Psalm 26
[I Will Bless the Lord]
[Of David.]
Vindicate me, O Lord,
for I have walked in my integrity,
and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.
Prove me, O Lord, and try me;
test my heart and my mind.
For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
and I walk in your faithfulness.
I do not sit with men of falsehood,
nor do I consort with hypocrites.
I hate the assembly of evildoers,
and I will not sit with the wicked.
I wash my hands in innocence
and go around your altar, O Lord,
proclaiming thanksgiving aloud,
and telling all your wondrous deeds.
O Lord, I love the habitation of your house
and the place where your glory dwells.
Do not sweep my soul away with sinners,
nor my life with bloodthirsty men,
in whose hands are evil devices,
and whose right hands are full of bribes.
But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity;
redeem me, and be gracious to me.
My foot stands on level ground;
in the great assembly I will bless the Lord.
-Not Spiritual Elitism-
This psalm is a beautiful picture of how God has changed the life of David. Though David once was a sinner who would be "swept away" by God on judgment day, he no longer is that man. The power of God has so transformed his heart and mind that now he sees himself set apart from these bloodthirsty hypocritical people. David is not speaking of some sort of spiritual elitism as some have thought, for he does not look down his nose at sinners as though they are not as good as him. Simply read more of the psalms and you will discover that most of David's prayers to God are for him to forgive his sins and lead him in righteousness (Psalm 51 is a perfect example). Indeed this entire psalm, when it is correctly considered, is a prayer that God would see that David is set apart from his former sinful way of life and would come to rescue him from the hand of his enemies who are bent on disobeying his God.
-Unwavering Faith-
David says he has trusted in the Lord without wavering. It is very clear from reading the Psalms and especially from reading David's life narrative in 1 and 2 Samuel that he was constant in situations where it would be easy to doubt God's loving care over his soul. David, more than anyone else in the Bible, seemed to be constantly trying to escape from enemies who were after him. When David declares that he has an unwavering faith in God, he is calling upon God to consider his affliction and grant him relief, but he is also revealing an earnest desire for God to search his inward parts and see if there by any wicked way in him.
-Vindicate, Prove, Try, and Test Me God-
David so longs for purity in his thoughts, words, and actions that he desires God to search him diligently for anything that may not be done for his glory. He gives God a description of what he finds within his own heart, which is astounding, in hopes that God would search out his heart and consider whether he is wholeheartedly living in submission to him.
-Why Examine Our Hearts?-
As believers who have been saved by God's grace through faith in the risen Christ, we have been given hearts that long for undistracted devotion to God and so we ought to always examine our motives, goals, and desires. Jonathon Edwards taught that self examination was important for all believers. It is all too easy to go to the church service on Sundays and sing the hymns in a routine sort of way without even realizing that our hearts are not in these activities. We must, along with David, unfold our hearts before God and pray for him to point out any sinful way. Psalm 139:23-24 reads, "Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!" If an entire month of your life goes by and you never ask the question "Do I have the right motives?" or "Am I fully giving my life to the Lord?" than your spiritual growth will continue to plummet. Here is an easy way to begin self-examination: Before this Sunday morning's service, pray for God to give you understanding to know what he has done in Christ to save you and is doing in you each day so that when you sing those hymns you are singing from a heart of worship and gratitude and not routine. Another way is this: At the end of each day, simply pray about how you have sinned and ask God to reveal your sins that day. When the sins you recall come to mind (several often go unnoticed, thus giving us all the more reason to examine ourselves) pray for God to forgive you and change that area of your life to worship him. 2 Corinthians 13:5a reads, "Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves." The heart that longs for God to examine it is the heart that God longs for us to have.
[I Will Bless the Lord]
[Of David.]
Vindicate me, O Lord,
for I have walked in my integrity,
and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.
Prove me, O Lord, and try me;
test my heart and my mind.
For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
and I walk in your faithfulness.
I do not sit with men of falsehood,
nor do I consort with hypocrites.
I hate the assembly of evildoers,
and I will not sit with the wicked.
I wash my hands in innocence
and go around your altar, O Lord,
proclaiming thanksgiving aloud,
and telling all your wondrous deeds.
O Lord, I love the habitation of your house
and the place where your glory dwells.
Do not sweep my soul away with sinners,
nor my life with bloodthirsty men,
in whose hands are evil devices,
and whose right hands are full of bribes.
But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity;
redeem me, and be gracious to me.
My foot stands on level ground;
in the great assembly I will bless the Lord.
-Not Spiritual Elitism-
This psalm is a beautiful picture of how God has changed the life of David. Though David once was a sinner who would be "swept away" by God on judgment day, he no longer is that man. The power of God has so transformed his heart and mind that now he sees himself set apart from these bloodthirsty hypocritical people. David is not speaking of some sort of spiritual elitism as some have thought, for he does not look down his nose at sinners as though they are not as good as him. Simply read more of the psalms and you will discover that most of David's prayers to God are for him to forgive his sins and lead him in righteousness (Psalm 51 is a perfect example). Indeed this entire psalm, when it is correctly considered, is a prayer that God would see that David is set apart from his former sinful way of life and would come to rescue him from the hand of his enemies who are bent on disobeying his God.
-Unwavering Faith-
David says he has trusted in the Lord without wavering. It is very clear from reading the Psalms and especially from reading David's life narrative in 1 and 2 Samuel that he was constant in situations where it would be easy to doubt God's loving care over his soul. David, more than anyone else in the Bible, seemed to be constantly trying to escape from enemies who were after him. When David declares that he has an unwavering faith in God, he is calling upon God to consider his affliction and grant him relief, but he is also revealing an earnest desire for God to search his inward parts and see if there by any wicked way in him.
-Vindicate, Prove, Try, and Test Me God-
David so longs for purity in his thoughts, words, and actions that he desires God to search him diligently for anything that may not be done for his glory. He gives God a description of what he finds within his own heart, which is astounding, in hopes that God would search out his heart and consider whether he is wholeheartedly living in submission to him.
-Why Examine Our Hearts?-
As believers who have been saved by God's grace through faith in the risen Christ, we have been given hearts that long for undistracted devotion to God and so we ought to always examine our motives, goals, and desires. Jonathon Edwards taught that self examination was important for all believers. It is all too easy to go to the church service on Sundays and sing the hymns in a routine sort of way without even realizing that our hearts are not in these activities. We must, along with David, unfold our hearts before God and pray for him to point out any sinful way. Psalm 139:23-24 reads, "Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!" If an entire month of your life goes by and you never ask the question "Do I have the right motives?" or "Am I fully giving my life to the Lord?" than your spiritual growth will continue to plummet. Here is an easy way to begin self-examination: Before this Sunday morning's service, pray for God to give you understanding to know what he has done in Christ to save you and is doing in you each day so that when you sing those hymns you are singing from a heart of worship and gratitude and not routine. Another way is this: At the end of each day, simply pray about how you have sinned and ask God to reveal your sins that day. When the sins you recall come to mind (several often go unnoticed, thus giving us all the more reason to examine ourselves) pray for God to forgive you and change that area of your life to worship him. 2 Corinthians 13:5a reads, "Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves." The heart that longs for God to examine it is the heart that God longs for us to have.
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