Protestation of Integrity and Prayer for Protection.
A Psalm of David.
26 [a]Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity,
And I have trusted in the Lord [b]without wavering.
2 Examine me, O Lord, and try me;
Test my [c]mind and my heart.
3 For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes,
And I have walked in Your [d]truth.
4 I do not sit with [e]deceitful men,
Nor will I go with [f]pretenders.
5 I hate the assembly of evildoers,
And I will not sit with the wicked.
6 I shall wash my hands in innocence,
And I will go about Your altar, O Lord,
7 That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving
And declare all Your [g]wonders.8 O Lord, I love the habitation of Your house
And the place [h]where Your glory dwells.
9 Do not [i]take my soul away along with sinners,
Nor my life with men of bloodshed,
10 In whose hands is a wicked scheme,
And whose right hand is 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 a level place;
In the congregations I shall bless the Lord.
At first, David sounds like a lot of folks today, when he says “I have walked in my integrity…” Too many think they can bend integrity and truth to fit their own idea of morality. Yet that’s where the similarity stops, because David completes the thought with, “I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.” That’s a great place to start for any of us. Then we can be as confident as David in vv. 2-5.
It’s a simple message, but one many churches have thrown by the wayside. We need to trust that God actually meant what He said in His word instead of trying to twist and warp His words into our own mold. The result of that folly is no longer “good news” but lies and deception. Much like Jesus’ parable of the builders, a house built on shifting sand will not long stand the tests and trials of this world.
Only when we trust the Lord without wavering can we say, “My foot stands on a level place; In the congregations I shall bless the Lord.” Stand firm in Him, no matter what comes, and don’t be carried away by the tides of this wanton world. Everything this world offers is fleeting, but the “gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”