I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O LORD, will I sing.
David here sets down what kind of king he means to be once God plants him on the throne. To sing of mercy and judgment is to declare solemnly that he will rule with both justice and compassion, not as a tyrant or a fool. This psalm is his meditation and his vow.
AI summary
Commenting on Psalm 101:1-8
I will sing of mercy and judgment. He would extol both the love and the severity, the sweets and the bitters, which the Lord had mingled in Iris experience; he would admire the justice and the goodness of the Lord. Such a song would fitly lead up to godly resolutions as to his own conduct, for that which we admire in our superiors we naturally endeavour to imitate.
David paints the picture of a magistrate and householder both rightly ordered. God's dealings mix mercy and judgment like April's rain and sun; we must sing of both, thankful in prosperity and sorrowful times alike, for either way we give Him glory.
AI summary
Commenting on Psalm 101:1-8