When David pledges to follow the Lord and lead a blameless life, one of his vows sounds quite modern: I will not look with approval on anything vile.

It’s easier than ever for me to find something vile to set my eyes upon. Plus, in this internet age what passes for vile—disgusting, depraved, immoral—continues to shrink. In a media world where anything goes, it’s hard to avert the eyes.

Yet David’s oath makes me think. Where do I come across the vile, and when might I give it approval? Another psalmist prayed turn my eyes away from worthless things (Psalm 119:37). With so much entertainment at my fingertips, I must constantly sort the worthless from the worthy.

And what is worthy? That which feeds my soul. Outlooks moving me toward the eternal. Ideas bringing good to others. I must apply the teaching of love the Lord with all my heart, mind, soul and strength and love my neighbor as myself to my viewing habits.

I find David’s 3,000 year old pledge challenging, and I need help from the Lord to give it a go. But the good that comes to me by simply avoiding the vile pays off in my soul.

Psalm 101 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Coline Haslé