Psalm 101
As I read this Psalm I think about what it would be like to read from a non-Christian perspective. The verses about David singing of God's love and justice, would maybe be a little strange, but we sing songs about love all the time, so I think they would generally get the idea. What I believe they would struggle with is:
"I hate what faithless people do;
I will have no part in it.
4 The perverse of heart shall be far from me;
I will have nothing to do with what is evil."
As a non-Christian reading that would probably put me off at first. It sounds really judgmental and shallow. I would have a hard time taking seriously anything the author had to say from that point on, as I would be pretty offended that he would have "no part" with what faithless people do. Then to lump the faithless with the "perverse of heart" seems a bit unfair.
This would be a difficult Psalm for a non-Christian I think, unless someone were able to explain how important holiness is to God. For David, the King under God, a shepherd of the people of Israel, holiness was imperative, although David struggled with it. Understanding David's struggles though I think would help a non-Christian better understand why David is so stern about this.
That is a great way to approach scripture: what would a non-Christian think? and how would I explain it to him/her?
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