John Calvin–The Psalms are an “anatomy of the soul,” fully articulating every facet of the cost and joy of life with God.
Walter Brueggemann, The Message of the Psalms: A Theological Commentary (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1984), 17.
The Psalms are an encyclopedia of your heart, its emotions, and the seasons of life. In the Psalms, you will find what you are feeling and be instructed so that you might find joy and rest in God. One great attribute of the Psalms is they allow all people at different levels of maturity, emotion, and understanding to enter in and find daily nourishment to encourage the soul. The source of joy, encouragement, and comfort is in the authorship of God, who reveals Himself to us through Jesus.
1 I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O Lord, will I sing.
“Sing” As a royal psalm, this psalm would have been used at court. We can imagine a court with singers and instruments. We could imagine something more simple with a few singers and perhaps a few instruments as the song is read or chanted before the king.
But we can also imagine a court with hundreds of singers and instruments. In 1 Chronicles 25:7, David’s court mentions 288 full-time musicians and singers.
Psalm 101 could be read or sung in David’s court before he would hear cases for which he would give a judgment. Imagine what our government would be like if it took the time to hear God’s word before making judicial decisions about the law.
This psalm calls for the king to remember two key points as he considers the matters before him. Verse one mentions mercy and judgment.
Definitions: Mercy, kindness, lovingkindness “Khesed”
Ruth is an example of someone showing this mercy or Khesed. When Naomi could offer nothing to Ruth, Ruth vowed to stay with Naomi no matter what. Ruth had many opportunites to leave Naomi for something “better”, but she loyal stayed and loved Naomi when she was a widow without children. Later Boaz recognized all that Ruth did and said she showed “khesed”.
Ruth 3:10 And he said, Blessed be thou of the Lord, my daughter: for thou hast shewed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich.
Ultimately, it is God who shows mercy to people who don’t deserve it. Jacob was a liar and deceived his own family. He didn’t deserve any special favor, but God showed him this kindness anyway—not because Jacob deserved it, but because mercy is who God is. Later, Jacob finally realized this and worshipped God.
Genesis 32:10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant…
When the Hebrews Moses was leading through the wilderness betrayed God and called for a new leader to take them back to Egypt, Moses could do nothing else but ask God to forgive them, not because they deserved forgiveness and another chance, but because Moses knew God is a God of great mercy.
Numbers 14:18-20 The Lord is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation. 19 Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now. 20 And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to thy word:
Definitions: Judgment “Mishpat”
God wanted the Hebrews to learn His judgments (mishpat) before they entered the land of Israel. Learning and performing these judgments was a condition of the promises they received from God.
Deuteronomy 7:12 Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the Lord thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers:
If they failed to keep judgments, then God would revoke all he promised.
Deuteronomy 8:19-20 And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the Lord thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish. 20 As the nations which the Lord destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the Lord your God.
But what does it mean for the king to keep God’s judgments?
Heres some examples, the first being in Proverbs 31, written by King Lemuel.
Proverbs 31:4-5 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; Nor for princes strong drink:5 Lest they drink, and forget the law,
And pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.
Why does Lemuel say kings shouldn’t drink alcohol? Because it will pervert the judgment of the afflicted. It is particularly the afflicted that need judgment.
When Pharoah oppressed the Hebrews, God reigned judgment on him. Pharoah confessed he was wrong and perverted judgement.
Exodus 9:27
27 And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: the Lord is righteous, and I and my people are wicked.
So God did judgement when He rescued the oppressed from the oppressor.
Back in Lemuel’s proverb it says this about doing judgment:
Proverbs 31:8-9 Open thy mouth for the dumb. In the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction. 9 Open thy mouth, judge righteously, And plead the cause of the poor and needy.
So, “doing judgment” is more than just punishing wrongdoers; the king is supposed to command an administration that advocates for those who can’t advocate for themselves.
God wants his kings to do judgement for the same reason He want them to do show mercy, because God does judgement. God inner character is advocating for the oppressed.
Here is another example of a Royal Psalm that would have been played to music before the king:
Psalm 146:5-9
5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the Lord his God: 6 Which made heaven, and earth, The sea, and all that therein is: Which keepeth truth for ever:
7 Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: Which giveth food to the hungry. The Lord looseth the prisoners:
8 The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind: The Lord raiseth them that are bowed down: The Lord loveth the righteous:
9 The Lord preserveth the strangers; He relieveth the fatherless and widow: But the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.
You see, to execute judgment is to help the oppressed. Feed the hungry, relieve prisoners, open the eyes of the blind, raise them that are bowed down, preserve the foreigners, and receive the orphans and widows.
These two components are as important for us as they were for the king. If the king did not exercise both mercy and judgment, then he would disqualify himself and the whole kingdom from receiving God’s promises. Mercy and judgment are important to us for the same reasons.
There were many times David and the other kings failed to do both. Take a look at what God told Jeremiah to go say to king Jehoiakim.
Jeremiah 22:1-5 Thus saith the Lord; Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word, 2 And say, Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, that sittest upon the throne of David, thou, and thy servants, and thy people that enter in by these gates: 3 Thus saith the Lord; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place. 4 For if ye do this thing indeed, then shall there enter in by the gates of this house kings sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, he, and his servants, and his people. 5 But if ye will not hear these words, I swear by myself, saith the Lord, that this house shall become a desolation.
King Jehoiakim was being warned by the prophet. God sent him the prophet to repeat all the same things Moses, David, and Solomon had said. Jeremiah gave him two clear options: either do God’s judgments and rule your house well, or you’ll destroy your house and everyone with it.
What was the outcome? Just go down a few verses:
Jeremiah 22:18-19 Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah; They shall not lament for him, saying, Ah my brother! or, Ah sister! They shall not lament for him, saying, Ah lord! or, Ah his glory! 19 He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, Drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem.
Jehoiakim chose the later option and continued perverting justice. He didn’t use the authority God gave him to defend the oppressed. So when Nebuchadnezzar came, he besieged the city, the king was killed, and wasn’t even mourned. They buried him as they would bury a dead donkey, glad to be rid of him.
Here is why judgment and mercy is important for us also. Of course these principles are true today for those in our government. But they are true for moms and dads.
Proverbs 13:24 “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.”
As fathers and mothers we’re given authority to rule our houses and do God’s judgments with mercy.
Jehoiakim was a father. Jehoiachin was his son, he perverted judgment and lasted only three months. Nebuchadnezzar removed him, and he spent the next 37 years in captivity.
Mattanaiah was Jehoakim’s brother and Nebuchadnezzar put him in charge of Jerusalme. He also perverted God’s judgment. Nebuchadnezzar had his name changed from Mattaniah (God’s gift, diven favor) to Zedekiah (God’s righteounsess, justice). He ruled for 11 years, but Nebuchadnezzar eventually killed all his children and then put his eyes out.
Jehoakim’s refusal to execute God’s judgment and mercy paved the way for the destruction of his children. I cannot think of anything worse than for my children to turn away from God because of my own hypocrisy.
As father’s we should mark how we discipline our childen, never in anger, something that I’ve regrettedly done many times.
James 1:20
20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
You don’t have to be a drunk to pervert God’s judgments. We pervert God’s judgment when we do things out of anger.
God gives promises to the household.
Acts 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
From the time of Adam to the last king in the Old Testament, not one of them managed to live up to the standard of doing right and being merciful. Moses wrote the laws himself, but he wasn’t even allowed to enter into the land of promise because of his failure. David wrote most of the Psalms that we use to orient our lives, yet he was a murderer and a rapist. Moses, too, was a murderer. King Solomon wrote the Proverbs, but yet he angered the Lord with his wives and he turned away to worship other gods.
Let me ask you something, do murderers, rapists, liars, and the hypocritical get into entering heaven into God’s presence?
1 Corinthians 6:9
9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
The unrighteous will not inherit. Like the hebrews under pharaoh, we are slaves to sin. Unable to help ourselves.
So, like he sent Moses to deliver the Hebrews, God sent Jesus to deliver sinners.
1 Corinthians 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
In Jesus, God puts His righteousness in us. He puts his judgments and mercy into us, and frees us from sin’s power.
The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is the same power that makes wisdom and righteousness live in those who believe in Christ.
Joshua said, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
What about you and your house? Will you sing of judgment and mercy?
J. C. Walz – Faith, Fiction, and DEvotional Writing 
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