of courtiers. It would have been well, both for the philosopher and favourite, if they had been careful to walk by this rule” (Note in Spurgeon’s Treasury of David). “The 101st Psalm was one beloved by the noblest of Russian princes, Vladimir Monomachos; and by the gentlest of English reformers, Nicholas Ridley” (Stanley’s Jewish Church, 2:89). “But,” adds this writer, “it was its first leap into life that has carried it so far into the future. It is full of stern exclusiveness, of a noble intolerance. But not against theological error; not against uncourtly manners; not against political insubordination;—but against the proud heart; the high look; the secret slanderer; the deceitful worker; the teller of lies. These are the outlaws from king David’s court; they alone are the rebels and heretics whom he would not suffer to dwell in his house or tarry in his sight.” Tradition may, indeed, well have been right in ascribing such a noble vow to David. And very possibly this connection led to the insertion of the first verse as suited to the “sweet singer,” and also as giving the vow more the character of a hymn. That it did not form part of the original composition seems sufficiently certain from the unpoetical character of the psalm, which only in its parallelism preserves any features of poetry.

Title.—See Introduction.

In this noble Psalm a ruler addresses Jehovah. He solemnly professes his resolve to banish all baseness from his own heart, and to expel all wrong-doers from his presence, that he may be worthy to receive Jehovah as his guest, and that Jehovah’s city may be worthy of its name.

Can we accept the title which attributes the Psalm to David, and find in it the expression of lofty purpose and noble aspiration which animated him when he was contemplating the transfer of the Ark to Zion? At any rate the Psalm is worthy of the man after God’s own heart, and that episode in his life offers a natural explanation of its origin.

When the stern punishment of Uzzah’s irreverence enforced the lesson of Jehovah’s awful holiness, David exclaimed in terror, “How shall the Ark of Jehovah come unto me?” (2 Samuel 6:9), and the Ark was carried aside into the house of Obed-Edom. But terror was soon exchanged for that earnest longing for Jehovah’s Presence in the city of His choice which finds utterance in the cry, “Oh when wilt thou come unto me?”, and the Ark was brought up into the city of David. This Psalm then may be regarded as the expression of David’s solemn resolution to prepare himself and his city for Jehovah’s coming to dwell in their midst. It is a companion piece to Psalms 15, which describes the character required in those who were to dwell in the immediate Presence of Jehovah, and Psalms 24, composed in all probability for the translation of the Ark; and it should further be compared with Psalm 18:20 ff., and with “the last words of David” in 2 Samuel 23:1 ff.

No doubt it might have been expected that such a Psalm, if really written by David, would have been included in one of the earlier collections; but it would be rash to assert that this must have been the case. Davidic Psalms may have been preserved elsewhere than in these collections until after the Exile; and the compiler of this book may have placed this Psalm here after the group of “accession Psalms which celebrate the re-establishment of Jehovah’s kingdom, in order to suggest how that kingdom might be made a reality for Jerusalem under the sway of a true ruler, some second David, whose kingdom would be based upon the principles of the Divine government (Psalm 99:4).

The resemblance of some phrases to the language of the Book of Proverbs has been urged as evidence of a much later date. But the resemblances are not such as to prove that the Psalm is dependent on that Book in its present form. Much of the teaching of the Proverbs must have been current orally long before they were collected and reduced to writing.

Various conjectures have been suggested as to the authorship of the Psalm by commentators who think that it must be later than David. It has been attributed to Hezekiah, Josiah, the Maccabaean princes Jonathan (1Ma 9:28 ff.) and Simon (1Ma 14:14). It has even been regarded (in defiance of the natural meaning of Psalm 101:6) as the utterance not of an individual ruler, but of the post-exilic community in Jerusalem.

This Psalm has been called “David’s mirror for rulers,” “the prince’s Psalm,” “a mirror for magistrates,” and the like. It was “beloved by the noblest of Russian princes, Vladimir Monomachos; by the gentlest of English Reformers, Nicholas Ridley” (Stanley). The story is told of Ernest the Pious, Duke of Saxe-Gotha, that he sent an unfaithful minister a copy of this Psalm, and it became a proverbial saying in the country when a minister was guilty of misconduct, “He will soon get the princes’ Psalm to read” (Delitzsch). It is naturally appointed as one of the Proper Psalms in the Service for the Day of the Sovereign’s Accession.

It consists of two equal divisions: Psalm 101:1-4 contain the Psalmist’s resolutions for the conduct of his own life: Psalm 101:5-8 declare his intention of banishing pride and falsehood and injustice from his court, and surrounding himself with faithful ministers.

Ps 101:1-8.

In this Psalm the profession of the principles of his domestic and political government testifies, as well as actions in accordance with it, David's appreciation of God's mercy to him, and His judgment on his enemies: and thus he sings or celebrates God's dealings.

I will sing of mercy and judgment - That is, In the psalm which he was about to compose, he would make these the burden of his song; he would, in fact, by stating his views as to the regulation of his own conduct, commend these virtues - mercy and justice - to mankind, and celebrate their value. He who himself "adopts" the principles of mercy, kindness, truth, and justice, as his own guide, commends these virtues to mankind in the best way possible. No language can do it effectually, unless a man practices these virtues himself.

Unto thee, O Lord, will I sing - As commending and approving these things; as having put it into my heart to practice them; as displaying them in thine own higher administration: for a father of a family, or a magistrate, is but the representative of God.