Walking with Integrity

This past year we talked with a pastor friend and his wife to seek counsel on how to handle a specific situation. They had gone through something similar, and a key piece of wisdom they gave us (that we have tried to follow) is to walk with integrity no matter what. There are many temptations that come to us in our circumstances. Some of the tempting responses can even seem justified, but that doesn’t mean it is the response of one walking with integrity, being blameless. As we have seen with our friends, walking with integrity isn’t about one decision in one circumstance. It is a lifetime of committing to walk with integrity every day. Our friends’ original situation happened several years ago, and yet there are temptations regarding that original situation that still creep up. They are resolved to keep walking with integrity and not let time weaken their resolve.

David wrote about walking with integrity in Psalm 101.

1I 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.

6 I 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.

7 No 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.

Before David makes his resolution to walk with integrity, he fixes his gaze on God and praises God for His steadfast love and justice (vs 1). Praise reminds us of God’s character. It reminds us of what God has done. It reminds us that God is still the same faithful, loving and just Father that He has always been and always will be. Praising God puts our circumstances in the proper perspective.

David knows he has no hope of walking with integrity apart from God. He needs God’s presence and enabling (vs 2 – Oh when will You come to me?). We are no different. We may have good intentions of walking with integrity, but we cannot walk with integrity without the Holy Spirit’s sanctifying work in us. This is made possible by Jesus who walked with integrity every second of His life making Him the only One who could atone for our sin including our failure to walk with integrity.

What does walking with integrity look like? Although David describes integrity in more detail in verses 3-8, he gives us the word blameless in verse 2 (same root word as integrity). To walk with integrity means we walk perfectly. It means we are people of moral character as defined by God’s own character and His Word. When we know God’s Word, we know what is perfect, righteous, and holy. You can see why David began this Psalm with praising God and seeking God’s presence.

Let’s pause for a moment. When we read about David, we find he had some amazing moments of walking with integrity. He was anointed king of Israel while Saul was still king. Saul out of jealousy sought to kill David, but David, walking with integrity, did not kill or harm Saul when he had the chance even though many would say he would’ve been justified in doing so. Instead, he trusted God’s timing and sovereignty. He showed mercy to Saul. He walked with integrity.

But David also had times of running in the complete opposite direction of integrity. He lusted after and then raped Bathsheba. To cover it up, he lied, manipulated, ordered Bathsheba’s husband Uriah killed in battle. This is not a picture of a man walking with integrity.

From a timeline of when each Psalm was likely written, David wrote Psalm 101 after his multiple sins surrounding Bathsheba. We know from David’s response to Nathan’s confrontation (2 Samuel 12), and David’s Psalm of repentance (Psalm 51) that David learned from his sin. I don’t know if that is what later prompted him to write Psalm 101 or not, but David gives us four resolutions that he made for walking with integrity.

First, David resolved to walk with integrity. I know that may seem obvious, but walking with integrity isn’t always an easy path. We may face consequences for choosing the right thing. A few days ago, I read that everyone in the underground church in Kabul was killed for their faith. I also read that they had resolved beforehand, even the children, that they would not deny Christ. They knew what ISIS did to Christians and still resolved to walk with integrity. (I did not fact check this.)

Similarly, Daniel determined not to defile himself by eating or drinking what God had forbidden (Daniel 1:8), and he continued to pray to God even when he knew the king had signed a decree stating anyone who prayed or petitioned someone other than the king would be thrown into the lions’ den (Daniel 6). Daniel didn’t wait until he was faced with a situation to decide how he would respond. It’s too easy to be surprised or overwhelmed by emotions or pressure. Daniel and David resolved before a situation ever arose that they would walk with integrity.

I think it is important to notice that David said he would walk with integrity of heart within my house. He resolved to walk with integrity both publicly and privately. Just this past year, someone I know who seemed to walk with integrity publicly was found to be living quite the opposite privately. We can often fool people with a spiritual façade, but God sees our heart and knows our thoughts. He knows who we are, and what we do in private when no one else is looking. We must resolve to walk with integrity in public and in private.

Second, David resolved that he would stay away from sin (vs 3-4). In verse 3, he determines that he will not set anything worthless before his eyes. This again reminds me of his sin against Bathsheba. He looked at Bathsheba, and he kept looking. He cultivated and then acted on his lust for her. In Psalm 101 David tells us to take preventive measures. Don’t even look at anything you know is sin or will tempt you to sin. The same can be said for what we listen to or participate in. Don’t even take that first little glance. Avoid it.

There will be times we cannot avoid temptations, but David says that he hates the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me (vs 3b). Joseph was set up by Potiphar’s wife, but he did not let her cling to him while giving a dissertation on adultery. No, he ran! He further adds that a perverse heart will be far from me, and I will know nothing of evil. He is not allowing for anything questionable at all to be tolerated. No compromise. The writer of Hebrews puts it this way, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us (Hebrews 12:1) (emphasis added).

Third, David resolves to protect what is right. He illustrates this by his relationships. In verse 5, he resolves to protect what is right by not having close associations with those who pursue sin particularly slanderers, the haughty, and the arrogant. I had to re-read this a couple times and look up a commentary because I wasn’t sure if David had switched to God’s voice saying he would destroy the slanderer and would not endure the haughty and arrogant. It is David. He feels that strongly (not that it means we should rush out to destroy anyone). Proverbs echoes David when Solomon counsels that association with fools will cause us harm (Proverbs 13:20b).

Contrasted with the bad associations, David desires to keep the faithful close to him. He knows that those whose walk is blameless will minister or impact him for the good (verse 6). Faithful, blameless friends will protect what is right. David wants friends who are walking with integrity because they will encourage him to do the same (Proverbs 27:17; 13:20a).

Fourth, David resolves to respond against any wrong or sin. David will not allow someone to remain in his home or before his eyes who is deceitful or lying (vs 7). Daily David will destroy all the wicked and cut off the evildoers from the city of the Lord. Again, I don’t think we are being given license to destroy anyone. We are commanded to lovingly confront and restore those in sin (Galatians 6:1). I believe David’s point is that he will not tolerate ongoing, unrepentant sin in his presence (in my house, before my eyes). It goes back to those he will not keep close company with (unbelievers) if he wants to walk with integrity himself.

David does not take a middle ground in this Psalm. Jesus didn’t either although he presented it in a different way, “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut if off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell” (Matthew 5:29-30).

I would like to end this with focusing on Jesus for two reasons. He is our example. He lived blamelessly. He walked with integrity. He sought time alone with the Father. He was committed to doing the Father’s will even unto death. He knew Scripture. He was resolved before hand to walk with integrity no matter what temptation came to Him, and He was faced with all the temptations that you and I are. Although He didn’t keep close company with unbelievers, Jesus did spend time with them to teach them about God, love them and confront their sin. Jesus‘ closer companions, the disciples, wanted to learn to walk with integrity especially the three Jesus was closest to, Peter, James and John.

Two, because Jesus walked with integrity every second of his life, when you and I fail to walk with integrity (and we will), the Father still sees us with Jesus’ perfect record of integrity, His blamelessness, His righteousness. Our sin does not define us. Christ’s righteousness does, so with grateful hearts, we can resolve to walk with integrity.

Reflections

1) Take time to praise God and confess your need for Him. Ask Him to help you walk with integrity.

2) In your resolve to walk with integrity, is there a specific temptation or two that you need to pray about and take preventive action for avoiding it if possible? What can you purpose ahead to do if you can’t avoid it?

3) Are there people in your life that you are close to that hinder your walk with integrity? Are there people in your life that you need to draw closer to that would encourage your walk with integrity?

4) What sin are you tolerating in your presence that you need to separate from? Some things we may think of as neutral or not having an effect, but think of it in terms being called blameless. Is it causing you or someone else to stumble? Sometimes the things that hinder us walking with integrity are subtle but remember that David (and God) did not allow compromise.