Be It Resolved? Part 5

Be It Resolved? Part 5
Monday, February 13, 2023 by Dr. James Walraven

Categories: Contemporary issues / Encouraging words / Scripture discussion / Spiritual deception / Spiritual warfare / The church / Thought for Today

Who we spend time with matters. As we saw in the previous post, in Psalm 1:1, if we spend time with the wicked, sinners, and scoffers, that is what we will become. Rather, we are to spend time meditating on God’s law, His Word.

God, through David, in Psalm 101 provides more details. For our purposes, verses 2–7 (NAU) are worth quoting in full:

“I will give heed to the blameless way. When will You come to me? I will walk within my house in the integrity of my heart. I will set no worthless thing before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not fasten its grip on me. A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will know no evil. Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy; No one who has a haughty look and an arrogant heart will I endure. My eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me; He who walks in a blameless way is the one who will minister to me. He who practices deceit shall not dwell within my house; He who speaks falsehood shall not maintain his position before me.”

We see a clear contrast between the things and people David will have nothing to do with and the things and people David will allow in his presence, to minister to him.

What David will not allow include: any worthless thing; those who fall away; those who are perverse and do evil; those who slander (i.e. lie); those who are haughty and arrogant; those who practice deceit and falsehood. What David will give heed to: the blameless way; the faithful of the land; those who walk in a blameless way.

What is the key distinction? One group has total disregard for God, are perverse, and do evil; the other group walks blamelessly and are faithful. One way involves worthless things, the other way is blameless.

The Hebrew word for “worthless thing” has several meanings. It can indeed to refer to a thing that is worthless, but the word also has a strong moral component to it. It can refer to a person who is worthless, who is good-for-nothing, immoral, corrupt, who promotes rebellion. The word eventually evolved into a proper name for Satan: Belial (see 2 Corinthians 6:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:3). In a very indirect sense, one could almost say that David was saying that he would put nothing of Satan before his eyes (yes, that is an indirect inference).

What are we placing before our eyes? What do we spend our time doing? Do we spend most of our time shopping, following sports, playing games—some of which played certain ways could influence us directly towards the demonic—or do we spend our time thinking about God’s Word and His ways?

Who do we let minister to us? Do we let those whose ways are blameless and faithful minister to us or those who scoff at God, living in ways that are contrary to His Word? If we truly desire to change, to live differently, to become closer to God, the answer of which group to choose is clear.

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