I Praise Your Justice, LORD

Versifier: Bert Witvoet

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A pledge of the LORD's anointed to govern God's people in righteousness.

Scripture References:
st. 1 = vv. 1-3a
st. 2 = vv. 3b-5
st. 3 = v. 6
st. 4 = vv. 7-8

Psalm 101 is a king's pledge to reign righteously. As the LORD's anointed, the king praises God's love and justice and pledges to live a pure life (st. 1). In some detail, he repudiates the ways of perverse people (st. 2, 4) and declares – at the heart and center of his commitments – that only those "whose walk is blameless" (v. 6) will have access to him and serve his administration (st. 3). This psalm portrays the commitment to righteousness expected of the LORD's anointed (see also Ps. 72), an expectation perfectly fulfilled by Jesus Christ. Bert Witvoet (PHH 4) versified Psalm 101 in 1985 for the Psalter Hymnal.

Liturgical Use:
Best used with reference to Christ, the only Son of David, who truly fulfilled the Psalm 101 commitment to rule God's people righteously.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook

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