“Belial” (be-lee-uil) in Hebrew is anything wicked, perverse or
underhanded. The word can be used to
describe a small imperfection, or an assassination plot. King David made grand sweeps with this Psalm;
he won’t tolerate Belial in his sight:
ü
Verse 2 His own behavior would be wise
and mature
ü
Verse 4 No evil friends
ü
Verse 5 Excommunication and
banishment for slanderers
ü
Verse 7 Liars banned from his presence
ü Verse 8 Everyone who
does wickedly
cut off (literally, figuratively
and legally), from having any
right to be in Israel;
this includes their families
One problem with understanding this Psalm is that it’s hard to
tell if it comes before or after Psalm 51.
Of course Psalm 51 is the well-known contrition of
David’s heart after his sin with Bathsheba.
If you take time to read that whole event (2 Samuel 11)
David’s whole heart is swimming in Belial; he’s totally steeped in
lying, evil plots, and slander of Bathsheba’s husband’s reputation – in short,
David is doing wickedness, Belial.
It would seem quite impossible for him to have written Psalm 101 after
his fall. Well, not with a straight face
anyway!
I believe Psalm 101 came first; David’s love for God caused him to
want to live his life as a perfect (mature) example of how to live before
God. And this is because he wanted to set
the right standard in Israel; he wanted to be a great king for God.
But David had a little problem understanding just how far-reaching
is the depravity which lurks in the human heart. His later fall in sin would reveal that all
too graphically and publicly, as Nathan the Prophet exposed David’s actions as
Belial!
So Psalm 101 and 51 are juxtaposition, a picture of extreme
contrasts; it’s the light of deep love and obedience to God and God’s law, set
against the background of dark living.
Psalm 101 – sets David’s speech of holiness in the forefront, while the
backdrop of Psalm 51 is full of the opposite – Belial.
By this kind of contrast we see how foolish our human resolve can
appear to others. We often fail with our
living to measure up to our preaching!
Scripture has plenty of warning about that:
If you think you are
standing strong, be careful not to fall.
1 Corinthians 10:12 (NLT)
I saw a church sign recently that said:
Children of God ought to bear the family
resemblance
A good thought toward that end might be to go ahead and declare
your love for God, but humbly remember that it is only by God’s grace you can
possibly live that way.
For You, Today…
Did you take time to pray today?
Keeping your relationship with God fresh and current has a lot to
do with how your life’s obedience to God will play out. It keeps the Belial at check.
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