Sharper Iron — Time in the Psalms - Psalm 101: A King Needs Integrity of Heart

Knowing the mercy of the LORD, who reigns as King over all creation, David sings the LORD’s praises and meditates on His blameless way. From that faith, David vows to reign with integrity of heart by looking to the LORD alone and rejecting the path of evil endorsed by the devil and the world. The slanderous, the arrogant, and the false have no place in David’s reign, regardless of their outward appearances. Instead, David looks with favor upon the faithful who share the true faith in the LORD. Although David does not live up to the vows he makes, nor do any other sinners, the Lord Jesus is the perfect King who rules with such righteousness to make us His holy people.

Rev. Brian Flamme, pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and School in Roswell, NM, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Psalm 101.

To learn more about Immanuel Lutheran, visit www.immanuelroswell.org.

Join Sharper Iron this summer to study selected Psalms. In the Psalter, God speaks His Word to us and teaches us how to speak back to Him in prayer. Even in the great variety of the Psalms, each one points us to our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. Timothy Appel, looks at the text of Holy Scripture both in its broad context and its narrow detail, all for the sake of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen for sinners. Two pastors engage with God’s Word to sharpen not only their own faith and knowledge, but the faith and knowledge of all who listen. Submit comments or questions to: listener@kfuo.org

Sharper Iron is underwritten by Lutheran Church Extension Fund. Together in faith, LCEF helps to start, sustain and strengthen LCMS ministries through financial and strategic partnerships. Visit lcef.org.

Psalm 101

I Will Walk with Integrity

A Psalm of David.

101 I will sing of steadfast love and justice;
    to you, O Lord, I will make music.
²I will ponder the way that is blameless.
    Oh when will you come to me?
I will walk with integrity of heart
    within my house;
³I will not set before my eyes
    anything that is worthless.
I hate the work of those who fall away;
    it shall not cling to me.
⁴A perverse heart shall be far from me;
    I will know nothing of evil.

⁵Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly
I will destroy.
Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart
I will not endure.

⁶I will look with favor on the faithful in the land,
that they may dwell with me;
he who walks in the way that is blameless
shall minister to me.

⁷No one who practices deceit
shall dwell in my house;
no one who utters lies
shall continue before my eyes.

⁸Morning by morning I will destroy
all the wicked in the land,
cutting off all the evildoers
from the city of the Lord.

Rev. Timothy Appel

Although a mathematics degree may not be incredibly helpful to (proudly born-and-raised Texan) Rev. Timothy Appel while hosting Sharper Iron, his love of CFW Walther and the season of Easter will come in handy. His Call is shepherding the flock at Faith Lutheran Church in Godfrey, Illinois, and he’s also husband to wife Kristin and dad to their growing basketball team of children. When he’s not carrying out pastoral duties, you may find him reading “The Lord of the Rings,” snacking on Reese’s peanut butter cups, playing dominoes with his boys, or studying up on Texas history (including Sam Houston, of course).