Latest / Reformed Thinking / No Wicked Thing Before My Eyes (Psalm 101) | Charles Spurgeon

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No Wicked Thing Before My Eyes (Psalm 101) | Charles Spurgeon · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome to Reform thinking. I am.
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I'm so glad you're joining us for the session today because we
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are tackling something incredibly specific and well,
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incredibly weighty. We are opening up Charles Haddon
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Spurgeon's massive multi volume work, The Treasury of David, and
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we are pointing A magnifying glass straight at Psalm 101.
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Our mission today is clear. We want to extract the core
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wisdom regarding a believer's daily life, looking closely at
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how God's absolute sovereignty and his sustaining grace dictate
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our actions. We're going to look at how this
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plays out in the public square and our workplaces.
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And perhaps most crucially, in our private behind closed doors,
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moments before we even read the first verse, we need to lay our
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cards on the table regarding the theological lens we are using.
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Both of us hold strict Protestant Reformed convictions.
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We adhere to the teachings of the Westminster Confession of
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Faith. And that framework completely
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shapes how we read King David's words.
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When we look at David laying out these massive royal resolutions
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declaring he will do this and he absolutely will not do that, we
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are not looking at a man boasting in his own flesh.
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We are not examining a man who thinks he can achieve moral
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perfection through sheer human willpower.
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It is the absolute opposite. We are looking at the grateful,
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dependent response of a monarch who knows he's entirely reliant
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on God's sovereign grace. Without that grace, David knows
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his both resolutions would crumble before dinner time.
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So here is the blueprint for our conversation.
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We are going to start by looking at the blended song of God's
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Providence, seeing how the Lord dispenses both the sweet and the
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bitter to His children. Then we will move into the
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absolute necessity of grace within the home.
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We will talk about what it means to guard our senses against the
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creeping influence of sin. And then we will look at the
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righteous exercise of authority. We will wrap the whole thing up
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by looking at John Calvin's breathtaking view of the Supreme
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Judge, Jesus Christ. We have a massive amount of
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ground to cover, and the historical background of the
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Psalm sets the stage for everything else.
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I would love for you to set that scene for us.
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What is happening in David's life right now, and how does
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that background shape these towering resolutions he is
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making? The historical background
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changes everything about how we read this text.
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You know. This is distinctly a Psalm of
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David, and scholars widely agree that it was written at a highly
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specific juncture in his life. The consensus points to this
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being composed either right as he was taking the throne over
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all of Israel, or slightly later during that incredibly tense and
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momentous occasion when he was bringing the Ark of the Covenant
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up to Zion. Spurgeon titles this the Psalm
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of pious resolutions. He points out that it is classic
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David, straightforward, resolute, devout, with
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absolutely no trace of political vacillation.
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David knows the Lord has appointed him to be king.
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He did not seize the throne by deceit.
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He was chosen by Jehovah himself.
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Therefore he purposes to behave in a manner fitting a monarch
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chosen by God. The older expositors had a
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brilliant name for this text. They called it the Mirror for
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Magistrates. It was considered the perfect
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reflection of what righteous leadership should look like in
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the civil sphere. Arthur Penryn Stanley points out
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a fascinating element here which he calls a noble intolerance.
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Now to a modern ear the word intolerance sounds purely
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negative. But when Stanley speaks of it
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here, he is not talking about uncouth manners or political
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stubbornness. He means an absolute, unyielding
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rejection of the proud heart, the secret slanderer and the
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deceitful worker. These are the outlaws from King
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David's court. David is setting himself up as a
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model. A king who does not resolve to
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do well is virtually guaranteed to do very ill.
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This ties directly into a reformed understanding of human
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depravity. The natural inclination of the
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human heart is bent towards sin. Without an intentional grace
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driven boundary, the default human condition slides rapidly
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into corruption. Therefore, David's firm
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declarations are a necessary wall against the natural decay
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of human morality. He's drawing a line in the sand,
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understanding that leniency toward wickedness in his court
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would actually be an act of cruelty toward his righteous
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subjects. But this was not just an
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isolated rule for an ancient king in the Middle East, was it?
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We see this precise standard echoing through later history,
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right? We absolutely do.
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And the historical footprint of that mirror for magistrates
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concept, it's just fascinating. William Benny tells a great
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story about this involving Lord Bacon and Sir George Villiers.
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When Sir George Villiers became the Prime Minister in the
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absolute favorite of King James, Lord Bacon wrote him a letter of
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advice. Now, King James's court was
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notoriously full of flattery, maneuvering, and, well, people
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trying to climb the social ladder.
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Bacon counseled the Prime Minister to take this exact
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text, Psalm 101, as his definitive rule for promoting
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courtiers. Bacon advised him to choose
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holy, faithful individuals rather than just people with
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comely outsides. He met people who dressed
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beautifully, who know precisely how to bow the knee and kiss the
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hand, but whose hearts are completely hollow.
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Bacon recognized that if a wise king like David propounded such
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a strict rule for his own court that a wise minister in 17th
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century England would do well to follow it.
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He warned Villiers that if he found anyone in his circle to be
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faulty or deceitful, he should take upon himself David's
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absolute resolution. There shall no deceitful person
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dwell in my house. Think about your own sphere of
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influence for a moment. You might not be a king in
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ancient Jerusalem, and you might not be a Prime Minister in King
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James's court, but you absolutely have a court of your
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own. It might be your household, your
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business, your classroom, or your local community
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organization. You have a sphere where your
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decisions carry weight, where you choose who you associate
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with, and where you decide what behavior is tolerated.
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The principles David lays down here scale perfectly to whatever
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level of authority you possess. The rejection of the proud heart
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and the secret slanderer is just as necessary in a modern
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corporate office or a family living room as it was in an
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ancient palace. The requirement for grace driven
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boundaries remains constant. Let U.S.
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Open up the text itself, starting with the very first
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verse David writes. I will sing of mercy and
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judgement, and to thee, O Lord, will I sing.
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It is striking how David takes these two completely opposite
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concepts and blends them into one song.
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How do these two distinct chords of mercy and judgement harmonize
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in a practical sense within the reformed view of Providence?
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That verse is a theological masterpiece all on its own.
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I will sing of mercy and judgement.
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To grasp this, we have to look at the Reformed doctrine of
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Providence. God's dealings with His people
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are comprehensive. They contain the light of His
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favor, and they contain the heavy rod of His discipline.
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The older writers understood this tension beautifully.
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A 17th century scholar named George Hakewill notes that mercy
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and judgement are inseparable companions in the administration
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of God's Kingdom. Hakewill calls them the two
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brightest stars in the firmament of majesty.
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You cannot separate them without distorting who God is.
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If you only look at mercy, you risk falling into presumption,
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treating God's grace like cheap insurance while you live however
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you please. If you only look at judgement,
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you risk falling into complete despair, crushed under the
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weight of God's holy standard, forgetting that Christ paid the
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penalty. Ralph Erskine provides A
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magnificent analysis of the phrase I will sing in this
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context. He breaks it down into 4
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distinct layers. First, he says the singing is
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cordial. It is not lip service.
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The heart and the will are entirely engaged.
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Second, it is humble. The psalmist is not singing
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about his own merits or his own great track record.
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He is singing about mercy extended to a miserable Sinner.
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3rd Erskine says the singing is skillful.
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It requires A dexterous spiritual musician who knows
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both the subject of the song, the complex blend of mercy and
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judgement, and the object of the song, which is the Lord Himself.
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4th Erskine says it is a firm, constant resolution.
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David repeats the phrase, I will sing, I will sing.
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He is resolving that this gratitude will not stop
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regardless of whether he's experiencing the heights of joy
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or the painful depths of divine chastisement.
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Erskine paraphrases. The psalmist is saying, I will
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sing both of my cloudy and my clear day, both of my ups and
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downs. This is the essence of resting
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in God's sovereignty. It is knowing that both the
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storm clouds and the clear blue skies are ordained by a loving
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Father for our sanctification. Haequil and Thomas Watson used
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some incredible imagery to illustrate this dual nature of
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Providence. Do we not?
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They really do, and translating their 17th century musings into
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a modern visual makes it so clear.
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Haquil paints these vivid analogies to show how mercy and
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judgement operate together. He compares them to Jakin and
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Boaz, the two massive bronze pillars that stood at the porch
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of Solomon's temple, representing stability and
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strength side by side. He compares them to the twin
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stars, Castor and Pollux, which ancient sailors relied on to
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guide them through dark, treacherous waters.
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But his best analogy is the musical. 1.
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He says that just as the treble and the bass accord the best
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music, so do mercy and judgment in the managing of God's
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Commonwealth. The high sweet notes of mercy in
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the low resonance, sometimes heavy notes of judgement, create
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a perfect harmony that neither could achieve alone.
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Thomas Watson adds an arresting picture to this.
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He says that God steeps his sword of justice in the oil of
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mercy. What an image.
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Even when the sword of discipline falls on the
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believer, it is coated in healing oil.
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It wounds to heal, not to destroy.
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Watson also points out historical fact about the Ark of
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the Covenant. Inside that sacred box there was
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both a rod, Aaron's rod, representing judgement and
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discipline, and a pot of manna representing God's tender mercy
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and daily provision. They were kept together in the
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holiest place on earth. Hugh Stoll builds on this when
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he talks about the interconnected fabric of a
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believer's life. Stoll asks what is the history
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of every poor Sinner brought to heaven but a history of mercy
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and judgement? Judgement awakes the conscience
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to terror and fear, but mercy meets the trembling prodigal son
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and falls on his neck. Stoll asks how a Christian can
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look back and see that every bitter cup had a restorative
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purpose. When you look at the dark skies
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in your own life, can you spot the rainbow of promise?
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Can you look at the difficult seasons, the financial losses,
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the health crises, and recognize that even the strictest
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chastisement is a fatherly provision designed to keep you
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from wandering off a Cliff? When a believer grasps that, it
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naturally leads to a desperate plea for personal holiness.
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How does David transition from this Grandview of Providence
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into his intense, intimate cry for God's presence in verse 2?
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The shift in verse 2 moves us from the cosmic scale of
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Providence right into the living room.
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David says I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way.
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Oh, when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with
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a perfect heart. Spurgeon draws our attention to
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that phrase right in the middle. Oh, when wilt thou come unto me?
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It is an involuntary, desperate cry of the heart.
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It might look like an interruption to his train of
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thought, but is actually the engine driving his resolution.
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This single phrase proves David knows he cannot achieve holiness
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by his own strength. He desires to behave wisely.
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He desires to walk with a perfect heart.
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But he immediately hits the wall of his own inability, in strict
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accordance with Reformed thought.
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We see here that divine visitation is an absolute
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prerequisite for sanctification. Away from God.
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We are away from safety. Spurgeon notes that godly men
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are so hyper aware of their own infirmity that they cry for help
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from God constantly. David needed a special and
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effectual visitation from the Lord before he could properly
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begin his reign or even rule his own house.
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His presence brings both wisdom and holiness.
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This is a massive corrective against moralism.
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Moralism tells us to just try harder.
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It tells us to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, to make
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better habits and to white knuckle our way to good
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behavior. Reformed theology, echoing
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David, says I have no strength in myself to do this.
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Lord, when will you come to me and supply the grace I so
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desperately need? Then the text moves to the
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concept of the house. David says I will walk within my
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house with a perfect heart. Piety has to start at home.
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Our primary duties are those within our own abode.
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If we do not have a perfect heart in the kitchen or the
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living room, we cannot keep a perfect way out in the public
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square. The private life is the true
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testing ground of the Christian profession.
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William Grinnell and Andrew Combe have some piercing
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insights on this exact point of domestic consistency.
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How do they unpack the danger of being one thing in public and
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another in private? William Girl asks the question
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that stops you in your tracks. He asks are you a St. abroad and
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a devil at home? It's a devastating summary of
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hypocrisy. Girl points out how useless it
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is to talk about our holiness if we cannot bring any letters of
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recommendation from people who live in our house.
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It is incredibly easy to put on a show of godliness when you
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step out the front door. It is easy to be polite to the
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barista, to speak kindly to coworkers, to sing loudly in the
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church Pew on Sunday morning. But what happens when the front
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door closes? What is your conscience
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regarding how you treat your spouse, your children, or your
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aging parents? Gurnell argues that it is a
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tragedy when the people who know us best because they see us when
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our guard is down, have the least to say about our
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godliness. Think about the Sunday morning
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car ride, yelling at the kids, slamming the car doors in
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frustration, and then plastering on a giant artificial smile.
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The SEC of the church greeter hands you a bulletin.
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That is the precise hypocrisy David is warning against.
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Andrew Combe gives a practical look at how this impacts the
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moral education of children. He illustrates the subtle ways
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hypocrisy destroys the home's integrity.
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He points out a parent who lectures a child's about the
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evils of lying, but then the child watches that same parent
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casually deceive their spouse about money.
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Or consider a parent who preaches about kindness and
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justice, but then tricks the child into a confession, but
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promising they will not be in trouble, only to punish the
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child the second they confess. Coombe even mentions Guardian to
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speak highly of justice, but in practice shortchange people when
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they think nobody's looking. How do children, or anyone under
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our authority, process this glaring inconsistency between
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the public lecture and the private reality?
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They process it with absolute moral confusion, and the respect
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is lost instantly. Coombe points out that children
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instinctively detect immorality. They might not have the
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philosophical vocabulary to debate ethics, but their moral
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radar feels the hypocrisy immediately.
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A child can instinctively revolt at the immorality of practices
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that contradict spoken rules. You cannot cultivate honesty in
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a child by prescribing it in words while neglecting it in
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your own actions. You cannot teach justice by
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holding out selfish bribes like candy or money as the only
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motives for good behavior, while your own life shows no inherent
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love for justice. Adam Clark brings this home with
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a striking comparison. He says it is far easier for
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most men to walk with a perfect heart in the church or out in
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the world than in their own families.
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He asks how many hours meek as lambs among strangers when at
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home they're Wasps or tigers. True religion is proven behind
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closed doors. It is proven when the public eye
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is completely removed, when there is no social applause to
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be gained, and when you are dealing with the people who try
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your patience the most. David's resolution to walk
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within his house with a perfect heart is a pledge to invisible
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integrity. It is the recognition that God
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sees the private chambers just as clearly as he sees the royal
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courtroom. And this internal domestic
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purity naturally flows right into what we allow our minds to
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consume. How does David set up the
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Sentinels at the gates of his soul in verses 3 and 4?
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Verse 3 is where David takes a highly aggressive stance
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regarding his influences. He says I will set no wicked
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thing before mine eyes. I hate the work of them that
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turn aside. It shall not cleave to me.
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The eye is the gateway to the soul.
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Charles Spurgeon references the Garden of Eden to make this
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point crystal clear. He brings up Eve looking at the
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fruit. What fascinates This site is
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highly likely to gain admission to the mind.
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The fruit first, please. Eve sight.
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And then it prevailed over her mind, and finally over her hand.
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David is being incredibly sweeping in his resolution here.
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He's declining the least, the most reputable, the most
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customary forms of evil. He will not delight in it, he
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will not aim at it, and he will not endure it.
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If wickedness is brought before him, he resolves to look away.
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Spurgeon notes that a hatred of sin is a fantastic Sentinel for
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the door of virtue. David says he hates the work of
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those who turn aside. He does not deal with mild,
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detached indifference. He views it with utter scorn.
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The language gets even more specific in verse 4, where David
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says A froward heart shall depart from me.
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I will not know a wicked person. The word froward is not one we
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use in everyday conversation anymore.
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How do commentators like Samuel Chandler and Thomas Chalmers
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breakdown that original Hebrew root?
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And what exactly is a Freud heart?
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The linguistic breakdown of that word is fascinating and highly
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descriptive. Samuel Chantler explains that
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the original Hebrew root for Freud denotes twisting or
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twining. It carries the imagery of an
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unruly horse champing at the bit.
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Picture a horse that is full of fiery impatience, fighting the
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reins, tossing its head, totally resistant to restraint.
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A froward person is headstrong. They are ungovernable.
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They twist themselves into all manner of logical or moral
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shapes just to get their own way.
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They have no truth or honor that you can depend on.
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They will trample on the obligations of religion, virtue,
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or basic decency just to gratify their unbridled passions.
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Thomas Chalmers adds another angle to this, explaining that
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froward essentially means from wardness.
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It describes a person who constantly gives way to sudden
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impulses of anger, casting forth words or deeds of impetuous
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violence. They're constantly pulling away
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from the center of righteousness, pulling away from
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the bit of God's law. David says, A froward heart
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shall depart from me. I will not know a wicked person.
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To know in Scripture often means much more than mere cognitive
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perception. It implies fellowship, intimacy,
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and approval. David is stating that he will
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not have an unruly, twisting, impatient of restraint person as
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his intimate wisdom friend. If he finds such a person in his
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inner circle, he will chase them away.
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He who begins by purifying his own heart at The Fountainhead is
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not likely to tolerate toxic compassion.
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Albert Barnes has a very visceral analogy about how this
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kind of sin operates, and it translates perfectly to our
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modern habits. How does Barnes describe the
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stickiness of sin? Albert Barnes gives an image
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that sticks in your mind immediately when David says that
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the work of those who turn aside it shall not cleave to be.
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Barnes explains that a wicked plan or a sinful purpose has a
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natural tendency to fasten itself onto a person.
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It sticks to you like pitch or hot wax or a Burr from a Bush.
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If you brush up against it, it catches on your clothes.
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If you touch pitch, it gets on your hands and it is incredibly
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difficult to scrub off. David is proactively stating
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that he will not even let the pitch get near him.
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If dirt falls upon him, he will wash it off immediately and
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never rest until he is clean. He refuses to imitate the
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crooked policy of the politicians and power brokers
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around him. Think about what we allow before
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our own eyes today. In her current era of absolute
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screen saturation, where we have a fire hose of media,
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entertainment and information blasting out is 24 hours a day,
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this ancient resolution feels incredibly urgent.
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What are you setting before your eyes?
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Are you allowing the twisting, twining works of those who turn
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aside to play out on your screens for entertainment?
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David says you would pay no Secret Service money to crooked
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practices. Are we paying our attention, our
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time and our money to media that normalizes the exact things God
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hates? Think about modern social media
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algorithms. They are designed to cleave to
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you. If you click on one toxic,
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outrage inducing video, the algorithm learns your habits and
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feeds you 10 more. It sticks to your digital
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footprint like pitch. This is not about being an out
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of touch prude. It is about recognizing human
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nature. If you consume the work of the
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froward heart, it will eventually cleave to your own
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mind. We have to be as aggressive as
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David in guarding our senses. And David doesn't stop at just
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his own mind. He takes his aggressive stance
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straight into how he structures his administration.
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How do verses 5 through 7 outline David's strict personnel
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policies regarding slanderers and the proud?
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In verses 5 through 7 we see the public civic application of
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David's private purity. He turns his attention to
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purging his court. He writes.
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Who so privily slandereth his neighbor him?
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Will I cut off him that hath in high look, and a proud heart?
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Will not I suffer? Let us look at the secret
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slanderer first. To give someone a stab in the
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dark through whispered lies is one of the most destructive
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things a person can do. It damages 3 people
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simultaneously, the person speaking the lie, the person
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hearing it and being poisoned by it, and the person being
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slandered. Why is David so aggressive, so
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unyielding on this specific point?
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To understand this, we have to look back at his life.
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During the reign of King Saul, David was the victim of
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relentless, venomous slander. While he was hiding in caves in
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the wilderness, informers like Doeg the Edomite were whispering
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lies into King Saul's ear. Doeg slander actually resulted
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in the massacre of an entire city of priests.
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Sycophants constantly poison Saul's mind, claiming David was
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trying to steal the throne. David knew first hand the utter
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misery and bloodshed that a whispering tongue could cause in
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a Kingdom. He intended to deal severely
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with such Vipers when he came into authority.
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He was not doing this to exact revenge for his own past
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suffering, but to prevent his subjects from suffering as he
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had. He resolved to lop off these
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diseased branches from the tree of his state.
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Then he targets the proud him that have an high look and a
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proud heart. Will not I suffer?
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Proud, domineering individuals who look down upon the poor as
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crawling insects are entirely unfit for public office.
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Great men often affect haughty manners to intimidate others,
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but David resolves that no one shall hold sway in his palace
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but those who have the grace and sense to avoid such abominable
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vanity. Proud men are generally harsh,
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provoking enmity and discontent wherever they go.
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A throne is never stable when it is surrounded by arrogant
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officials. There is a great historical
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quote about how this pride manifests physically.
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How do the ancient rabbits describe the visibility of
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pride? Jon Trap quotes a brilliant
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saying from the ancient rabbits that perfectly captures this
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concept. They said a man is known for
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what he is in three places in Oculus impoculus.
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In loculus that translates to his eyes, his cups and his
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resorts. But focusing on the first one
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they noted that prides it's most visibly in the eyes.
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That high look David mentions is a physical tale, is the outward
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manifestation of an inflated ego.
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You can see it in the arrogant smirk, the dismissive glance,
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the way someone physically looks down their nose at a
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subordinate. David says the mere sight of
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such people made him suffer and therefore he would not suffer
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them to remain in his presence. Instead of the proud and the
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slanderers, David outlines a totally different hiring
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practice in verse 6. He says mine eye shall be upon
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the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me.
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He that walketh in a perfect way, he shall minister to me.
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David resolves to seek out the faithful, engage their skills,
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take care of them, and promote them to positions of honor.
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Spurgeon comments that this is a noble occupation for a king.
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It is infinitely better to search the country for quiet,
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faithful workers than to sit on a throne listening to the soft,
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empty flatteries of politicians. David is using his associates
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based on their piety rather than their sheer cleverness.
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The underlying theological principle here is massive.
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Someone who is not faithful to God will not be faithful to men.
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If a man will casually cheat the God who created him, he will
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absolutely cheat the earthly master who signs his paycheck.
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We have to view this against the backdrop of ancient Oriental
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courts. In that culture, deceit was
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often viewed as a virtue. Cunning, plotting and lying were
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seen as the marks of a shrewd politician.
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You were only censured if you were not sufficiently cunning
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and happened to get caught. David's complete rejection of
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this cultural norm, declaring in verse 7 that he that worketh
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deceit shall not dwell within my house, was highly
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countercultural. Think about the modern corporate
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world. How many employers are managers
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tolerate a toxic, deceitful top performer simply because they
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bring in revenue? They ignore the rot that person
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brings into the organization because the quarterly numbers
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look good. David teaches us that a
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righteous leader must choose righteous subordinates lest he
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become complicit in their sins. This purging of the court leads
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directly into the final, sobering verse of the Psalm,
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where David takes up the sword of justice.
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How does verse 8 finalize this text and what is the timeline of
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this justice? Look like.
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Verse 8 brings the Psalm to a thunderous, unyielding
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conclusion. David says I will early destroy
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all the wicked of the land, that I may cut off all wicked doers
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from the city of the Lord. The word early requires some
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historical context. EP Barrows points out that this
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refers to the morning sessions of the courts in Palestine.
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Because of the intense heat of the day, judges ordinarily held
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their sessions first thing in the morning.
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But beyond the literal time of day, Early indicates promptness
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and zeal. David will not delay justice at
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the very outset of his government.
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He will promptly deal out justice to the worthless.
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He will leave them no rest. He will make them either leave
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their wickedness or feel the lash of the law.
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Here we must carefully delineate the differing roles of the
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private Christian and the civil magistrate.
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This is a core tenet of the Westminster Confession regarding
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civil authorities. The gospel bids private
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individuals to suffer long, to turn the other cheek, and to be
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kind even to the unthankful and the evil.
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If someone wrongs you personally, you are not to take
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personal revenge. However, the office of the
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magistrate is of a completely different nature.
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The magistrate, as the apostle Paul writes in Romans 13,
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beareth not the sword in vain. The ruler must have a sterner
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eye to justice than would be proper for a private citizen.
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Showing undue leniency to the bad is actual unkindness to the
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good. If a king favors sin by ignoring
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it, he actively discourages virtue and endangers his people.
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Therefore, the righteous magistrate must act as a terror
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to evil doers to purge the city of the Lord.
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But there is a massive theological capstone to all of
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this provided by John Calvin. Calvin nates that David's
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earthly Kingdom, with all its justice and purging and striving
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for purity, is but a faint, shadowy image of the Kingdom of
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Jesus Christ. David is pointing forward to the
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absolute King. Jesus is the ultimate judge who
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will call all hypocrites to account and permanently separate
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the sheep from the goats. We see glimpses of the seal in
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the New Testament, do we not? We absolutely do.
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When we think of Jesus is the final King executing justice, we
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only have to look at the Gospels.
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Think of Jesus inside the temple making a whip of cords and
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driving out the money changers. He overturned the tables and
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chased out the people who were turning his father's house into
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a den of thieves. That is the vivid fulfillment of
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David purging the city of the Lord.
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Jesus thinks the judge and the Savior for a time, bidding men
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to leave their sins and find pardon at the cross.
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But a day is coming when the judge will step forward.
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The New Testament tells us that judgement must begin at the
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House of God. This casts A blazing light on
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the purity of the church today. The church should reflect this
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exact zeal for holiness. Those who hold honorable offices
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in the church have serious responsibilities to keep out and
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chase out men of unclean lives. To trifle with church
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discipline, to sweep sin under the rug, to protect an
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institution's reputation is to bring guilt upon our own souls
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and injure the flock beyond calculation.
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Jesus will not tolerate the deceitful worker in His holy
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temple forever. So let us pull all these threads
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together. This text reveals that true
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grace wrought godliness involves singing a harmonious song of
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God's mercy and judgement. It involves an absolute,
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desperate reliance on God's visitation for our personal
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holiness, knowing we can do nothing without Him.
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It demands A rigorous, uncompromising rejection of
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deceit and pride, starting in our own private households and
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extending into our workplaces and our media habits.
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And it looks forward to the prompt, zealous justice of a
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king who will not tolerate wickedness in his city.
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As we bring this deep dive to a close, what is the final
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lingering thought from Calvin that you want to leave with the
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listener today? The final thought I want to
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leave with you is drawn directly from Calvin's commentary on this
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final verse. As we look around the world
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today, we see pride, deceit, and slander flourishing.
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We see wickedness elevated in high places, and we see the
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froward hearts celebrated. It often seems to us that the
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Supreme Judge Terry's too long in dealing with the deceit of
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this world. We look at the news and we cry
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out, How long, O Lord? But Calvin urges us to think of
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that morning which will suddenly dawn.
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Just as David held his courts early in the morning.
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A final morning is coming. On that day, all filthiness will
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be permanently purged away and true purity will shine forth
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with blinding brilliance. The hypocrites will be exposed,
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the secret slanders will be cut off, and the faithful will dwell
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with the King forever. So the question you must ask
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yourself is this. Are the resolutions of your
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heart and the practices of your private household today ready
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for the sudden dawn of that morning?
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What a piercing question to end on.
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Are you ready for that, Dawn? Thank you so much for taking the
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time to join us for this deep dive on reformed thinking.
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We hope this examination of Psalm 101 has challenged you,
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encouraged you, and pointed you directly to the grace of the
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coming King. Continue seeking wisdom in the
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Scriptures. Continue praying for that divine
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visitation in your own home and we will catch you next time.