June 4, 2014
Tom Lowe
Psalm 26 (KJV)
Title: The Love of God’s House and Its Ritual.
A psalm of David.
Psalm 26 (KJV)
1 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.
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.
Introduction
Psalms 26, 27, and 28 reveal David’s love for God’s sanctuary (26:6-8; 27:4-7; 28:2), which in David’s day was the tabernacle on Mount Zion. God didn’t permit David to build the Temple (2 Sam. 7), but He did give him the plans for the Temple and helped him accumulate from the spoils of battle great wealth to provide for material for constructing the temple (1 Chron. 22:28-29). But not all who gathered to worship at the sanctuary were sincere in their walk or their worship, and some of them were openly disobedient and spread lies about the king. This may have been the situation that led to the writing of this psalm.
In Psalm 25 David confessed his sins, and David was a great sinner. But in this psalm David talks about his righteousness. David did have righteousness. I don’t know about you, but I have perfect righteousness—but it is not Tom Lowe’s. First Corinthians 1:30 tells us, “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.” Jesus has been made unto me righteousness as well as redemption. This is on the plus side of the ledger, and I stand complete in Him, accepted in the beloved.
This psalm was probably written when David was in distress, and particularly when he was falsely accused and defamed by his adversaries, as he frequently was by Saul and his aristocratic brownnosers; and therefore, for his vindication he makes a solemn appeal to God, and protests his innocence. Though David is expressing his personal concerns, this psalm voices the uneasiness of any devout soul when immersed in a godless society. To Christian ears, this is an odd psalm, for it is a violent protest of complete innocence, presented not to man, but to God. It is at variance to the Christian teaching that in God’s sight no man living can be justified apart from the imposition of God’s saving grace.
Commentary
1 Judge me, O LORD; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the LORD; therefore I shall not slide.
What is expressed in the first two verses could well be summed up in the words of that lovely Hymn:
Search me, O God, and know my heart today;
Try me, my Savior, and know my thoughts I pray—
See if there be some wicked way in me;
Cleanse me from every sin and set me free.
But David does not feel that he has anything to confess. What a delightful state of soul! To be able to open up the heart to the all-seeing eyes of God confident that God Himself will be satisfied with what He sees.
“Therefore I shall not slide.” If “therefore” is omitted, we get the sense that David had not slidden from his attitude of faith. Let us trust God to keep us trusting in Him.
This is a marvelous psalm that speaks of David’s walk [how he lived his life]. David committed several great sins which we are told about in the Bible, but he did not continue to live in sin. David’s sins stand out like lumps of coal in a snowman, because the rest of David’s life was an example of godliness. He became the measuring stick for those kings who followed him. Every king was judged by whether or not he walked in the steps of his father David. If he followed David’s example, he was accepted and declared a good king.
This psalm reminds us of the first psalm. Notice how it reads; “Judge me, O LORD; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the LORD.” It was because of his faith in the Lord that David did not slide [stumble and fall into sin]. This is not a claim of perfection, but of innocence, particularly as viewed within the context of ungrounded “legal” charges. It was not that David was so strong that he could resist temptation—he knew that he wasn’t—but he knew that when he trusted the Lord, the Lord would sustain him in every situation. “Integrity” means wholeness of character, an undivided mind and heart, completely devoted to the Lord. When your character and conduct are attacked, it isn’t wrong to vindicate yourself, as Paul did (2 Co. 10-12), or to ask the Lord to vindicate you. We aren’t just defending ourselves; we’re defending the name of the Lord whom we serve. Our vindication is for His names sake (23:3; 25:11).
David stands accused of some capital offence which he doesn’t disclose in the psalm, but if we read between the lines, we find that David had been accused of fraternizing with ungodly men and of thus being untrue to Jehovah. He knows who his foes are; that they are fierce and he fears sudden death at their hands. The enemies who were slandering David are described in verses 4-5 and 9-10. They are deceitful, hypocritical, and wicked evildoers, sinners who schemed to rob others and even accepted bribes (Amos 5:12{5), murdering those who stood in their way. David is confident in his innermost being that he is innocent from the charges made against him by these men, and the way out for him lies in the Temple. To the Temple he goes and partitions God for Justice, solemnly protesting that his manner of life makes him innocent of any charge. His opening words are a petition to the Lord, in which is mingled his declaration of innocence and a request for God to examine his claim (v. 2; 139:23{3). The Lord could discern that he had been consistent in his faith (v. 1a) and in obedience to the Lord and His truth (v. 3). The psalmist does not claim a sinless life but asserts a sincere and consistent endeavor to walk uprightly (Ps. 139:23-24{7).
David comes and stands before God and cries; “I am innocent.” David may have been innocent of a particular charge; but in reality, of course, only the Lord Jesus could talk like that. He could open up his entire life to the probing inspection of His Father. God’s verdict on the life of Jesus was: “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”
Throughout the history of Israel and the church, there was a “congregation of evildoers” (v. 5; 2 Sam. 50:16-21) along with the congregation of true worshippers (v. 12), the tares among the wheat (Matt. 13:24-30), and wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matt. 7:15; Acts 20:26-31).
2 Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.
“Judge me (v.1)” and “examine me” are bold demands. Not many of the Lord’s people would care to put their lives on the line like that! A man must be very sure of himself before he can say that to God. It can be said only in relation to some particular rule of conduct which he knows he has not broken. David wanted to be judged by God, because He didn’t think that men would judge him fairly. He committed his cause and affairs to Him as a just Judge and merciful Father, and to Him alone. He would trust God to search his heart and life by whatever means He saw fit to use; and then, to make known to himself and the world, and to convince his enemies of his integrity.
As with David’s words in 18:20-24, this is not an expression of self-righteousness (see Luke 18:9-14), but rather the honest testimony of a real man of God. The words translated “examine” and “try” refer to the testing of metals to determine their true value and also to remove the dross (12:6; 17:3). “Reins (Mind) and heart” is “kidneys and heart” in the original, the kidneys being the seat of the emotions and the heart the place of moral decision—“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7).
“Examine . . . prove . . . try.” These three invitations to divine scrutiny are essentially synonymous ways of testing, refining and purifying. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings” (Jer. 17:9-10).
3 For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth.
This psalm is similar to Psalm 1 in content. David says, “I have walked in thy truth.” This is a positive statement. Psalm 1 presents the negative side. “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly” (Ps. 1:1). Furthermore, David states that he has “not sat with vain persons (v. 4),” nor “with dissemblers (v. 4).” David did not set with false persons. As Psalm 1 put it, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful” (v. 1). As Christians, we are to separate ourselves from the world—worldly desires and men who commit sinful acts—but, there is another aspect to our separation; we must be separated to the Lord in deliberate preoccupation with the cross. The cross stands between us and the world.
David did not, and could not do what his enemies accused him of doing because of the deep sense he had of the Lord’s “loving-kindness.” He abstained of all such evil practices in order that he not forfeit that loving-kindness that he valued more than life itself. Love is the most powerful motive in the world. A man will do things for love he would not do for fear, hate or gain.
This verse suggests that we should model our lives after the character of God; particularly as it pertains to loving others. “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another” (1 John 4:11).
4 I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers.
The setting of these verses is in the sanctuary [We know this because of the mention of the “alter” (v.6) and “habitation of thy house” (v. 8).]. David’s worship was with integrity [He washed his hands in integrity (24:4{4), in innocence.] and sincerity [He praised the Lord and told of his deeds.]. In contrast to his reaction to the assemblies of the wicked (v. 5) David loved the sanctuary, where the “glory of the Lord . . . dwells.”
“Vain persons” are the liars, the false and deceitful persons. Vanity is very often used for falsehood and lying in the Bible. David declares that he has not kept company with liars or taken part in their councils or enterprises.
“Dissemblers” are those folk who hide themselves by covering their crafty and wicked plans with the pretense of fairness.
“I have not sat”—Human society without God is an empty bubble, and cannot satisfy: “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful” (Ps. 1.1).”
Because of God’s faithfulness in refusing to let the psalmist fall out of His grasp, he can confidently declare next (v. 5), that he has received God’s strength. He no longer feels irresistibly compelled to set down in the company of “dissemblers” or hypocrites.
5 I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked.
Here and in the previous verse he describes his manner of life negatively; he has had nothing whatsoever to do with worthless, vicious men. He shuns all groups of evildoers and has no companionship with them at all.
“The wicked” are those men who treat the principles and practices of religion as if they were nothing in the world. “Will not sit with the wicked” means to not have approving fellowship with them; this David had not done. As a matter of Fact, he had shown a holy determination to avoid fraternizing with them.
6 I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O LORD:
The psalmist performs an interesting bit of ritual; he ceremonially washes his hands as a solemn declaration on his part that he is innocent of that which he has been accused. The psalmist’s prayer is his oath before God, his solemn testimony that he is guiltless (Matt: 27:24{2). And as he performs this ceremonial act, he intones these words: “I will wash mine hands in innocency.” Cleansing comes from the blood of Christ (1 John 1:7, 9) and the water of the Word (Eph. 5:26-27; John 15:3). Personal cleansing is a necessary prerequisite for acceptable worship. “Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully” (Ps. 24:3-4). In order to serve God acceptably, the priests were required to wash their hands and feet at the laver (Ex. 30:17-21).
A man’s faith needs to be backed up by a good life. This psalm is very important in this connection—maybe the reason this section of psalms is not very popular today is because they emphasize a life that is pleasing to God.
“In innocency” means with integrity, or with a pure heart and conscience. I will not do as my hypocritical enemies do, who content themselves with those outward washings of their hands or bodies as prescribed in the law (Deut. 21:6{1); while their hearts and lives were filthy and abominable. The picture I get is of Pilate washing his hands as he absolved himself of any liability in the death of Christ.
“Compass thine altar” or rather, “I will approach Your alter with my sacrifices; which I could not do with any comfort or confidence, if I were aware of having committed those crimes of which my enemies accuse me.” The idea of a solemn procession is suggested.
David refuses to sit down and learn to think as the wicked think.
7 That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works.
In anticipation of the Lord delivering him from the accusations of his accusers, David desired to “publish” [proclaim] God’s wonderful works with “the voice of thanksgiving”—to accompany his sacrifices with his own solemn words of thanksgiving and songs of praise.
The two words “wondrous works” is one word in Hebrew. It means those gracious acts of God that we meet with in our human life but are quite beyond our human understanding. Consequently it can sometimes be called by the word miracle. One of God’s profound miracles, an action that is wholly beyond my intellect to grasp, says the psalmist, is that He has taken a sinner like me, has justified me (has put me in a right relationship with Himself), has made me an integrated personality (see verse 1), and so a person who now lives in trust and faith, knowing a new fullness of life. This type of new life I now possess is definitely not of my own doing; it has happened to me as a result of knowing God’s steadfast love and faithfulness (v. 3). No one is justified by his own faithfulness to God. He is justified by God’s faithfulness to him.
“That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving.” One translation renders that: “I love to sing my thanks aloud!” There is no joy in all the world to compare with doing something that pleases the Lord. The devil tells us that doing God’s will is bondage. But consciously to do something for the Lord under the recognized urging of the Spirit—it may be just handing out a tract, the giving of a gift, or the visiting of someone in need—is to know the devil to be a liar. You will find yourself wanting to sing out loud! You will have overflowing life.
8 LORD, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth.
The “habitation of thy house” refers to God’s sanctuary and worship where David has given many proofs of his piety toward Him, just as he has given many proofs of his justice and integrity toward men. Nothing could be worse for him that to be kept from seeing and worshipping Him.
“Thine honor” [or “thy glory”] refers to either:
1. The ark which is so called. “And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken” (1 Sam. 4:22).
2. God’s glorious and gracious presence, or the manifestation of God’s glory, or of His glorious power, and faithfulness, and goodness. “And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the people” (Lev. 9:23).
David seems very sensitive to being in the Temple, the “habitation of thy house,” and close to the presence of God. To him worship was not a dreary ritual to be endured stoically; he actually loved the house of the Lord where the glory cloud symbolized the glorious Presence of God Himself. Oh, how he loves the sanctuary, where in awesome splendor, yet hid from the eyes of man, dwells his God!
9 Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloody men:
“My soul,” as used here means “my life.”
“With sinners” refers here to shameless and obstinate sinners.
“Bloodthirsty men” are those who use violence to obtain their ends. So long as he remains one of God’s faithful, God may indeed try him and prove him (v. 2); but God Himself will uphold him in those tests, just because He is always faithful and loyal to His loved ones.
David wanted the Lord to keep him from those kinds of people—sinners and bloodthirsty men—to build up obstructions in his life. “Lord,” he says, “If you see me leaning toward people like that, do something about it. Keep me from my own folly!” Thank God for divinely obstructed life! Thank God for all those things God, in His infinite grace, sends into our lives to make us stop and think, to make us watch and pray, to make us think fresh thoughts of Calvary. Then we shall sing with John Newton:
He ransom’d me from hell with blood
And by His power my foes controlled;
He found me wandering far from God
And brought me to His chosen fold.
David refused to join the gang in this world—he had shunned the practices of sinners, murders, and payoff men (v. 10) in life; now he pleads to escape their company in death.
10 In whose hands is mischief, and their right hand is full of bribes.
“In whose hands is mischief” denotes those who not only envision misbehavior in their hearts, but perform it with their hands and keep it up for as long as it pleases them to do so.
11 But as for me, I will walk in mine integrity: redeem me, and be merciful unto me.
The king brought sacrifices of thanksgiving (Lev. 3:1-17; 7:11-38) because he loved the Lord and the Lord’s house (27:4-6; 42:4; 122:1-4, 9; 1 Chron. 29:3). He glorified God at the place where God’s glory dwelt (Ex. 40:35). David is a good example for us to follow in our worship.
“But as for me, I will walk in mine integrity.” Can we also assert our integrity—that is, our wholeheartedness? (Job. 2:3{6, 9; 27:5). Is our eye single? Is our heart open toward God? Are our motives pure? If so, though we still need “grace to help,” yet we are on a level table-land, in which there is no pitfall or cause of stumbling, and from which the glad song of praise will ascend as sweet incense to God. The outcome of the prayer of faith is that David commits himself to be the sort of person that he asked God to make him.
12 My foot standeth in an even place: in the congregations will I bless the LORD.
“My foot standeth in an even place” means that David is sure-footed now. He is firmly established on the Rock. The “even place” speaks of that. When you are on the side of a slippery hill, you are apt to lose your footing and fall. A lot of Christians are in that position today. They are messing with evil and they get very close to it. It reminds me of a little boy in the pantry. His mother heard a noise in the back of the kitchen and asked, “Willie, where are you?” The boy replied, “I am in the pantry.” She asked, “What are you doing?” He said, “I am fighting temptation.” That was not the best place for Willie to fight temptation. Dear reader, it is well to have your feet on even ground. Where are you standing today? The reason a great many people fall is because they are fighting temptation in the pantry.
The “even place” is opposed to the slippery places where wicked men are said to be. “And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved” (Ps. 35:6). The sense seems to be—I stand upon a firm and solid foundation, where I don’t need to worry about falling, or being overthrown by the assaults of my enemies, for I am under the protection of God’s promises, and His almighty and watchful providence.
Though David occasionally fell, as we all do, the habitual bent of his life was toward the Lord and His Word. He refused to have fellowship with the hypocrites in the congregation, the “men of vanity, nothingness” who pretended to worship the Lord and keep His covenant. David was balanced: he hated sin but he loved the things of God (v. 5, 8). In walking (vs. 1, 3, 11), standing (v. 12), and sitting (v. 4), he kept himself from evil: “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful” (Ps. 1:1).
David couldn’t stop the hypocrites from joining the worshipping congregation, but he could help from becoming like them; so he asked the Lord to deliver him from that sin. “Don’t sweep me away with the wicked.” The sheep and goats, and the wheat and tare may be mixed today, but there is coming a day when God will separate them; on that day, the wicked will perish (1:4-6; Matt. 7:21-23; 25:31-46). To remain faithful, we must ask God to be merciful to us and help us to maintain our integrity. Once we begin to waver (v. 1), it becomes easier to stumble and fall. “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (1 Co. 10:12). David was standing on level ground (see 27:11; 143:10; Isa. 40:4). He would not waver.
Many Christians today flirt with sin. I have and you have too. As a young man who made many trips for my company, I was tempted to sin because I was alone in a city where I was virtually unknown. I was a Christian, but the desire to commit some sin was strong. I wish I could say as David did, “My foot standeth in an even place.” But, you see, I was young, and my faith was not as strong as it is today. I am thankful that God has forgiven me, as He did David.
We should note that there is an aspect of separation that is not brought out in this psalm. Though we should be separate from sinners as far as silent ascent or complicity with their evil is concerned, we should not be isolated from them when it comes to telling them about their need of Christ. The Lord Jesus Himself was a friend of sinners; He not only received them but ate and drank with them. But He never compromised his loyalty to God or failed to tell them about their sin, and their need of forgiveness
What this psalm is telling us loudly is that “the church” does not teach people “to be good.” It leads them to that source and power which enables them to live in love and loyalty to both God and man.
A divinely ordered life will be a life which takes a stand no matter the cost. In a world filled with snares and pitfalls: “My foot standeth in an even place: in the congregations will I bless the LORD.”
SCRIPTURE REFERENCED AND SPECIAL NOTES
1} (Deut. 21:6) And all the elders of that city, that are next unto the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer that is beheaded in the valley:
2} (Matt. 27:24) When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made , he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying , I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.
3} (Ps. 139:23) Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
4} (Ps. 24:4) He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
5} (Amos 5:12) For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins: they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right.
6} (Job 2:3) And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.
7} (Ps. 139:23-24) Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
