Studies in the Psalms - Psalm 26

Becoming a Christian is more than going to heaven; it is also a life-long process of becoming like Christ. There is a call to holiness, a process called sanctification. Jesus, Himself, warned us about the possibility of being a false convert. These are His words from Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’  And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”

Those are scary words. They should create in us a healthy concern for our own salvation. The Apostle Paul explains what to do in 2 Corinthians 13:5 commanding us to “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!”

Psalm 26 finds David asking God to see that he does indeed, pass the examination. In this psalm are some questions we should ask of ourselves.

Psalm 26:1

Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.

Do I walk in integrity and trust in the Lord without wavering?

Psalm 26:2-3
Prove me, O LORD, and try me; test my heart and my mind.  For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in your faithfulness.

If God tested my heart, would he find His steadfast love before my eyes? Do I walk in His faithfulness?

Psalm 26:4-5
I do not sit with men of falsehood, nor do I consort with hypocrites.  I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked.

Who do I sit with? Men of falsehood and hypocrites? Do I hate the assembly of evildoers and sit with the wicked?

Psalm 26:6-7
I wash my hands in innocence and go around your altar, O LORD, proclaiming thanksgiving aloud, and telling all your wondrous deeds.

Are my hands washed in innocence? Do I walk around proclaiming thanksgiving and telling of God’s wondrous deeds?

Psalm 26:8
O LORD, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells.

Do I love the habitation of God’s house and the places His glory dwells?

David knew his own heart and that he loved God, yet he also prayed this because he knew how easy it is to drift back to old ways.

Psalm 26:9-10
Do not sweep my soul away with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men, in whose hands are evil devices, and whose right hands are full of bribes.

The questions in Psalm 26 are good questions that should have us looking at the places we go, the things we entertain ourselves with, and the people we hang out with. At the end of each day can we say as David does in the end of this psalm?

Psalm 26:11-12
But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity; redeem me, and be gracious to me.  My foot stands on level ground; in the great assembly I will bless the LORD.

Paul said this in 1 Corinthians 15:33-34, “Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals."  Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning; for some have no knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.”

We need Jesus, all of us. Salvation is by faith in Him and Him alone. But God does not leave us to be what we were before we were saved. We must be willing to face the examination. For in it we have peace. We must be like David; confident that God can examine our hearts and find only His steadfast love within them.