I will not look with approval
on anything that is vile.
I hate what faithless people do;
I will have no part in it.
~ Psalm 101:3 ~
When it comes to TV viewing these days, there’s really not much I can stomach anymore. If I need background noise, I may flip on The Weather Channel (unless they’re blaming the latest “wild weather” on manmade global warming). Other than that, NCIS re-runs, and a couple shows on A&E and the History Channel, the choices are just miserable. Honestly, I think we can blame the “idiot box” for most of today’s cultural rot.
And the best thing we as Christians can do to stop the decay is avert our eyes (and ears). Here’s some sage advice from Mark D. Roberts at the High Calling ~
Sometimes when I am out working in my shop, I put on protective eyewear. My safety goggles guard my eyes from bits of sawdust or slivers of metal that might cause harm when I’m sawing or sanding. My eyes are precious and I don’t want anything to injure them.
Psalm 101:3 urges us to protect our eyes metaphorically. The first part of this verse reads in the NIV: “I will not look with approval on anything that is vile.” The Hebrew for this sentence reads more literally, “I will not set before my eyes a thing that is wicked or worthless.” The phrase “to set before ones eyes” can mean “to look with approval,” but it also has a more obvious sense of, “to choose to look at.” The psalmist promises to avert his eyes from things he ought not to be gazing upon.
What are these things? The NIV refers to “anything that is vile.” The ESV prefers, “anything that is worthless.” The Hebrew word lying beneath these translations is beliyya‘al, which has a basic meaning of “worthlessness” and a derived meaning of “baseness, wickedness.” In saying that he will not look upon a thing of beliyya‘al, the psalm writer is not meaning he will turn his eyes away from injustice and ignore evil that needs to be seen and opposed. Rather, he is saying that he will not look with approval or with desire or with envy upon that which might turn his heart away from the Lord and his ways.
Most of us know not to gaze upon evil that might tempt us to sin, though we may at times focus our eyes wrongly upon that for which we have lustful feelings or unseemly desires. Yet, as I reflect upon Psalm 101:3, I am challenged by the notion of not setting before my eyes that which is worthless. I think of all the hours I have wasted watching mindless TV shows or envying those who have “stuff” that I desire. I confess I have lots to learn about choosing to attend to what really matters: people to be loved, goodness to be celebrated, injustice to be overcome, created glory to inspire my worship.
When we see the wonder of God’s creation…
Or contemplate of the amazing artistic achievements of the Renaissance; painting, sculpture, architecture, music – works of art that still take one’s breath away…
The contrast between the truly beautiful – and what passes for contemporary “art” – is stunning. The fodder churned out by our “entertainment” industry is crude, crass and vulgar, appealing to the lowest common denominator, dragging everyone else down to that level.
We are what we consume.
That statement is as true today as it was when Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians…
“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right,
whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable
— if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.”
~ Philippians 4:8 ~
We are what we consume.
Let’s aim a little higher.
“La Vierge Aux Anges”
William Bouguereau
