Dear friends, do we forget the privilege we have,
to have been redeemed by the gift of God’s amazing grace?
Do we forget the responsibility that this redemption demands of us?
Vindicate me, O Lord,
for I have walked in
my integrity,
and I have trusted in
the Lord without wavering.
2 Prove me,
O Lord, and try me;
test my heart and my
mind.
3 For
your steadfast love is before my eyes,
and I walk in your faithfulness.
4 I do not sit
with men of falsehood,
nor do I consort with
hypocrites.
5 I hate the
assembly of evildoers,
and I will not sit with
the wicked.
6 I wash my
hands in innocence
and go around your altar,
O Lord,
7 proclaiming
thanksgiving aloud,
and telling all
your wondrous deeds.
8 O Lord,
I love the habitation of your house
and the place where your
glory dwells.
9 Do not sweep my
soul away with sinners,
nor my life with
bloodthirsty men,
10 in whose hands are
evil devices,
and whose right hands are
full of bribes.
11 But as for me, I
shall walk in my integrity;
redeem me, and be gracious
to me.
12 My foot stands
on level ground;
in the great assembly
I will bless the Lord
If read quickly, this
psalm could almost seem to be a song of boasting by David. Probably David is
being accused, though he knows that he is innocent of those accusations.
David proclaims his
integrity in verse one; in verse two, he invites the scrutiny of God, but in
verse three, he remits himself to God’s steadfast love and faithfulness.
Only those who have known
the everlasting and perfect love of God and His faithfulness can ever hope to
walk in integrity. David does not forget that his walk is completely dependent
on God’s grace and help.
When
we forget our total dependence on God, we will always fall away from a life of
integrity. Depending on God requires our submission to his Word, our devotion
to purity, and our reliance on corporate worship. In this psalm, David will
mention how much he loves worshiping in the house of the Lord.
To walk in integrity, a
careful choice has to be made, and that is to choose carefully whom one
associates with. David was careful in evaluating those whom he spent time with.
He distanced himself from evil doers as well as from those who pretended to do
good, though were living as hypocrites. This is not implying that we should
completely isolate ourselves from the unsaved, but that our close friends
should those who are like-minded.
As David proclaims his
innocence, for he has, according to the Old Testament Law, ceremonially washed
his hands before approaching the altar with his sacrifice of praise. He knew
that to approach God, one must be cleansed.
One of the great blessings
of knowing the Lord is the privilege of going to Him for cleansing. 1 John
reminds us that everyone sins and that everyone needs to confess his sins
regularly. Our fellowship with God requires it and our integrity demands it.
1 John 1:5-10
5 This is the message we
have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is
no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we
walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the
truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the
light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son
cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive
ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins,
he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make
him a liar, and his word is not in us.
‘Walking in the light’
requires regular confession of sin. Only those who go to God in repentance can experience
the beauty and privilege of true fellowship with God.
David, in verse eight,
proclaims the joy of inhabiting the house of the Lord. He reminds us that God
is enveloped by His glory. We must approach God aware of our need for
forgiveness and grateful for the mercy He has shown us, in allowing us to have
a relationship with Him.
Men who turn away from God
are evil, and have no limit to their greediness and selfishness. How could we
ever choose companions of those who live only for themselves?
David is committed to walk
in integrity, but in verse ten, he reminds us of the basis on which he can
approach a Holy God: He needs to be redeemed by God’s grace.
Dear friends, do we forget
the privilege we have, to have been redeemed by the gift of God’s amazing grace?
Do we forget the responsibility that this redemption demands of us?
Only when we walk in
integrity will our feet be stable and our worship be true.
I am sorry to say that
many believe that worship is done by singing songs and allowing our feelings to
transport us, in moments of emotional bliss. Biblical worship is done in spirit
and truth.
Philippians 3:3
For we are the
circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in
Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh—
Later in the same chapter
Paul writes.
Philippians 3:12
Not that I have
already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make
it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.
Paul knew that a life of
integrity was the result of pressing on. Our sanctification was never compared
to a walk on the beach, but the life of an athlete or a soldier at war. Dear
friends, may we learn from David first, and then Paul, that a life of integrity
is the result of hard and careful work. We must never forget that this walk
would never have been possible, without God’s work of grace at salvation and
His continuing, sanctifying work of grace in us, every day.
May you and I walk well
today, in God-enabled integrity!
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