Psalm 26:1 ¶ «A Psalm of David.» Judge me, O LORD; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the LORD; therefore I shall not slide. 2 Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart. 3 For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth. 4 I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers. 5 I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked.
Here is David declaring his own righteousness, a clear distinction
between the Age of the Law and the Age of Grace. No Christian should make this
claim although his or her efforts should be toward this. Notice this previous
claim.
Psalm 7:8 The LORD shall
judge the people: judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, and
according to mine integrity that is in me.
This sentiment will be repeated in the next set of verses in this chapter
as well.
In verse 2 the word reins, which I have discussed before in my
commentaries, is about internal organs and even deepest thoughts and emotions.
Verse 2 also asks God to examine David. Notice the following;
Psalm 7:9 Oh let the
wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the
righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.
Psalm 17:3 Thou hast proved
mine heart; thou hast visited me in the night; thou hast tried me, and shalt
find nothing; I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.
Psalm 66:10 For thou, O
God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried.
Psalm 139:23 Search me, O
God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts. 24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and
lead me in the way everlasting.
Job 13:23 ¶ How many are
mine iniquities and sins? make me to know my transgression and my sin.
Job 31:4 Doth not he see my
ways, and count all my steps? 5 If I
have walked with vanity, or if my foot hath hasted to deceit; 6 Let me be weighed in an even balance, that
God may know mine integrity.
Verse 3 has David depending on God’s lovingkindness and on David’s
declaration that he is walking in God’s truth.
In the rest of this passage David makes a declaration that he will
not and does not associate with certain types of people; vain persons,
dissemblers, evil does, and the wicked. Dissemblers are hypocrites who distort
the truth to hide something, They are a specific type of liar. Here are some
other usages.
Joshua 7:11 Israel hath
sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for
they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and
dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.
Proverbs 26:24 He that
hateth dissembleth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within him;
Jeremiah 42:20 For ye
dissembled in your hearts, when ye sent me unto the LORD your God, saying, Pray
for us unto the LORD our God; and according unto all that the LORD our God
shall say, so declare unto us, and we will do it.
Galatians 2:11 ¶ But when
Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be
blamed. 12 For before that certain came
from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew
and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. 13 And the other Jews dissembled likewise with
him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation.
What stands out here from David’s perspective is his declaration
of his doing right.
Prophetically, there is a clear allusion to Christ who ministered
to people at all levels of His society but did not venture into their sins at
any time. He was there with them but was not tainted by the sin of them.
For us, we can see that in order to escape a sinful world we would
need to die. But we do not have to partake of the sins of the world in which we
live. Paul makes a comment about that, not fellowshipping with someone who
engages in willful, defiant sin against God.
1Corinthians 5:9 ¶ I wrote
unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: 10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of
this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then
must ye needs go out of the world. 11
But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is
called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or
a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.
Psalm 26:6 ¶ I will wash
mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O LORD: 7 That I may publish with the voice of
thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works. 8 LORD, I have loved the habitation of thy house,
and the place where thine honour dwelleth. 9
Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloody men: 10 In whose hands is mischief, and their
right hand is full of bribes. 11 But as
for me, I will walk in mine integrity: redeem me, and be merciful unto me.
12 My foot standeth in an even place: in
the congregations will I bless the LORD.
King David is not like Pilate who washed his hands to consider
himself free of the taint of executing Christ. This is a different kind of
innocence declaration, not declaring yourself unblameable for an action over
which you have authority but feel unable to impact due to mob pressure. David
is declaring himself righteous. This is his justification for his presence at
God’s altar. This again shows the difference in between that time in history
where God had created a physical kingdom for Himself out of the Gentile nations
through Abraham and called it and His people, Israel. The Law given to Moses
made good men declare themselves righteous. I’ll discuss the difference between
then and now in a moment.
David then goes on to say that what he did in verse 1 allows him
to publish his thanksgiving and glorify God. David loves and honors God’s
house, the tabernacle. He pleads to not be included with the wicked, in this
case in particular mentioning those clever lobbyists of government in whose
hand is filthy lucre for bribery. He declares that he will stand in his own
righteousness as a reason to plead with God to redeem him and show him mercy.
David is reinforcing his “rightness” and blesses God as a righteous man. Wow!
Prophetically and personally, without confusing the dispensations
or putting the Christian back under the Law given to Moses, this would be a
prophetic and personal in the way we are to act before God and man. While not
declaring our own righteousness but Christ’s and asserting that we are not
justified or saved by following the Ten Commandments we must make every effort
in every situation to act in a righteous manner.
Understanding though, that it is Christ who makes us righteous not
we ourselves and that we do not just glorify God when things go our way but
even in the worst of times we are called to acknowledge God’s sovereignty over
us. Notice both Paul and Peter declare;
Romans 5:21 That as sin
hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto
eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
2 Peter 1:1 Simon Peter, a
servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like
precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus
Christ:
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