Psalm 26
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 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. It was this situation that led to the writing of this psalm. In it, David makes three requests of the Lord.
Danger (v. 15). The enemy had put snares in the path, but David trusted the Lord to protect him. Satan is a destroyer and a murderer and would trap us all if he could, but if we are in God's will, he can't harm us.
Loneliness (v. 16). Those who have never had to exercise authority and make difficult decisions involving other people sometimes overlook the loneliness of leadership. As we obey the Lord, we sometimes see friends and even family members turn against us, and this is painful. Three of David's sons—Absalom, Amnon, and Adonijah—turned against him, and so did his close friend and counselor Ahithophel.
Vindicate Me (v. 1) The enemies who were slandering David are described in verses 4–5 and 9–10. They were deceitful, hypocritical, and wicked evildoers, sinners who schemed to rob others and even accepted bribes (Ex. 25:8; Amos 5:12), murdering those who stood in their way. David the king was a godly man, but not every judge and official
A broken heart (v. 17). If we sit alone and feel sorry for ourselves, we will never grow in the Lord and accomplish greater things for Him. Enlarged trouble will either make us or break us, turn us into giants or crush us into pygmies. Review 4:1 and 18:19 and 36 to see how God helped David to grow. God can heal a
Psalm 26—27
ing (vv. 1, 3, 11), standing (v. 12), and sitting (v. 4), he kept himself from evil (see 1:1).
in the government was walking with the Lord. Perhaps all of this occurred at the time when Absalom was trying to seize the throne by spreading lies about his father (see 2 Sam. 14—15). David would see these deceitful men at the tabernacle altar, bringing their offerings, and it deeply grieved him. (See 119:28, 115, 136, 150, 158.) Throughout the history of both Israel and the church, there was a "congregation of evildoers" (v. 5; 50:16–21) along with the congregation of true worshippers (v. 12), the tares among the wheat (Matt. 13:24–30, 36–41), and wolves in sheep's clothing (Matt. 7:15; Acts 20:26–31).
The wicked came to the sanctuary to hide their sins; they made it a "den of thieves," the place where criminals run and hide (Matt. 21:13; Jer. 7:1). But David went to the sanctuary to worship God and bear witness to His grace and mercy. His hands were clean (24:4), his sacrifice was acceptable (see Isa. 1:10–17), and his voice was clear as he praised the Lord. 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). In order to serve God acceptably, the priests were required to wash their hands and feet at the laver (Ex. 30:17–21). Nowhere in the law of Moses do we find instructions about processions and praise around the altar, but neither were they forbidden. David was an enthusiastic worshipper of the Lord (see 43:4; 2 Sam. 6:12–23) and enjoyed his times of worship. (On washing hands to prove innocence, see Deut. 21:1–9.) 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 own worship.
"Vindicate" means "give me justice, defend my reputation" (see 7:8; 35:24; 43:1). David was a man of integrity (7:8; 25:21; 41:12; 78:72), a fact that was affirmed by the Lord Himself (1 Kings 9:4–5). The people attacking him were "dissemblers" (v. 4 kjv) or "hypocrites," play-actors who wore masks to cover up their evil character. Integrity means wholeness of character, an undivided mind and heart, completely devoted to the Lord. Without wavering, David stood for what was right, but double-minded people are unstable in all their ways (James 1:8). His life revealed a balance of faith ("I have trusted") and works ("I have walked"), as commanded in James 2:14–26. When your character and conduct are attacked, it isn't wrong to vindicate yourself, as Paul did (2 Cor. 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 name's sake" (23:3; 25:11).
Redeem Me (vv. 9–12) 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). The godly must constantly beware of the evil influences of the world and especially of those who profess to love God but are using "religion" as a cover-up for their sins. To remain faithful, we must also ask God to be merciful to us and help us to maintain our integrity. Once we begin to waver (v. 1 nasb), it becomes easier to stumble and fall. "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall" (1 Cor. 10:12 nkjv). David was standing on level ground (see 27:11; 143:10; Isa. 40:4). He would not waver.
Examine Me (vv. 2–8) 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). "Heart and mind" is "kidneys and heart" in the original, the kidneys being the seat of the emotions and the heart the place of moral decision. (See 139:23; Phil. 4:7; Rev. 2:23.) David's life was motivated and controlled by God's love and truth (faithfulness; see 6:4; 25:5–7, 10; 40:10; 57:3; Ex. 34:6). The Lord was faithful to His covenant and David was faithful to the Lord. 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. This doesn't imply that he was isolated from the real world (1 Cor. 5:10), but rather that he didn't allow it to defile him (1:1–2; 2 Cor. 6:14—7:1). While the assembly of the wicked needs our witness, it's with the congregation of the righteous that we share our worship (35:18; 40:9–10; 89:5; 107:32; 149:1). David was balanced: he hated sin but he loved the things of God (vv. 5, 8). In walk-