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Illustration for Psalm 101: A Pledge of Integrity

Psalm 101

A Pledge of Integrity

Wisdom

This is David's personal promise to live a blameless life. He says he will not put anything wicked in front of his eyes, he will surround himself with faithful people, and he will not allow liars near him. Our choices about what we watch and who we spend time with really matter!

  1. 1I will sing of loving devotion and justice; to You, O LORD, I will sing praise.
  2. 2I will be careful to lead a blameless life— when will You come to me? I will walk in my house with a blameless heart.
  3. 3I will set before my eyes no vile thing. The deeds of faithless men I hate; they will not cling to me.
  4. 4Men of perverse heart shall be far from me; I will have nothing to do with evil.
  5. 5Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, him will I put to silence; whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart, him will I not endure.
  6. 6My eyes will be on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he whose walk is blameless will minister to me.
  7. 7No one who practices deceit will dwell in my house; no one who speaks falsely will stand in my presence.
  8. 8Every morning I will put to silence all the wicked in the land; I will cut off every evildoer from the city of the LORD.

What it means

David makes a promise about what he will let in front of his eyes and who he will spend time with. That is a surprisingly modern idea. What you watch and who you hang around with shapes you slowly, whether or not you notice it happening.

A little prayer

God, help me be careful about what I watch and who I spend time with, because those things change me. Give me good friends who help me follow You. I want to live in a way that is honest all the way through. Amen.

Memory verse

“I will set before my eyes no vile thing. The deeds of faithless men I hate; they will not cling to me.”

Psalm 101:3 (BSB)

A decision about your eyes, made before the moment you need it.

Talk about it

Questions with no single right answer — for a family table or a Sunday-school circle.

  1. David promises not to put anything worthless in front of his eyes. What do your eyes spend most time on?
  2. He says he will be careful about who he lets close. Is that wise or unfriendly?
  3. The psalm is a promise made in advance, before anything happens. Does deciding early help?
  4. What is one thing you would like to stop watching or scrolling?

Try this

What's in front of your eyes

Check the screen-time figure on a device in the house. Look at the top three things. Talk honestly about which one you would drop, and read verse 3.

You will need: A phone or tablet with screen-time settings.

Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB)