Although David in this psalm is outlining how he intends to act as King, the principles are guidelines for any Christ-followers. It is a psalm of praise and personal commitment.

Verse 1 reminds me to praise God for His character, which includes both LOVE and JUSTICE. He is not the indulgent grandfather in the sky who overlooks our sin. God’s love is boundless and unfathomable, but His justice calls for righteous consequences. He is the almighty God who rules over all and is worthy of all glory, honor and praise.

David vows to be blameless in his life, in his heart and with his eyes. Wandering eyes and impure thoughts in our heart will lead us far from a blameless life, so these words are well chosen. A good reminder on your screensaver or on your refrigerator would be, “I will set before my eyes no vile thing” (Psalm 101:3a).

The rest of the psalm can be seen as a warning to be careful about our relationships. Verses 3b and 4 imply that we should wisely choose our friends. Beware of faithless people and persons who have perverse hearts; have absolutely nothing to do with evil. Small concessions to evil set in motion a momentum which leads inexorably to more and deeper sin. Any compromise of values leads to a slippery slope away from God.

Verse 5 indicates that we should recognize and not tolerate slander or “better than thou” attitudes. Of course we should start with self-examination in order to avoid judging the speck in another’s eye while tolerating the log in our own. But Galatians 6 does say to speak truth to a friend who is caught up in sin.

Verse 6 says to include in your close circle persons who are faithful and whose walk is blameless. Use God-given discernment and follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Verses 7 and 8 continue with the warning to avoid those who deceive and lie and whose character is wicked and evil. Proverbs says beware of the company you keep because you will become like them.

1 Corinthians 10:12 says to be careful if you think you are standing firm on your own, because you may be more vulnerable than you realize. It is only by depending on the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit that we can hope to come anywhere near the goal of blameless lives. Galatians 5:16 says, “Live by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”

This psalm reminds me to continuously praise God for His love and His justice and to choose to walk by the Spirit. We need all the protection God gives us because the world is a magnet of seduction to draw us away from God.