In Psalm 101 the king of Israel solemnly promises to rule justly. A king who carries out these promises would be living up to the description in Deut 17:14-20. In fact, he would have the qualities of the Messiah given in Isaiah 11:1-5. Christians and Christian leaders are called to exhibit similar qualities (1 Ti 3:1-16; 2 Ti 2:14-16; Titus 1:6-9).
The king desires to emulate God's example of "steadfast love and justice" (v 1). He praises God in song for these attributes. He seeks wisdom, pondering the ways of God (v 2) and seeking God's guidance in dealing with problems that he faces. He wants to live a life of integrity before God, to seek excellence and put aside things that are worthless (v 3).
The king is determined to avoid all forms of evil and to surround himself with those who do good (vv 4,6-8). Rather than have evil "cling to him" (v 3), he wants to cling to God (Dt 11:22). Striving to lead a just administration, he wants to discourage slander and arrogant behavior (v 5), which can lead to false witness and unjust verdicts.
Based on verse 1, the midrash on Psalm 101 attributes to David a determination to praise God whether he himself receives justice or mercy, following the example of Job 1:21. The midrash connects the phrase "morning by morning" in verse 8 with Exodus 36:3, where Israel brings freewill offerings each morning. Because Israel had done that, the midrash says, God would rid the land of wickedness.
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