Psalm 101:1-8 NKJV 101 I will sing of mercy and justice;
To You, O Lord, I will sing praises.
2 I will behave wisely in a perfect way.
Oh, when will You come to me?
I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.
3 I will set nothing wicked before my eyes;
I hate the work of those who fall away;
It shall not cling to me.
4 A perverse heart shall depart from me;
I will not know wickedness.
5 Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor,
Him I will destroy;
The one who has a haughty look and a proud heart,
Him I will not endure.
6 My eyes shall be on the faithful of the land,
That they may dwell with me;
He who walks in a perfect way,
He shall serve me.
7 He who works deceit shall not dwell within my house;
He who tells lies shall not continue in my presence.
8 Early I will destroy all the wicked of the land,
That I may cut off all the evildoers from the city of the Lord.
This psalm applies to the humbler, yet perhaps more substantial, task of the governance of one’s own home. Twice here is found the expression “my house’ — “I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.” and “He who works deceit shall not dwell within my house;” (7, 2). This text can be read, then, as a text concerned with the godly governance of a man’s household.
Now the following may seem confusing but hold to the line of thought and you’ll be able to see the point. Many understand ‘economics’ as the handling of money on a grander scale, but… proper, godly governance of one’s house is also called “economics” (aka: household management).
With this new angle of looking at it, our unique Economist affirmed that if we will “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness… all these things shall be added to you.” (Matt. 6:33) The standing or falling of houses has less to do with the material of the house — for the pursuit of righteousness is the true foundation of a house. So, what sort of things are banished and who will not be welcomed in this well-ordered house? Answer: anything “wicked” and those with a “perverse heart” who have “a haughty look and a proud heart” who “work deceit” and “tell lies”!
The house in this psalm can also, of course, refer to the house of God — the great hall of the supper of the Lamb, to which, once again our unique Economist tells us, many are called but few are chosen. This psalm describes what it means not to be clothed in that proper wedding garment, the wearing of which saves a man from being ejected from that great hall into the outer darkness.
The economics of this nation (and world) are always in flux and ever left wanting. But, with this new view of the word, and being accounted fully righteous through God-created and sustained faith, the economics of your house are rock solid!
Let us pray: O Lord, keep me steadfast in Your Word! Amen.