Fight For Integrity: Psalm 101
by Jon Huff
David, the author of Psalm 101, was a bloody man.
Yes, he was a man after God's own heart, but he was a warrior. It's the reason God did not allow him to build the temple (1 Chronicles 17). As a youth, David killed a lion and a bear; as an adolescent, he killed Goliath and proceeded to behead the giant as 1000s watched in unbelief; as an adult, he laid siege to the enemies of Israel. He was a bloody man. He was a Warrior.
Without warriors, justice is undermined. To fight is not immoral, but it is unjust to fight for the wrong cause or the wrong way. David was a sovereignly appointed King to protect the line of Christ and point to a better king who would end fighting altogether. David was created to fight and so were you.
The church has traditionally wrestled with whether war could, in fact, be just.
Augustine believed that all war should be fought with sadness and without glory.
Thomas Aquinas believed that the Almighty obligates authority to punish evil so society may flourish without fear of evil unabated. [i]
The responsible citizen must not resign to the passivity of moral decline but join in the trenches of justice. Due to the reality of sin and a broken system, war will always be part of our fleshly existence. If the believer is to fight, we better ensure we fight for the right cause.
As a child, I can remember play fighting… well, and actual fighting. In the mid 90's we had GI Joes. Men strapped with M-16s, 1911's, swords, parachutes, tanks, you name it, we waged war. I built multilayer compounds of clay and bark, heavily fortified with artillery. I could defeat any enemy in that backyard. They didn't stand a chance. I'm sure many others played Gi Joes, video games, paintball, boxing...We were made for war, and we played war!
But at some point, we forgot how to fight.
1. Fight the Right Way.
David opens Psalms 101, singing of the Lord's love and justice. God clearly has poured his love on us, but like David, we should celebrate his love and justice. To sing of his justice is to align ourselves with his righteousness. What really is just? Exodus 20 is a great start. The ten commandments provide a standard applicable to any society of any generation. We should love what God loves and hate what he hates. Scripture talks at length about God's love for his covenant people, the world, and how we should love one another. But to understand God only through his attributes of love is idolatry. Proverbs 6 provides a list of 7 things the Lord hates. Fighting occurs within the hedges of love as we align our hearts with the Lord.
2. Fight for the right things.
If we wage war on what the Lord hates in Proverbs 6, we're off to a good start. (Pride, lies, murders of the innocent, a plotting heart, wickedness, slander, and disunity.). Or we could wage war based on God's law. So often, we think we've entered a culture war, but Here in Psalm 101, David prioritizes a new fight.
3. Fight for your Integrity.
The world has enough keyboard warriors attacking fellow believers from afar over tertiary issues with no face-to-face recourse. There's no courage in that fight. Twitter is a coward's battlefield. My biggest problem is me. David said, "I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh, when will you come to me" (Psalm 101:2). The first and primary battle takes place within your mind and actions. We'll never lead our families and communities well if we can't lead ourselves well. We need to lead with Teflon integrity. When mud is slung at you, does it stick? Years back, I had to privately "edify" a sister ministry that had violated some significant rules that disqualified them from our organization. Instead of reconciliation, my board and I were met with a cease-and-desist letter from their attorney, fallaciously stating I was the one who had committed the violation. In short, they lied about me. I sought counsel from my pastor, who encouraged me to keep my mouth shut and let history speak. Thankfully the board saw through the lies, and the group quietly resigned. Like David, we all make mistakes but must strive to live above reproach. What are habits I keep that could cast a shadow of doubt on my Integrity? Are we fighting for our Integrity?
4. Fight for the character of your home.
David seeks to lead himself well before seeking to lead his household well! Verse 2 says, "I will conduct the affairs of my house with a blameless heart." This fight looks pretty dull. It takes place in the monotony of the average day. Justin Earley wrote a great book about capitalizing on the Habits of the Household. What character-producing habits are we prioritizing in our homes? Earley focuses on redeeming the rhythms of Waking, Mealtime, Discipline, Screentime, Family Devotions, Marriage, Work, Play, Conversations, and Bedtime. David says explicitly in verse 3 that he will protect his eyes. Let's evaluate our eyes. Let's consider our homes. What habits in our home affirm wickedness?
5. Fight for Healthy Relationships. David is passionate about steering clear of unhealthy influences and relationships (101:4,5,7,8). He's ready to attack evil head-on, but we do not do so alone. Isolation in the fight can be a sign of a misplaced enemy. We are better together and must surround ourselves with the faithful. My eyes favor the faithful of the land so that they may sit down with me (101:6). Sitting with God's people is a spring of life in a dry land. Surround yourself with Community. Our children should see your home as a place of hospitality where you are served and serve others. Who are you consistently sharing meals with?
[i] Dondelinger, J. M. (2006). Charles, J. Daryl. between pacifism and jihad: Just war and Christian tradition. Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 18(1), 193–195. https://doi.org/10.5840/jis2006181/213
[ii] https://open.spotify.com/episode/4AnLpHnVDFTvgdIJOXbm0l?si=WLJy-gvfQCmWL1LZ QFLRiQ&nd=1)
Resources for you to use in your home:
