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Psalm 26 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
The key to Psalm 26, as Hank has written, is the second verse. If you read through the Psalm again and remove verse 2, it sounds completely vain and self-centered. This is an important distinction. There are many today who live a “Psalm 26 minus verse 2” lifestyle. Take a look at the requests of David (from the GNB translation).
- Declare me innocent, O LORD, because I do what is right and trust you completely.
- I do not keep company with worthless people; I have nothing to do with hypocrites.
- I hate the company of the evil and avoid the wicked.
- LORD, I wash my hands to show that I am innocent and march in worship around your altar.
- Do not destroy me with the sinners; spare me from the fate of murderers—those who do evil all the time and are always ready to take bribes.
- As for me, I do what is right; be merciful to me and save me!
- I am safe from all dangers; in the assembly of his people I praise the LORD.
What do you think? It sounds like someone who believes their works are righteous and the Lord should spare them, right? I can sense a hint of vanity and arrogance. But again, the key to this entire psalm is the fact that David, in verses 2 and 3, pleads with God to search his heart and guide him by love. When these verses are added to the mix, the statements above are seen in a completely different light.
Examine me and test me, LORD; judge my desires and thoughts. 3 Your constant love is my guide; your faithfulness always leads me.
Psalms 26:2-3 GNB
Judge me, Lord. How many of us pray THAT prayer on a daily basis? How many of us want to start praying that prayer? …*crickets chirping*…
I have heard it said “Only God can judge me,” but the fact is, God’s judgment is perfect and holy. If I’m honest, I would much rather be judged by a human than by God because their standards are far lower. David’s attitude is emphatically opposite of this. He welcomes the judgment of God and couldn’t care less about what other people think. Again, is this your attitude when approaching the King of Kings?
Jesus will be the final judge of humanity. Because of His life, death, and resurrection, God has given Him authority over all things both in our universe and the spiritual places of heaven and hell. He will judge you and me one day. That’s inevitable and inescapable. When we blindly embrace our self-righteousness and arrogance in order to justify our behavior, we only prolong and amplify the pending judgment of God. We lie to ourselves. We embrace the above statements of David knowing deep down that we have not come in humility.
But, when we enter willingly into that discipline with an open heart and an open mind, we will be able to boldly approach God with those same statements David makes. We are able to confidently ask the Lord to declare innocence over us and unfold His glorious truth over a situation. We come to Him with a clean heart where nothing is hidden or covered. The feeling of coming to Jesus knowing you have laid everything on the table is a freedom that cannot be found anywhere else in this life!
So, I urge you, ask Him today for His judgment to fall upon your thoughts and decisions. Ask Him to examine and test you. Then, ask Him to lead you by His love and faithfulness. If we know that He loves us, we should not fear asking Him to also judge us. He is a good Father who loves His children! Come to Him in humility today!