Psalms 26:1
The scripture for today is Psalms 26:1
Psalms 26:1 Vindicate me, O LORD, For I have walked in my integrity. I have also trusted in the LORD; I shall not slip.
Let us read this psalm in its entirety to gain an appreciation for the message contained in it:
"Vindicate me, O LORD, For I have walked in my integrity. I have also trusted in the LORD; I shall not slip. Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my mind and my heart. For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes, and I have walked in Your truth. I have not sat with idolatrous mortals, nor will I go in with hypocrites. I have hated the assembly of evildoers, and will not sit with the wicked. I will wash my hands in innocence; so I will go about Your altar, O LORD, that I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all Your wondrous works. LORD, I have loved the habitation of Your house, and the place where Your glory dwells. Do not gather my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men, in whose hands is a sinister scheme, and whose right hand is full of bribes. But as for me, I will walk in my integrity; redeem me and be merciful to me. My foot stands in an even place; in the congregations, I will bless the LORD." Psalms 26:1-12
It is supposed that David wrote this psalm while he was on the run and falsely accused by King Saul. The appeal to God is not an appeal extolling self-righteousness, but rather the pouring out of a heart that recognizes that God is just, knows all things, and is the only hope. The psalmist knows full well that nothing can be brought before God that God does not already know, so he comes to Him with an honest heart. He seeks relief, based on the faithfulness and mercy of God.
David was both a king and a prophet and in this psalm, under the spirit of prophecy, he also describes the Lord Jesus as He walked the earth as the “last Adam.†He makes an appeal to God's justice while standing in His own obedience and integrity. He seeks deliverance for His body, His church, from unjust persecution and accusation. He ends the psalm standing "in an even place" (a place that is straight and upright) and in the midst of the redeemed declares, "I will bless the LORD." We, like David, following the example of Christ Himself, stand in faith with our eyes focused on God, and bless the LORD.
God bless you as you continue in His service.
Tim