Psalm 26

of David

⁰¹    Vindicate me, O Lord,

for I have walked in integrity.

I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.

⁰²             Examine me, O Lord,

and try me;

          test my heart and my mind.

⁰³          Your steadfast love is before my eyes,

I walk continually in Your truth.

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Who Do You Trust?

For the Lord’s Day:  the 27^th of March  2005

 

Introduction:  At the end of a week where the courts of our land have been more and more in the limelight, it is fitting that we turn to a psalm which contains hints of a courtly hearing within the Temple or Tabernacle precincts.  Dahood supposes that in this “psalm of innocence” that the accusation of idol-worship has been made and thus “the psalmist responds with a plea for judgment, a protestation of innocence, a prayer to Yahweh, and a reaffirmation of his innocence.”  Further, my Translator’s Handbook allows for “a ritual in the Temple [being] the occasion of the psalm.”

 

I want to be careful here, but in this respect.  Because of my agricultural and military experiences – I have often found my mind to be extra sensitive to any texts where those topics are the subject.  Thus, if specialized commentators sense a certain legal certitude within the words and phrases here, I am willing to examine the contents within that light.  But, I will not go quite so far as Dahood supposes – even though his outline of the psalm appears adequate.  We may consider this psalm in the context of a contemporary church trial, wherein accusations have been made and the plaintiff’s heartfelt prayers are heard out loud as it were.  We should also observe, that in the context of the provisions of Deuteronomy, the Tabernacle courts – possibly reinstituted by David, were appellate in jurisdiction, the case having already been heard at a lower court, unless it be a case of original jurisdiction within the highest levels of church and government, whose definitive rights were hardly as rigid and developed as in our own system.

 

Another possibility is that this prayer of David becomes ritualistic over time for the use of plaintiffs before their cases were heard.  However, we suppose the situation – it will do no harm to indulge our imaginations as we listen to the plaintiff wrestle with his place, position and case before the throne of the Triune God in who’s Name, the courts of Israel worked in their best days and times.

 

As to a time and incident, Spurgeon reports that some would place this case “at the time of the assassination of Ish-bosheth, by Baanah and Rechab.”  And that David writes this psalm “to protest his innocence of all participation in that murder.”  However, this surmise can only be conjecture since there is precious little evidence to make it certain.

 

Development:  In another century of American literature, Herman Melville wrote a fictional report of one Billy Budd, who was to be tried aboard a British frigate for striking another sailor and accidentally causing his death.  Certainly, as the story unfolded, it was evident that the sub-officer deserved to be rudely knocked around, but – death was not a justifiable outcome, given the situation.  As the plot moves towards the execution of the plaintiff, Melville reports that the plaintiff is more ready to accept the consequences than the Captain of the ship is to order, what was absolutely necessary: an upholding of the system of jurisprudence.

 

I mention this example, because all of us, who belong to the Lord God, must come into His courts, civil and sanctuary, with the same attitude. Our thinking must be that the Lord of all the earth will do rightly whatever must be done.  Our court before the Lord is not like some old fashioned Mayor’s Court where a plaintiff can address the judge in the familiarity of “Hi dad, let’s get this case decided and over with – I have plans for later.”

 

Certainly, the plaintiff here will argue his innocence, but in the careful wording of the petitions and claims, it is with profound respect for the judge that David writes his arguments.  Delitzsch notes carefully that David “does not self-righteously hold himself to be morally perfect, he appeals only to the fundamental tendency of his inmost nature, which is turned towards God and to Him only.”  In this sense, then let us move on to our specific text this morning.

 

We begin with the opening statement of the accused:  “Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in integrity. I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.”  My Translator’s Handbook notes that:  “The Hebrew verb is ‘to judge’, meaning here to declare innocent, to show to be guiltless.”  The Oxford American Dictionary defines our word “vindicate” in this way:  ¹ to clear of blame or suspicion.  ² to justify by evidence or results, to prove (a thing) to be valid.  Calvin, who was trained in the law, sees the claimant addressing the highest court, of God’s own opinion regardless of the ordinary humanity of the legal process.

 

We are speaking of legalities here, and as the first verse unfolds, we should note the two fold arrangement.  It begins with a petition, and then lists two claims of the accused to be considered.  The first claim is that of any honest man caught up in legal problems beyond his ordinary condition and habit.  David claims his God given integrity, which should be known to any and all who have looked upon his life as He lived it daily before the face of God.  I can remember several situations in public service where other teachers and staff were accused of irregularities of behavior by vindictive students.  Some claims were so outlandish that the administration would close the books and say to the accuser and even their parents that the lies being claimed were impossible given the integrity of the one accused.  They would then be advised of the libel and slander laws which could be invoked, if the claimants wished to persist in their false accusations.  Usually, that was enough to finish off the common threats aimed at honest, hard working staff.  This is the argument of David; consider the case in the context of my life.

 

His second claim is based upon the regular and consistent relationship he has with the Almighty Lord of the universe:”I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.”  Usually, but not always – regular and trusted members of Christ’s Church are not the worst of criminals.  Yes, we are familiar with recent case of the BTK serial killer, but this is extraordinary thankfully.  We may observe in that case, that the person in question has no claims upon the Lord of all the earth beyond the fact that confession and eternal forgiveness are still possible.  David’s case is totally different in context and content.

 

In verse two, David comes on bended knee as we all should to the Lord’s Table and presence:  “Examine me, O Lord, and try me; test my heart and my mind.”  This second petition in the psalm is more intense and trusting than the first.  It is almost as if David had second thoughts about his protestations of innocence.  After all, the Lord’s elect know full well that God always has a case against us because we are legitimate descendants from the first Adam, and thus infected by sin and always deserving death because of our ordinary opposition to the absolute holiness of the Creator God.

 

But yet, given the unspecified case being brought – David is willing to stand trial before the God of heaven and earth.  He is willing to be examined, tried and tested in the most intimate manner possible by One who knows the nooks and crannies of our inner selves better even than we know ourselves.  Spurgeon tells us that so convinced of innocence was David that he “submitted himself unconditionally to any form of examination which the Lord might see fit to employ.”

 

I am reminded of the methodology used in schools to prove the knowledge of a student.  In the plurality of methodology here requested by David, we can easily acknowledge the ordinary necessity of examination by more than one line of questioning.  Far too often, our courts and schools err in the direction of establishing the facts alone.  Motive and culpability too are areas that must be examined.  Whenever I gave tests during my public career, they were always seven parts, with the students required to complete any five.  There would always be the factual sections of true or false, fill in the blank or multiple choices.  Then there would be the essays and association drills to establish if all the pieces of information fit together to show a competent understanding.

 

While the necessities of a court case are somewhat different, still the complete and exhaustive methodology granted by David may serve to prove the innocence which he so solemnly declares.

 

Application:  In verse three, David begins a lengthy litany of evidence to put before the bar.  This will be the second claim, in addition to the information in the opening statement of verse one.  David writes sincerely:  “Your steadfast love is before my eyes, I walk continually in Your truth.”

 

In these words, David argues that it is the goodly “steadfast love” of God, which is before Him that, informs His day to day actions.  Once, a liberal teacher accused me of growing more and more reactionary over the years: I objected to the charge and argued that I had the Westminster Confession and the Holy Scriptures to outline and mold my day to day attitudes and performance.  In point of fact, it was her intellectual and moral drift to the left that gave her the perception that I had changed.  I told her, she was like the cloud that in passing by a mountain, only supposed that the mountain was moving away from her.

 

Any and all who belong to Christ and give more than a cursory glance at the Bible, must also like David become a solid rock in a transitory age.  Twenty-five years in the public service taught me one thing for certain – unless you have solid spiritual and moral foundations – those core values, attitudes and convictions can all too easily be swayed, moved and changed beyond recognition.

 

Let us be certain of one thing that David puts before us in this verse.  And that it is precisely because of the “steadfast love” of the Father, that we are held back from being all that the worldly want to be.  And our eternal security rests more firmly on what the Father of lights demonstrates in His interests toward us than upon the personal convictions of our innermost thoughts.  Calvin would allow the intent of the word “because” to be used in the context of this verse.  He paraphrases the text in these words:  “Because thy goodness, O Lord, has been ever before mine eyes, and I have trusted in thy faithfulness, I have restrained all wicked lusts in my heart, lest provoked by the malice of mine enemies, I should be forced to retaliate.”

 

The Apostle Paul too conveys the same thought in his letter to the Romans:  “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.  Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God.” (Romans 12: 18)  If this be the attitude of the elect in every age and place, then they are secure in the trials of heaven.  This sense of personal innocence, declared by David should be an encouragement to us all, even as we face the worldly day by day and do our best to demonstrate the love of God that informs us.  Even the majority of the worldly are astute enough to realize that the same people who give witness to the goodness, truth and love of God are not the criminals advocated by the extremist humanists in our age, or the same sort of anti-godly who lived in David’s age as well.  As we have just seen in the last week, the intensity of the spiritual struggle in our day and place has been ratcheted up several notches.  And surprisingly, the pro-death faction in Congress decided to lay low and hope that the pro-life views so vividly on display might turn the whole world against them?  May heaven help us, even as David was helped – if our world has become so jaded and infected with the lies and hatred of Satan.  And even if the world be that far gone, we like David can continue to plead God’s cause in every case, trial and public argument.  May God’s people be so strengthened for the political and moral struggles still ahead of us.  Amen.

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PREACHING RESOURCES

 

Calvin, John:  Commentary on Book of Psalms.

Delitzsch, F:  Commentary on the Old Testament – Psalms.

Spurgeon, C.H:  Treasury of David.

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