Decision (vv. 6-8). We have moved from the leader’s heart to the leader’s eyes, and now we look at the leader’s will. The repeated “I will” statements in the psalm give evidence of David’s determination to serve God and God’s people successfully and be a man of decision. He would not make excuses, and he would not delay making decisions. But some of those decisions would be difficult to make and perhaps more difficult to implement. He wanted associates who were not defiled by sin, whose walk was blameless, and who would treat people with fairness. He knew that no king could build a lasting government on lies (31:5; 43:3; 57:10). Deception is the Devil’s tool, and Satan goes to work whenever a lie moves in (2 Cor. 11:1–3). Eastern kings often administered justice in the mornings at the city gate (2 Sam. 15:1-2; Jer. 21:12), so David promised to hear these cases patiently, consider them carefully, and render judgment wisely. He vowed to God that he would punish offenders according to God’s law, silencing the liars and expelling the evildoers. Jerusalem was known as “the city of God” (46:4; 48:1), “the city of the great King” (48:2), and the city God loved the most (87:1-3), and David did not want to blemish that reputation.

Was David successful in maintaining the high standard of this declaration? No, not completely; but what leader besides Jesus Christ has ever maintained an unblemished record? David failed in his own family. His sin with Bathsheba set a bad example for his sons and daughters (2 Sam. 11–12), and David failed to discipline Amnon and Absalom for their sins (2 Sam. 13–15). He had problems with his generals Joab and Abishai, and his trusted counselor Ahithophel betrayed him. But David reigned for forty years, during which time he expanded the borders of the kingdom, defeated Israel’s enemies, gathered the wealth used to build the temple, wrote the psalms, and established the dynasty that eventually brought Jesus Christ into the world. Like us, he had his weaknesses and failings, but over all, he sought to honor the Lord and be a good leader. Jerusalem is known as “the city of David” and Jesus as “the Son of David.” Could any compliment be higher than that?