“Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips. Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, to practice deeds of wickedness with men who do iniquity; and do not let me eat of their delicacies.”
Similarly, Matthew 6:13 states: “‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]’” In the case of Psalms, David’s perspective was that he wanted God to search and try his heart, and to root out any evil within him: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts.” (Psalms 139:23)
David had two major sins: An affair and a census. Perhaps that’s why he wanted to make sure he was in right standing with God, so he would not repeat past mistakes. Scripture records that David was very cold in the murder of Uriah. If God had not confronted him through the prophet Nathan, David could have remained cold and hardened indefinitely. For God to allow his heart to be included toward evil, all God would have to do is nothing at all. God’s exposure of him through the prophet Nathan actually set him on a new course of remorse and repentance. As an example, by not disciplining your child, non-action may effectively incline your child toward evil. In fact, the Bible teaches that if you truly love your child that you will discipline them. Non-action, in such cases, can effectively be an action. David was making a call to God for action.
[This post has been excerpted with permission from Richard Coords, Calvinism Answered Verse by Verse and Subject by Subject, © 2024.]
