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David was a man after God's own heart, exemplifying
the obedient service of all children of God.
As king over Israel, David determined to govern
with an upright heart, punishing people for evil,
and praising them for good.
Psalm 101
Psalm 101 was written by David upon either taking
the throne of Israel, or bringing the ark of the
covenant to Jerusalem.
In the Psalm he promises to lead Israel in the
ways of goodness, and to shun evil.
In so doing, he promises not to set anything
wicked before his eyes.
- "I will set nothing wicked before my eyes;
I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall
not cling to me" (Ps. 101:3, NKJV).
Thus, he promises not to know wickedness.
- "A perverse heart shall depart from
me; I will not know wickedness" (Ps.
101:4, NKJV).
David First Set His Heart to Seek the Lord
Psalm 101 reflects the fact that David had set
his heart to seek the Lord, which was different
from Saul whom God rebuked.
- "But now your kingdom shall not endure.
The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after
His own heart, and the Lord has appointed
him as ruler over His people, because you have
not kept what the Lord commanded you" (1 Sam.
13:14).
Like Saul, Rehoboam also did evil because he
didn't first set his heart to seek the Lord.
- "So King Rehoboam strengthened himself
in Jerusalem and reigned. . . . He did evil
because he did not set his heart to seek the
Lord" (2 Ch. 12:13-14).
Before we can succeed as Christians and not
set anything wicked before our eyes, we must be
like David and commit our hearts to seek the Lord,
and do all His will.
- "After He had removed him, He raised up
David to be their king, concerning whom
He also testified and said, I have found David
the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who
will do all My will'" (Acts 13:22).
The Eye is the Lamp of the Body
On one occasion, Jesus cast a demon out of a mute
man, and the crowds were amazed. Then the Pharisees
accused Him of casting out demons by the power
of Beelzebul, but were silenced by Jesus with
the Scriptures.
After that, the scribes and Pharisees tested
Jesus by asking for a sign from heaven. But Jesus
told them the only sign they would receive was
that of Jonah, who was in the whale's belly three
days and three nights, as Jesus would be in the
earth.
Jesus concluded by saying, "No one, after lighting
a lamp, puts it away in a cellar nor under a basket,
but on the lampstand, so that those who enter
may see the light. The eye is the lamp of your
body; when your eye is clear, your whole body
also is full of light; but when it is bad, your
body also is full of darkness. Then watch out
that the light in you is not darkness. If therefore
your whole body is full of light, with no dark
part in it, it will be wholly illumined, as when
the lamp illumines you with its rays" (Lk. 11:33-36).
Jesus uses an allegory involving the physical
eye to teach us the importance of fixing our hearts
and affections upon God and heaven (cf. Matt.
6:22).
This allegory is appropriate because of the
physical eye's importance to controlling the whole
body.
For example, if our eye is clear and we see
with perfect vision, we can navigate a path filled
with stumbling blocks without any problem. But
if our eye is weak and our vision is blurry, we
will stumble and fall.
Thus, sins involving the eyes are some of the
most long lasting and harmful in which a person
can participate.
Pornography, for example, which involves the
eyes, causes great harm resulting in psychological
disorders and broken homes.
Thus as a general principle, if we keep our
eyes from sin, we will keep our whole body from
sin.
- "'The eye is the lamp of the body;
so then if your eye is clear, your whole
body will be full of light'" (Matt. 6:22).
Beware of Sins Involving Your Eyes
It's important to stay away from all sin, and
to be diligent not to give in to it for a moment.
But since the eye is the lamp of the body, we
should be extra diligent not to give into sins
involving our eyes, which are some of the most
impactful and damaging.
Besides Biblical evidence, we also know from
science that sinful influences involving our eyes
can be some of the most harmful. The American
Academy of Pediatrics recently released a peer-reviewed
study in the September issue of Pediatrics
regarding the damage to teens caused by sexual
messages in media, which has contributed to the
United States having the highest teen pregnancy
rate in the Western hemisphere.
Conclusion
As Christians, having hearts determined to do
all of God's will, we are committed not to set
anything wicked before our eyes.
This includes all forms of media, such as television,
movies, books, art, and websites.
If it's wicked, we don't involve ourselves with
it in any way.
- "But examine everything carefully; hold fast
to that which is good; abstain from every
form of evil" (1 Th. 5:21-22).
And like David, each of us can promise to God,
"I will not know wickedness!"
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