Psalms 26

Psalms 26THEME: Plea on the basis of personal righteousnessIn Psalms 25 David confessed his sins, and David was a great sinner. But in this psalm David talks about his righteousness. I don’t know about you, but I have perfect righteousnessbut it’s not Vernon McGee’s. 1Co_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.” He 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. That is what it means to pray in His name. It is to present His work, His merit, and who He is with our requests.

Psalms 26:1

This is a marvelous psalm that speaks of David’s walk. David committed a great sin, but David did not continue to live in sin. What David did once, the king of Babylon did every day. David’s sin stands out like a lump of coal in a snowman because the rest of David’s life was an example of godliness. He became a measuring stick for the 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 proclaimed 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. Not that he was so stronghe knew he wasn’tbut he knew that when he trusted the Lord, the Lord would sustain him.

Psalms 26:3

This psalm is similar to Psalms 1 in content. David says, “I have walked in thy truth.” This is a positive statement. Psalms 1 presents the negative side. “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly” (v. Psa_1:1). Furthermore, David states that he has “not sat with vain persons,” nor “with dissemblers.” David did not sit with false persons. As Psalms 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. Psa_1:1).

Psalms 26:6

A man’s faith needs to be backed up by a good life. How important this psalm is in this connectionmaybe the reason this section of psalms is not so popular today is because they emphasize a life that is pleasing to God.

Psalms 26:12

“My foot standeth in an even place.” That means that he is sure-footed now. He is established on the Rock. The “even place” speaks of that. When you are on the side of a slippery hill, you are apt to fall. A lot of Christians are in that position today. They are playing with evil. They get 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 place for Willie to fight temptation! Many Christians today flirt with sin. Some time ago I received a letter from one of our radio listeners who wanted counsel. She wrote about how her husband had died, and a close friend of her husband became the one to handle the estate. It was necessary for her to meet with him often; and before longas she put itthe chemistry between them began to react, and they began to care for each other. She felt uneasy about the situation and asked what she should do. In my reply to her, I wrote: “You are in a burning building.

Jump out as quickly as you can.” I advised her to leave that town and relocate. Later I received another letter from her that said after a couple of weeks of rationalizing she had followed my suggestion and moved to another town. Looking back on it, she said, “I know I would have fallen if I had stayed there.” My friend, 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!