“It is probable that David penned this psalm when he was persecuted by Saul.” David, like Christ, was mistreated by authorities though he had not broken any of their laws. [1]
David trusted God to judge him rightly. King Saul judged that David was a conspirator and traitor against him, which was not true. David had no one to appeal to other than God Himself. He wanted God to vindicate him. He told the Lord, “I have walked in my integrity.” He asked the Lord to examine and prove his mind and his heart. He was confident that the Lord would find no cause for the charges that King Saul brought against him. David’s eyes have been fixed on the Lord’s lovingkindness and truth.
God put it in David’s heart to walk in truth, and he delighted to do so.
In 2 John 1:4, the Apostle John wrote, “I rejoiced greatly that I have found some of your children walking in truth, as we received commandment from the Father.”
In Revelation 19:11, Jesus is called Faithful and True, “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.”
Faithful and True invited David to walk with Him in truth and David accepted His invitation.
David was faithful and true to King Saul. In 1 Samuel 24:1-7, when Saul entered a cave where David was hiding, David’s men whispered, “This is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand.’” David could have killed King Saul but did not. Later, in 1 Samuel 26:7-11, when Abishai asked for permission to pin Saul to the ground with a spear, David again refused to harm “the Lord’s anointed,” trusting in God to remove Saul instead. David resisted calls from close friends to take justice into his own hands. He believed that God would eventually bring about justice for him.
“I have not sat with idolatrous mortals, nor will I go in with hypocrites. I have hated the assembly of evildoers and will not sit with the wicked.” Psalm 26:4-5
David avoided idolators and hypocrites. He hated evil gatherings. He would not sit with the wicked. In Psalm 1:1-2, David wrote, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. His delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night..” God’s Word provided sustenance for David’s soul and helped him to do works that glorified the Lord.
Thank God for David’s example. God can change a man and help him to make godly choices.
In Jude 1:17-19, Jude warns us not to participate with ungodly people in pursuing sinful pleasures. He wrote, “Dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, ‘In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.’ These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.” Their acceptance of you is not worth the price they want you to pay.
“I will wash my hands in innocence. So, I will go about Your altar, O Lord, that I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving and tell of all Your wondrous works. Lord, I have loved the habitation of Your house, and the place where Your glory dwells. Do not gather my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men, in whose hands is a sinister scheme, and whose right hand is full of bribes.” Psalm 26:6-10
“I will wash my hands in innocence.” The first step for drawing near to God is to be cleansed of unbelief. James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” The cleansing of hands, heart and mind from unbelief is vital. How can you come to God if you don’t believe He exists. How can you pray prayers of faith when you are double-minded? Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
In Mark 1:15, Jesus preached, “Repent and believe the Gospel.” Repent of bad thoughts against God! Believe in His goodness! Believe in His love! “God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him would not perish but have everlasting life.”
After repenting of unbelief, the next step is to come to the altar. Confess your sins to God and ask Him to apply the blood of His Son to your account. 1 John 1:7 says that “the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” Having your sin under the blood of Christ opens the way for the Holy Spirit to come and fill your soul with His indwelling presence.
“O Lord, that I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving and tell of all Your wondrous works.” In Acts 2:4 the apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit. Afterwards, in Acts 2:11, their listeners declared, “we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” After David was cleansed of sin, he began to thank God and testify of God’s wonderous works.
Inspired by the Holy Spirit, David wrote, “I have loved the habitation of Your house, and the place where Your glory dwells.” In Ephesians 5:26, Paul wrote of the Lord cleansing people by the washing with water through the Word. The outcome of sanctification by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God is love for God.
In Psalm 51:10, David prayed, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” In Matthew 5:8, Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” A sanctified heart is a happy heart. After David’s heart was purified, he loved the habitation of God’s house. He had the joy of salvation (Psalm 51:12).
In Psalm 26:9-10, David asked the Lord to keep him from uniting his soul with sinners, evil schemers, bribers and murderers. In Matthew 6:13, Jesus taught us to pray, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” In Proverbs 1:10, Solomon coached his son, saying, “My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.” In Proverbs 1:15-16, 18, he added, “My son, do not walk in the way with them. Keep your foot from their path. For their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood. But they lie in wait for their own blood.” In other words, whatever evil they sow, they will reap.
“But as for me, I will walk in my integrity. Redeem me and be merciful to me. My foot stands in an even place. In the congregations I will bless the Lord.” Psalm 26:11-12
David knew the path he wanted to take. He said, “As for me, I will walk in my integrity.” In other words, as I behave when good people are watching me, so I will behave when they are not. He asked the Lord to redeem him and be merciful to him. He knew his need of the Lord’s redemptive and merciful intervention to keep him on level ground. He did not want to harbor evil thoughts about his persecutor. David preferred to congregate with God’s people and be filled with praises and blessings toward the Lord. Amen! Hallelujah!
[1] Matthew Henry's Commentary
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