It has been quite a while since I offered a straight-up bible devotion in one of my blogs. Stripping all the normal commentary from today’s post, take a moment and read slowly through David’s words below in Psalm 26. I want to focus on some of the petitions that David made to God in these verses. I want to encourage you to grown in these same areas as you put them before the Lord for your own life.
Psalm 26
“1 Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering. 2 Prove me, O Lord, and try me; test my heart and my mind. 3 For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in your faithfulness. 4 I do not sit with men of falsehood, nor do I consort with hypocrites. 5 I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked. 6 I wash my hands in innocence and go around your altar, O Lord, 7 proclaiming thanksgiving aloud, and telling all your wondrous deeds. 8 O Lord, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells. 9 Do not sweep my soul away with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men, 10 in whose hands are evil devices, and whose right hands are full of bribes. 11 But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity; redeem me, and be gracious to me. 12 My foot stands on level ground; in the great assembly I will bless the Lord.”
- Vindicate me (vs. 1) – Right off the bat we see that David was living out some context wherein he was likely being misunderstood, suffering mistreatment or being misrepresented. He had either exhausted all efforts to clear his own name or, possibly, was struggling with the reality that God was telling him not to offer up his own defense. David’s conscience was clear as he mentioned his behaving with integrity. He knew his own heart but it appears that others were not son convinced about him. He declared that he had trusted God and had not wavered. He expected God to come to his aid and boldly prayed for this to happen. How difficult it is to resist the urge to vindicate yourself. How noble it is to ask God to do it on your behalf and then to wait for Him to accomplish it.
- Prove me/Test me (vs. 2) – I have read these words and those that follow for years and I am always amazed at the boldness that David displayed before God. He is literally praying for God’s holy omniscience to scrutinize his life. He is welcoming God to test his genuineness, as would a metallurgist test the purity of gold. David was certain that he had remained motivated in God’s love for David and, likewise, his own love for God. The next eight verses contain David’s offering up of examples to God concerning how sincerely he had sought to live an irreproachable life. I do not believe that David was being self-righteous but, instead, righteously indignant that he was suffering opposition from men less noble than he. Remember, it was this same David who, as a teenager, looked at Goliath and asked the army of Israel, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine who defies the army of God? Is there not a cause?” Many of us lack this boldness with God because our consciences are not as clear as David’s. When we think of our future need to ask God to examine us, it will cause us to pursue holy living in the present. It is then that we will be able to courageously ask God to put us under examination to see if there is any fault present with us.
- Redeem me/Be gracious to me (vs. 11) – When we hear the word redeem we often view it in the arena of our justification/salvation. We have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus, we are bought with a price, and we sing the song of the redeemed. Those are accurate applications of the word redeemed. But there is also a more general sense in which the word is used and that is the case here in verse eleven. David is asking God to separate him from his dilemma. He is seeking a circumstantial rescue. He needs a way out and is asking God to provide it. He is petitioning God to intervene in whatever the situation is that has caused David to be misunderstood or misrepresented by others. He then requests that God would be gracious to him. He is asking for mercy from the Almighty. The Hebrew word translated here as “be gracious” is a term that properly means to bend or stoop down. We do this when our children are small and they need a tender touch because of some hurt or fear. We get down on their level and let them see our face. Most times it brings great reassurance to their fretful hearts and they have a clear sense that mommy or daddy understands what has happened and is making things better. David utilizes this concept here and he clearly reveals where he has placed his trust. He is not relying solely upon his clear conscience, his superior behavior or his sharp discernment about his opponents. David relies on grace to rescue him from his troubles. David anticipates that Father will stoop down and look David in the eye. David finds his personal hope & rest in the face of his God.
For you who have been misunderstood or maligned, these words from David should help. Are you being spoken ill of? Your name may never be cleared in this lifetime. The modern saying is “Haters gonna hate” and there is a fair amount of truth to that. Will you take comfort in God’s full understanding of who you are? Can you rest in His gracious acceptance and affirmation? It is important that you never allow those who have picked you apart to be allowed to own your mind. We all have been discouraged by petty people and we have all struggled with how to let it go. Gossips, backbiters, slanderers…these are small-souled people who are wrestling with their own emptiness. They stand much more in need of God’s help than they do your fruitless attempts to make them understand what a really nice person you are. Ask God to vindicate you and then move on from those places of your wounding. The Savior who is your present justification before the Father is also your future vindication before those who misunderstand you. Father loves to look His children in the eye and, when He does so to you, you will see that He is smiling. Yes, Father is smiling at you.
This a great study…this is the second time I read it,,,studying this time.
Thank you Pastor.