Psalm 26
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. I love the Psalms. Many are written by King David like this particular one. It really puts things into perspective. I think an interesting side note about verse 2 is that in the Hebrew it not only says to test my heart, it says to test my kidneys. Do you know the older I get the more I feel my kidneys are tested all night long? That was random. You have to look a little deeper sometimes to get the whole jest of a passage. That may be a little too deep. David is confident in his relationship with the Lord. He has walked in integrity and trusted the Lord without wavering. This seems to be a current stance he is taking. We know that there was a time in his past when he did not take such a stance. But he has been forgiven and has moved past his past. Part of what helps him to do that is hanging out with those who are walking in integrity, hanging out where truth is being spoken, and setting his eyes on the path the Lord has laid out for him. Sounds like a recipe for a consistent walk in integrity. You can’t expect full-time victory in your life if you are only walking in part-time faith. It’s presumptuous to think that you will reap something you are not walking. David is washing his hands, in other words, cleansing his life of evil deeds. He attends public worship where God’s glory is manifested, so that he could give thanks and proclaim God’s wondrous works. We are called to do the same: confess our sins to God, celebrate the atoning sacrifice of Christ and join together with other believers to worship God for who he is, what he has done, and what we are trusting him to do. David concludes by separating himself from evildoers (vs. 9-10), living with integrity (vs. 11), and continuing to meet together in worship with God’s people (vs. 12). That sounds like a rhythm I want to be in. Can I tell you… I am so glad that I am doing life with this church. There is no other church like this church and we are blessed to journey together on this side of heaven. Joy in Jesus! Pastor Mike Come to Boost tonight 6:45pm and learn about the Biblical Freedom our founding fathers fought for.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
Rev. Mike McClurgSenior Pastor, Findlay First Church of the Nazarene Archives
March 2020
Categories |