May the Lord grant you grace as you are a “man of integrity” within your own home. We continue this week in our look at the man of integrity from Psalm 101. This week we are going to focus on what a man of integrity “looks at” within his home. The Psalmist states the following about his desire to be a man of integrity—one who “gives heed to the blameless way.” He says at the beginning of verse 3, “I will set no worthless thing before my eyes.” Let’s take a look today at what it means to have the sight of the blameless way in our eyes.
The word “worthless” here is from the Hebrew word “beliyyaal” which has as its most basic meaning that of utter worthlessness. The word always has a very strong moral component to it and therefore has the idea of wickedness and something that is good for nothing at all. In the Septuagint (the Greek version of the Old Testament) this word was used as a personal name for Satan. Those who were of the most corrupt and godless character were called, “sons of beliyyaal,” and were seen as being in rebellion against God’s moral authority. Therefore the blameless man who seeks to maintain integrity in his home is careful not to put anything that is morally worthless and base before his eyes. Note also that he does this by making strong choices against it. He has a will SET in God’s direction—a will that is SET according to God’s moral compass and the Word of God. This will not be easy in our society. It requires hard choices—and choices that may seem legalistic to others around you.
How do we live this way then? How do we live as men who do not want to set any morally worthless thing before our eyes? First, we must set the Word of God before our eyes—for through His Word God will begin clearly defining what is and is not morally worthless. Here are a few. In the Old Testament we are told not to look upon the nakedness of anyone other than our wife—and that is to be done in the marriage bed as a holy thing. Well, that pretty much rules out R-rated movies (and for that matter a large number of PG-13 rated ones where the nakedness of others is paraded before us on a regular basis.) Then there is the passage in Ephesians that says, “. . . And there must be no filthiness and silly talk or coarse jesting, which are not fitting . . . “ Filthiness is defined by the Amplified Bible as obscenity or indecency.” So, all things which are in these categories are out as well. I hate to say it, but this pretty much rules out probably 90-95% of what is on television and what is in the movie theaters. Here is where we will hear the accusations of legalism come out. But those who do this miss that Scripture tells us that it is the “grace of God that teaches to say no to ungodliness.”
Let me ask a question at this point about the moral sloppiness that is based on this “non-teaching” grace of today. Where has it led us? How is it morally in the church today? Has the practice of being lenient with our eyes brought great blessing to our marriages? Has it blessed us with great moral fiber and steadfastness? The eyes are the windows into our souls. What we allow to pass through them has the ability to bless us—or torture us with temptation and unnecessary trials. A man who desires to be blameless and maintain integrity in his home will guard his eyes, and make sure that he places NOTHING worthless before them. This is part and parcel of why he continues as a blameless man.
The word “worthless” here is from the Hebrew word “beliyyaal” which has as its most basic meaning that of utter worthlessness. The word always has a very strong moral component to it and therefore has the idea of wickedness and something that is good for nothing at all. In the Septuagint (the Greek version of the Old Testament) this word was used as a personal name for Satan. Those who were of the most corrupt and godless character were called, “sons of beliyyaal,” and were seen as being in rebellion against God’s moral authority. Therefore the blameless man who seeks to maintain integrity in his home is careful not to put anything that is morally worthless and base before his eyes. Note also that he does this by making strong choices against it. He has a will SET in God’s direction—a will that is SET according to God’s moral compass and the Word of God. This will not be easy in our society. It requires hard choices—and choices that may seem legalistic to others around you.
How do we live this way then? How do we live as men who do not want to set any morally worthless thing before our eyes? First, we must set the Word of God before our eyes—for through His Word God will begin clearly defining what is and is not morally worthless. Here are a few. In the Old Testament we are told not to look upon the nakedness of anyone other than our wife—and that is to be done in the marriage bed as a holy thing. Well, that pretty much rules out R-rated movies (and for that matter a large number of PG-13 rated ones where the nakedness of others is paraded before us on a regular basis.) Then there is the passage in Ephesians that says, “. . . And there must be no filthiness and silly talk or coarse jesting, which are not fitting . . . “ Filthiness is defined by the Amplified Bible as obscenity or indecency.” So, all things which are in these categories are out as well. I hate to say it, but this pretty much rules out probably 90-95% of what is on television and what is in the movie theaters. Here is where we will hear the accusations of legalism come out. But those who do this miss that Scripture tells us that it is the “grace of God that teaches to say no to ungodliness.”
Let me ask a question at this point about the moral sloppiness that is based on this “non-teaching” grace of today. Where has it led us? How is it morally in the church today? Has the practice of being lenient with our eyes brought great blessing to our marriages? Has it blessed us with great moral fiber and steadfastness? The eyes are the windows into our souls. What we allow to pass through them has the ability to bless us—or torture us with temptation and unnecessary trials. A man who desires to be blameless and maintain integrity in his home will guard his eyes, and make sure that he places NOTHING worthless before them. This is part and parcel of why he continues as a blameless man.
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